Adding a hitch to the front of your truck - good idea or bad?

[Al and Missy]

If you are concerned about the tongue weight relative to the hitch rating, several places (Northern Tool being one) sell a tongue jack foot with a caster wheel rated at 1000#. You can use that to take some of the load off of the hitch. I did that with my F-150 and Safari 25. I haven't tried it with my Classic 30 yet as the foot doesn't fit the jack.

I have used the front hitch I installed on both my Ram and my F-150 for a bike rack.

Al

[Fred L]

There is actually an interesting ultra light snow plow that fits into a front receiver that I have considered, then there is the winch adaptor that would be nice when I need to drag a dead tree off the woodlot for firewood and now the idea of real maneuverability for tight spaces.
May have to check into one.

[GM Airstream]

Originally Posted by CRH

A quick thinker would've yanked then breakaway cord.

Yep might work if the trailer is going forward.. but the elect brakes don't work if it going backwards... check it out...

Also...

You might want to check the law of the road in your state... when you cover up the front license plate with a carrier... some states its a ticket... if they can't see the plate from a set distance...

Be Careful out their

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by GM Airstream

Yep might work if the trailer is going forward.. but the elect brakes don't work if it going backwards... check it out...

Also...

You might want to check the law of the road in your state... when you cover up the front license plate with a carrier... some states its a ticket... if they can't see the plate from a set distance...

Be Careful out their

I think the brakes do work in reverse. Whether From the breakaway or otherwise. I need documentation, would be good to know.

[CRH]

I can't see why electric brakes wouldn't work in reverse

.https://www.etrailer.com/question-94804.html

[Airstreamer67]

The brakes may not be as efficient going backwards, but they do work.

Of course you have to chock the wheels whether it looks level or not. That's true when unhitching in the final campsite as well. Never unhook without chocking, anywhere.

I use the front hitch for a lot of things as other posters have discussed. On the road, I have about 200 pounds of tools and other dense items on that front hitch. This weight hanging several feet off my front axle negates the need for weight-transfer bars on my rig, which is a neat serendipitous benefit right there.

[64airstream]

I would think the issue with no electric brakes when hooked to the front is as simple as you probably didn't install a 7 pin connector on the front. I installed a hitch on the front of our pickup (Ram), but didn't install a 7 pin connector there. I'd also guess the electric brake would lock up if you pulled the break-away cable (and there was a charge on the trailer battery) regardless of the direction of travel. All that said, I've not had an opportunity to use the front hitch (except for the bike rack) but figure if we're in a spot where we need it, we've got it. I appreciate the thoughts and warnings here, I'll certainly heed your great advice when I do get the chance to use it. You may have prevented one of those ohhh xxxx moments.

Thanks,

Roy and Marie

[64airstream]

Now I'm rethinking my previous response on brakes in reverse. The shoes of the brakes kind of drag the pads into contact with the drums when rotating forward, so they may not work in reverse. I see an experiment coming on when the weather breaks...

Now undecided,

Roy and Marie

[CRH]

Every car with drums all the way around that I have driven stopped in reverse.

[David Logue]

GM, the brakes on my AS are electric drum brakes. Yours are also. Pull the ER Brake and that initiates the brakes, Period. They will work going front, backwards and sideways. They also stay on until ER brake is released. The front plate is a temporary coverup for those who use it as a hauler of some kind. Any police, state or otherwise knows this and will not ticket you. Good luck with your travels.
Installing my front hitch I was able to install it by myself, two week after cervical surgery.

[1973Argosy]

Originally Posted by David Logue

GM, the brakes on my AS are electric drum brakes. Yours are also. Pull the ER Brake and that initiates the brakes, Period. They will work going front, backwards and sideways. They also stay on until ER brake is released. The front plate is a temporary coverup for those who use it as a hauler of some kind. Any police, state or otherwise knows this and will not ticket you. Good luck with your travels.
Installing my front hitch I was able to install it by myself, two week after cervical surgery.

Many states don't issue front licence plates, mine included. Have traveled through many states that do with my cargo carrier piled full of stuff with no issues. May get pulled over for it tomorrow but have been running front hitches for almost 20 years now. Have them on three of my vehicles right now. Have had them on six other vehicles that I've sold or traded off.

[supercubep]

Honestly, I Really don't care whether my electric brakes function or not when I'm using my front hitch to position my trailer into tight spots. As far as obscuring your license plate with a bicycle carrier, I guess that's the chance you take unless you physically move the license plate on the outside of the carrier.