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After earning New Product of the Year honors at the North American Trailer Dealers Association annual show last fall, Intelli-Hitch is gaining some serious momentum. With boating season now upon us, I jumped at the chance to learn more.
The new-age hitch took about three and a half years to develop, with the usual setbacks an invention goes through, to get it from an idea to a product that does what it set out to do and that’s what intrigued us the most.
The Intelli-Hitch incorporates its proprietary “in-hitch trailer brake controller” with a sturdy Class IV drop hitch. So what makes this hitch unlike anything else you might have seen before? Actually quite a lot. Using what the company calls “Trailer Position Sensor” technology, it constantly monitors the motion between the trailer and tow vehicle, applying exact proportional braking to the trailer.
Simply put, Intelli-Hitch's microprocessor reads, reacts and provides exact braking in less than a nanosecond, much faster than you or I could possibly react. We decided to give it a try ourselves to see if it’s really as impressive as it sounds and we’re glad we did. For starters, where surge brakes fail in reverse, the Intelli-Hitch really shines. Its reversing algorithms allow for a first in proportional braking during backing; a “Descend Assist” program helps in holding the trailer steady when backing down a slope such as a boat ramp.
Probably the most impressive part is that the Intelli-Hitch simply works, with no adjusting and no settings. All you really do is just plug and play; you don’t need to wire anything. Like conventional receiver hitches, Intelli-Hitch can be installed in just seconds and moved to another vehicle at any time. But unlike any other hitch, the braking system (brake controller) is actually embedded into the hitch frame so when you move the Intelli-Hitch, the brake controls go with it. This feature makes Intelli-Hitch the only portable comprehensive trailer brake control in the industry. Can you understand now why it’s earning awards? Not only can you make a strong argument that it’s the best brake controller in the industry, but it really is everything you would ever need to tow.
The suggested retail price of $599 for the 2.0 2-inch ball (10,000-pound rating) and $630 for the 2.5 2-and-a-half-inch ball (15,000-pound rating) comes with everything you need including hardware for the 2-inch and 2 5/16-inch trailer balls. Another advantage for boaters is it can be submerged up to 33 feet in water (including saltwater) so it truly is built to last. We love that it’s made in the USA, is machine welded and comes with a one-year warranty on the hitch and a lifetime warranty on the electronics.
This revolutionary hitch trailer brake worked well for me towing light and heavy-loaded boat trailers and it really is as impressive as it sounds.
PRODUCT SCORE 94
Installation 20/20
Function 48/50
Durability 9/10
Design 9/10
Price 8/10
806-318-8484
www.intelli-hitch.com
