Automated Safety Hitch Owners

[DKRITTER]

We currently own a 15K 5th wheel and have begun the conversation of moving up to a better 5th wheel, the cost of that is it will exceed my F350SRW towing capacity. We are looking into the Automated Safety Hitch as an alternative to trading and going with a dually.

I have done a fair amount of research and the opinions of folks who have never even seen it much less used one run the gambit and honestly that's not what I'm looking for. I haven't seen many around nor spoken to anyone who owns one and has actual experience with the ASH.


If you own, have owned and/or have actual experience with one please post and let me know your opinion and experience. Good, Bad or Ugly


Thanks

[Sport45]

SoCalDesertRider wrote:


One drawback though, don't plan on being able to back up the trailer, except for a very short distance, in a straight line. The extra pivot point makes for a real mess when backing.

That's very true with a pintle hitch tow dolly. I believe the ASH doesn't pivot behind the truck. Instead, it has its own steering ability and backing might actually be easier with the hitch pivot point now significantly behind the truck's rear axle.

But then, I shouldn't be talking since I've never used one... 🙂

[SoCalDesertRid1]

It's a converter gear (or sometimes called a dolly). They're used in commercial trucking all the time to tow double trailers (triples too, back when they were legal in more places). They work fine. 🙂

As said above, the additional axle's brakes are a big improvement in the towing situation.

The purpose of the converter gear, when used by a pickup to pull a fifth wheel, is to reduce the hitch weight load on the truck's rear axle and put that weight on the converter gear's axle instead. This is especially helpful when there is a single rear wheel truck and a fifth wheel with a very heavy hitch weight, such that the truck's single wheel rear axle/tires/wheels don't have the payload capacity to safely carry the hitch weight.

The converter gear doesn't do anything to help a lack of towing power problem. In fact, it makes it worse, because it adds more towed weight into the equation.

So, if you have a single rear wheel truck with plenty of towing power, but lacking in payload capacity, the converter gear may be answer you're looking for.

One drawback though, don't plan on being able to back up the trailer, except for a very short distance, in a straight line. The extra pivot point makes for a real mess when backing.

[mbutts]

I ran across this owner's review on the Forest River Owners Group forum.

Automated Safety Hitch

The ASH makes a lot of sense to me if you have a truck that's paid off and your new trailer puts you near or over your max payload.

[rhagfo]

Click

MartinDYN wrote:
I think this looks very interesting and would probably solve the OP problem.
http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

[MartinDYN]

I think this looks very interesting and would probably solve the OP problem.
http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

[DKRITTER]

Folks I thank you for the plethora of comments but please re-read the last sentence of my original post.

I have no desire to turn this thread into another ASH bashing thread. I am simply trying to get some user information.

So Please;

If you own,

have owned,

and/or have actual experience with one

please post and let me know your opinion and experience.


Good, Bad or Ugly

[IdaD]

I've been an attorney for over 10 years and I started out doing insurance defense work. People get sued for negligence in car accidents all the time. If you're towing an excessive amount of weight, that could be an issue that gets raised. It is unlikely to be the issue that determines whether you're liable or not, but it could conceivably impact the settlement your insurance company pays. I don't see a scenario where an insurance company would refuse coverage to an insured just for towing over a manufacturers weight rating, though - that would be a great way to get slapped with a bad faith claim.

The real takeaway from this little sidebar is you need to be sure you have adequate limits on your coverage.

[JIMNLIN]

If you own, have owned and/or have actual experience with one please post and let me know your opinion and experience. Good, Bad or Ugly

LOL...good luck with that. The RV weight cops will come out of their holes on this topic.
I see this type setup more in the AG industry such as horse show folks/rodeo/cattle auctions/farm and ranch shows/construction industry/AG implement transporters/etc.

We had similar equipment for TTs and 5th wheel/GN trailers back in the '60s/'70s era only they were on a smaller scale. Most had no brakes but the ones used with a GN and 5th wheel trailer had brakes.
The Automated with its Dana 70 hyd disc braking system with say 7k braking plus two 7k axles on the trailer = 21k. Now add the one ton SRW 7k rear and 6k front brakes gives the combo a huge 34000 lb of braking performance.

Saw this on another rv forum......travel toast

[braindead0]

fj12ryder wrote:

braindead0 wrote:
If you exceed the towing capacity of your truck, nothing can change that. The towing capacity is how much weight you can pull, period. If you exceed that and were to get in an accident, expect it to be an issue.

Please explain why exceeding an arbitrary number from the manufacturer would cause an issue, and please provide some instances of real world facts, not suppositions.

Simple basic legal premise, negligence. Towing beyond the manufacturers stated capacity and getting in a accident (for example) a very good case can be made that you were negligent in overloading your vehicle.

This article on Hardworking Trucks interviewed an attorney who had this to say (in part:
“Failure to comply with these varied requirements,” Michaels says, “can lead to steep civil liability for both the vehicle operator and vehicle owner under the legal theory of negligence per se.”

Finding factual cases related to this is difficult because most do not make it to court and public record as insurance companies always try to avoid disclosing settlements.

Do with that information as you wish.

[rhagfo]

Not an owner, not a hater either.
Things to think about with your research.

Great solution if you don't want a DRW TV.

Issues;
Likely looking at a 40'+ 5er? Most states have a 65' length limit 40' + a SB crew, or LB club cab about 22' + the about 3' to the pin and axle of the ASH and you will be at the 65'.

I would check, but don't believe that using one is considered double towing because of the way it is attached to the TV.

I think owners will give positive feed back.

[fj12ryder]

braindead0 wrote:
If you exceed the towing capacity of your truck, nothing can change that. The towing capacity is how much weight you can pull, period. If you exceed that and were to get in an accident, expect it to be an issue.

Please explain why exceeding an arbitrary number from the manufacturer would cause an issue, and please provide some instances of real world facts, not suppositions.

I don't think they're necessarily a good idea, but I'm basing that on the fact that there are basically none out there. If it worked so well, it should have caught on and would now be very popular. They've been around in one guise or another for probably 50 years.

[braindead0]

If you exceed the towing capacity of your truck, nothing can change that. The towing capacity is how much weight you can pull, period. If you exceed that and were to get in an accident, expect it to be an issue.

[is_it_friday_ye]

I don't know anything about the safety hitch but would it be cheaper to convert your current SRW to DRW?