Automated Safety Hitch

[sandilyn]

Hello - Has anyone experienced the Automated Safety Hitch? I'm thinking about getting one. The website as well as speaking to the folks that manufacturer them make it sound incredible. I'm hoping to get some feedback from folks that have purchased it.

Thanks.
Sandi

[notanlines]

Tell us a little about it Sandi! And mainly the need for this item.

[sandilyn]

I have a Keystone Cougar and a 2500 Silverado. According to the website it makes towing safer and easier to make turns, stop. Here's a Utube link with a demonstration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_O2DASH5Q

[RoscoeV]

Depending on the cost, you may be able to upgrade to a larger 5th wheel and not have to buy a new truck. Then again I don't think these are very cheap.

[notanlines]

In my wildest dreams, I cannot imagine a real life need for this gimmick. Save your money.

[travelin texans]

Unless you have a SUV & want a 5th wheel that would be a huge waste of $$ behind a pickup. Also not once did the video show backing straight up, which would impossible with that setup.
It makes me cringe watching the tires scrub when backing close to 90 degrees into a sight, can't imagine them scrubbing doing a 180 like the u turn they did, that has to be very strenuous on the suspension.

[rhagfo]

Unless you have a SUV & want a 5th wheel that would be a huge waste of $$ behind a pickup. Also not once did the video show backing straight up, which would impossible with that setup.
It makes me cringe watching the tires scrub when backing close to 90 degrees into a sight, can't imagine them scrubbing doing a 180 like the u turn they did, that has to be very strenuous on the suspension.

The Safety hitch is attached at three points to the TV. Has caster wheels.

[travelin texans]

The Safety hitch is attached at three points to the TV. Has caster wheels.

Yes saw that! Your point being?

[Pull Toy]

First thought... You're kidding... right?

Second thought... you pay the extra axle at EVERY TOLL STATION!

Third thought... Lots of $$$ up front for a GIMMICK that only lengthens your tow!

Fourth thought... how do you back THAT BEAST up?

Fifth thought ... NAH , NOT INTERESTED!!!

I'll keep my 5'er as G-D intended, and drive like a real trucker! LOL!!!

The only plus I see is ...

Good Luck,

[sourdough]

I'm 'sayin.….."Whaaaaaat's the point?" I see on only negatives and they've been pointed out. Looks to me like that contraption would turn a fun towing experience into "not so fun".

[rhagfo]

The Safety hitch is attached at three points to the TV. Has caster wheels.

Yes saw that! Your point being?

It acts as an extension of the TV frame it doesn't pivot at the TV attachment point.
I also agree with all of Pull Toy's points, if used by an SUV to tow a 5er, it would need to be a small 5er as most don't have enough towing capacity to tow 12,000#.

[66joej]

Be a bit like backing up a "B" train. (Hard to do )!

[5J's]

Yep, I agree!! Also in some states length will be a limiting factor.

[flybouy]

Looks to me like an expensive attempt to compensate for insuficiant truck or insuficiant driving skills. In either case in my opinion spend the money on more truck or driving lessons. JMHO

[travelin texans]

It acts as an extension of the TV frame it doesn't pivot at the TV attachment point.
I also agree with all of Pull Toy's points, if used by an SUV to tow a 5er, it would need to be a small 5er as most don't have enough towing capacity to tow 12,000#.

It would like trying to back up a 30' toad behind a motorhome. Yes you can back it up....about a foot!

[BadmanRick]

The purpose of towing a 5th wheel with a truck with a 5th wheel hitch is to get the SAFETY and Stability of a 5th wheel being towed like a Semi truck. To add a hitch mounted 5th wheel defeats the purpose of having a 5th wheel trailer. Would be much cheaper to buy a regular towable trailer. This idea is good for people who want to tow a 5th wheel with a very large SUV and Don’t have a pickup. Just saying.

[bscid]

I owned one unlike most that will reply. I have pulled a 16,000 RV with one and I have been across the country with it.

Run, don't walk, away from Joe Jamieson and the "safety hitch".

DO NOT send him any money, ever!!! In my 63 years of dealing with people he is the most dishonest person I have run across. I am happy to go into detail with you in private. All I will say here is that I made an incredible effort to make the unit work, work with his "company" and in the end it nearly cost me our lives and we lost a big chunk of money.

There are reasons companies settle with people and as a part of the settlement they force a non-disclosure agreement on them before they get their money back. Just saying you might not get many bad reports and why.

PM me for details if you want more.

[lewy64]

wouldnt this change the load into a bumper pull verses a 5th wheel load? This changes how the load is distributed on the TV. The 5th wheel hitch is situated over the rear axle for a reason.

