When I was asked to do a review of the Hitch Hand I really didn't know what to expect. From what I understood it was some sort of device that would fit into your receiver hitch and allow you to extend the length of your truck bed. The ATV section was asked to do the review because claims were made that with the Hitch Hand would allow you to easily haul two full sized quads end to end with a standard sized pickup. Well I was ready to put these claims to the test….

	The Hitch Hand arrived well packaged into a single box weighing in at just under 50 lbs. The box contained 9 pieces that when assembled reveal the Hitch Hands simple but effective design. All there is to it is an extra long slightly bent extension tube with an adjustable cross bar support at the end. Included in the kit is a simple instruction sheet and a handy red flag to mark your long load. It was a snap to set up the Hitch Hand with the keeper pins supplied. All you do is insert the main extension bar into your receiver, adjust the height of the cross bar to match your truck bed height and then adjust the cross bars to match your application. All this takes about 5 minutes.
	The manufacturer claims that the Hitch Hand can withstand as much weight as your truck can handle. The key is to keep the weight of the load well distributed across the bed of the pickup and the Hitch Hand itself. You of course would not want to put all the weight of your load out at the end of the Hitch Hand. The main extension tube is designed with a slight bend so it is able to absorbs much, if not all, of the downward shock that the load puts on the vehicle. To haul a quad you simply add a sheet of ¾ inch plywood. You place the wings of the cross bars in a horizontal position, slide the plywood back over the crossbar and your set. The manufacturer recommends that you secure the plywood to the crossbar using several carriage bolts. Once this is accomplished you have created a "bed" surface that extends over 3 feet past the edge of your pickup’s dropped tailgate. As we found this does give you enough room to haul two full sized quads end to end. This extra bed surface would also work great as a work surface or serving table for those big tailgater parties.
	The Hitch Hand works great for other long load applications such as hauling lumber, a boat or almost anything that would be otherwise very awkward without some sort of extended support.
	ConclusionThe Hitch Hand is a simple but effective solution for handling extra long loads with your pickup or sport utility vehicle. It does live up to the manufactures claim of being able to extend the bed of your pickup enough to haul two full sized quads end to end. For the short haul and the occasional extra long load carrying applications this is a great device. ATV On-Line gives the Hitch Hand a hearty "Two Thumbs Up"!!! The Hitch Hand is available through:   Happy Hollow, Inc. 2185 Goreville Road Goreville, IL 62939 1-800-TO-EXTEND Visit the Hitch Hand web site at: http://www.hitchhand.com Email: hitchhand@midamer.net Don't forget to mention that you saw it here at Off-Road.com!