Because we’re using an unorthodox set-up with our fifth-wheel, we get a lot of questions about it on the road. At least one person will come and ask about it each day, sometimes more. People have even taken pictures of us while pulling out of gas stations or parked in front of a Wal-Mart. (Sometimes we mistakenly get the notion that we’re celebrities and offer an autograph – and they look at us like we’re crazy. Yet they’re the ones taking pictures of our fifth wheel hitch in front of the pharmacy drive-through!)
When we do finally get the opportunity to talk to someone, the first question they ask is, “what is it?”
The best way to explain the Safety Hitch is that it is a drop axle or auxiliary axle, similar in concept the ones big rigs have been using for hundreds of years. Okay, maybe it hasn’t been that long, but my point is that it is a time-tested concept.
Here’s one un-hitched sitting behind a truck stop:
Here’s the big-rig drop axle in front of our Safety Hitch:
Note the similarities between the two, including the fifth-wheel plate. So basically, the Automated Safety Hitch is an adaptation for pick-up trucks, with a few more excellent bells and whistles (like the extra brakes, retrieval system, and more).
And there you go!
