Garmin Class A Drive Unit (for sailboats up to 28,500lbs / 14 tons of displacement)
This is a Garmin Class A autopilot drive unit, a linear hydraulic drive built for large sailboats — this specific unit is rated for vessels up to 28,500 lbs (roughly 14 tons) of displacement, at the upper end of Garmin's sailboat autopilot drive range. A hydraulic linear drive of this class physically moves the boat's quadrant or tiller arm via a hydraulic ram rather than the smaller rotary or below-deck drive units used on lighter sailboats, giving it the mechanical force needed to steer a genuinely heavy displacement hull, especially under sail load where the rudder is fighting real water pressure.
Class A drive units like this sit at the high-capacity end of Garmin's mechanical/hydraulic autopilot drive lineup, intended for serious offshore cruising sailboats and larger yachts rather than the smaller Class B-series drives used on lighter production sailboats. It's designed to work as part of a complete Garmin sailboat autopilot system alongside a compatible corepack, course computer and helm display, providing the actual steering force once the electronics have calculated the required rudder movement. Because a drive unit this size is a serious mechanical installation, it's typically fitted by a marine electronics installer familiar with hydraulic steering systems rather than as a DIY retrofit.
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Drive Unit
- Type: Class A, linear hydraulic
- Displacement rating: Up to 28,500 lbs (~14 tons)
- Vessel type: Sailboats