[packnrat]

safe your money.
learn how to tow a trailer the corect way. a proper fithwheel hitch is a "safety hitch. turning a fifth wheel into a bumper two is a down grade.
also why pay more for state reg for a tow dolly? added insurance, and tolls?
does not add towable weight but adds unusable weight to the combined weight and your over all length. added maintance costs. ( bet it does not use the same tires as your truck or trailer).
i see nothing ut FAIL here.

[larryflew]

Agreed it's a solution looking for a problem to fix. Now if it had a GM 350 built in you could tow your 5th wheel with your bicycle.

[fmitzen]

From what I can see, you are just adding a tow dolly to the front of your fifth wheel. What's the point, unless it locks up solid you won't be able to back up with it. Also it will overload axles somewhere.

[Cracker]

I faintly remember seeing an ad or picture for a device that would turn a conventional travel trailer into a 5th wheel by adding a semi-permanent gooseneck attachment. Now that made pretty good sense and it only added two or three feet to the trailer length - and a few extra pounds. The “dolly” device doesn’t seem to have, IMHO, any practical use.

[Barbell]

A few tight turns like that will do in those LT tires on the trailer. They are not made to take side scuffing like that.

[HANGAR]

Starting at $10K ?!? No thanks...
http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

[flybouy]

Starting at $10K ?!? No thanks...
http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

I just read that page and had to laugh at "updrade from 3/4 to 1 ton is $30K"Don't know where that guy shops, or what he's smoking. Anytime you see a web page with such info and the glowing testimonials don't walk, RUN!

[rhagfo]

Starting at $10K ?!? No thanks...
http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

I just read that page and had to laugh at "updrade from 3/4 to 1 ton is $30K"Don't know where that guy shops, or what he's smoking. Anytime you see a web page with such info and the glowing testimonials don't walk, RUN!

If new to new that $10K to $14K would likely be a wash if not less assuming very few miles on the 250/2500.

If driving a used then it goes a long way to making the step to the 3500 SRW or DRW. Personally I would not go from a 2500 to a 3500 SRW not enough true difference! Our next step is 3500 DRW.

[rhagfo]

A few tight turns like that will do in those LT tires on the trailer. They are not made to take side scuffing like that.

Guess that is why the LT’s on our 12,360# GVWR 5er made it 12 years before I replaced only because of age!

ST tire scrub just like LTs do. As I have stated before tires on semis all have the same carcass design, just possibly a different tread design. Take of worn drivers become trailer tires until the tread is too thin, then either capped as drivers or ribs for trailer use.

[Dave-Gray]

I just read that page and had to laugh at "updrade from 3/4 to 1 ton is $30K"Don't know where that guy shops, or what he's smoking. Anytime you see a web page with such info and the glowing testimonials don't walk, RUN!

Nope, I don't smoke anything, never have. And when I asked a few three-quarter ton truck owners how much they thought it would cost them to upgrade to a one-ton dually, the answers averaged was $30K. Go ahead and run if you want, it's my honest evaluation.

[wiredgeorge]

In my wildest dreams, I cannot imagine a real life need for this gimmick. Save your money.


Maybe, maybe not. I just had an inspiration! I have small motorcycle trailer; will take the Andersen Ultimate out of my F250 bed and stick it on the trailer and then I can carry a bed full of junk and still pull the 5ver! I can hook my safety chains (legal TX thing) onto the bike trailer and be good to go! Do you think I will still be able to jackknife the 5ver 120 degrees like in the video? :hide:

[5J's]

Maybe, maybe not. I just had an inspiration! I have small motorcycle trailer; will take the Andersen Ultimate out of my F250 bed and stick it on the trailer and then I can carry a bed full of junk and still pull the 5ver! I can hook my safety chains (legal TX thing) onto the bike trailer and be good to go! Do you think I will still be able to jackknife the 5ver 120 degrees like in the video? :hide:Should be good to go. Be sure to post the videos!!

[K_N_L]

There was similar post a couple of months back on another forum, started the same way, what do you think of this, thinking about getting one. Followed up with a few 'hmm why' posts, then a 'it works great for me!' post. All from users with under 10 posts and no real profile details or pics. :whistling:

[flybouy]

There was similar post a couple of months back on another forum, started the same way, what do you think of this, thinking about getting one. Followed up with a few 'hmm why' posts, then a 'it works great for me!' post. All from users with under 10 posts and no real profile details or pics. :whistling:

Hmmmmm, Am I the only one smelling fish?