Demco Autoslide 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch for Ford - Single Jaw - Above Bed - 21,000 lbs
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2017 Ram 1500
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2017 Ram 1500
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This hitch is rated for 21,000 lbs gross towing weight and a 5,250 lbs vertical load limit, giving it the strength to pull large 5th-wheel trailers with steady control. The solid steel body and black powder coat finish add durability and corrosion resistance for the long haul. It’s a strong, no-nonsense setup that feels stable whether you’re towing across states or maneuvering through a campground.
The automatic slider gives you up to 14" of extra clearance whenever you need it—no lever pulling or climbing in and out of the cab. As your truck turns at slow speed, the built-in rack-and-pinion gears move the hitch head smoothly toward the tailgate for tight corners and back toward the cab when straightened out. It’s a seamless way to handle short-bed turning clearance without any jerking or binding.
The wraparound, single-piece jaw completely surrounds the king pin for 360-degree contact. That solid, one-piece design creates a tight connection with less rattle than slide-bar jaws. A 3/4" thick steel locking bar reinforces the latch so it stays locked once coupled. Together they deliver a quiet, secure connection that stays steady even on rough roads.
The double-pivot head moves both front to back and side to side, helping absorb road shock and cutting down on chucking. Three polyurethane dampeners cushion those movements, keeping towing noise low and ride quality high. The head also tilts automatically into position when you back into the pin box, making hookup smoother and more forgiving on uneven ground.
Installation is simple with included base rails and brackets that bolt together quickly. The pre-assembled hitch head attaches easily to the base, and you can choose from three height settings—15-1/4", 16-1/2", or 18"—to get your trailer sitting level. The side plates lock into above-bed rails for a stable fit, keeping everything aligned mile after mile.
This fifth-wheel trailer hitch is not compatible with Sidewinder or Revolution king pins. Do not use any device that changes the pivot point of your trailer's king pin with this hitch.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hello neighbors, it's Brad here from Etrailer and today I'm in Boyden, Iowa, at the Demco headquarters and manufacturing facility where we got to see Demco products made. And these are all products that I handle on a daily basis when doing flat tows, fifth wheels, or even couplers. They cover so many different towing products, and they have plenty of experts here to break down some of their products a little bit more to give you some understanding as well as allow me to ask those questions on products that I handle every day. So Verlin, if you have a short bed truck, you can tow with a fifth wheel all the same as a long bed, right Well. (laughs) Kind of It all depends on the trailer and how cab-friendly your corners are on the front of the trailer. But in most cases, if you've got a 6 1/2 foot bed or even a 5 1/2 foot bed, you're going to have to have on some type of sliding hitch to move that trailer back when you're making those tight corners.
So if I'm, you know, kind of in a situation where I see it getting close to my cab corner, how does the slider work Okay, so here we're standing in front of our manual slider. So in this particular instance, the driver would have to hop out, they're just gonna pull this lever here. And that disengages it from lock forward. They'd set the trailer brakes and then pull this truck forward and then it'll lock in its rear position. Now they can make any kind of maneuvers they want.
We went ahead and moved back 14 inches to give them extra cab clearance, is what we just did there. So that, with really any combo of fifth wheel trailer, that should give you the clearance. Yes. No damage should occur, right Correct. And then so after, you know, gas station or or the campsite where it's a tight turn, you make that turn, this needs to go back in its original position.
Yep, absolutely. Again, driver's gotta jump out and just kinda reversed what we just did. Flip the lever back this way, hold the trailer brakes again, and then just back up with the truck and it's gonna lock into the tow position is what we call this. Okay. And then as far as application, this is OEM prep Yeah, this happens to be OEM prep, but actually one of the key things that Demco does is, you know, people are trading trucks all the time.
So you'll notice these side plates are just bolted on. So we can actually go into a Demco rail mount, we can go into a Demco underbed mount, and then we can go into all the factory parts systems as well. It's just a matter of changing out these side plates. Okay, well say, you know, I don't want to get outta my truck, it's raining or whatever, to make that turn, there's ways to have, you can omit that. Absolutely. So then we hop into what we call our automatic sliding series hitch. So we'll move on over here. We actually have three different options there. We have a 13,000 pound tow capacity, and that one's really meant for your half ton pickups with the 5 1/2 foot bed. That's gonna move further faster. And then we have our 18,000 and 21,000 pound capacities. Those are more designed for your F-250, 350 and your 2500 series from Ram and GM. And okay, so how does it auto slide You know, that one has a handle obviously, but if I don't have to do anything, how does it mechanically work Alright, so you'll see on the top of the head of the hitch we have these, what we call capture plates. They're kind of built into the head of the hitch. And these are adjustable. So depending on the width of your pin box, when you hitch up, you're gonna adjust this to about 1/16 of an inch away from each side of the pin box. It's a one-time set unless you're pulling multiple trailers. But if you're pulling the same trailer, it's a one-time set, it allows you to be able to slide in and out. But what we do, then, is the pin box is captured here in the head of the hitch, and the head is actually gonna rotate with the trailer. And as the head rotates, it drops into a rack and pinion gear system. You'll see we've got three bolt heads on each side here, and there's a rack gear here, and then there's a big main gear here. And as that turns, the gear engages, and the more you turn, the more it slides, and it'll do that in forward or reverse. So as you're backing up, you're going, "How's my head gonna go forward when I'm backing up" But we're just gonna go right walking back down that gear track, and the head will return right back to the home position when you're straight. Now, these capture plates, obviously adjustability, are there limitations as far as what kingpin you can attach to We do have a few limitations. We try to mitigate that as much as possible, but some of our suspension style pin boxes, we do need a separate capture plate. And the reason for that is a suspension style pin box, your kingpin plate usually moves separately from the rest of the pin box. And so sometimes these will interfere with that movement action. So then we put a wedge behind the kingpin. But any of your standard non-suspension pin box, good to go right here. Nothing else needed. Okay. Now, the 13K you mentioned is for the half ton, and it it operates in a slightly different way. It does. So we'll talk a little bit about the 13K. You'll notice the head of the hitch is identical to the 18 and 21 K, but the base of the hitch is quite different. So what we learned, a lot of your half ton campers that are designed to be half ton tow built behind your pickup, they've got an extended pin box on them already. So as the head of the hitch turns, sometimes you can get the back of that pin box into the side of the pickup, especially if you've got like Tonneau cover rails, or you got the decorative rails on top of the bed. So what this hitch does is as you turn, it's going to select the correct track, and it'll move over 2 3/4 inches. And what it does is it pulls the back of that pin box away from your Tonneau cover rails or your decorative bed rails so you don't have a collision there. And this one's gonna slide back a little bit more. This one's 21 1/2 inches in slide. So it's gonna move back further faster than our 18 and 21 K hitch. Got the wraparound jaw system as well with a lock bar that goes across the side there to keep everything nice and secure. Brad Why is that something that someone want Verlin It's an extra added security for number one. And number two, we go fully around 360 degrees around that kingpin. So we help eliminate some of the chucking. You're probably familiar with some competitors, they've got more of a clam shell style, and that just gives a little more opportunity for chucking to begin rather than a full wraparound. Well, and we actually got the chance to see this manufactured today at their facility, and it's really cool the technology that goes into it. Great company, family owned. Lot of love put into this. Verlin Absolutely. Demco stands behind all their hitches, made right here in Boyden, Iowa. And that's another thing too. I mean you get people that have been in the industry for as long as they have, you know, again, family owned, American-made. It's really hard to beat. And the fact that it's an auto-slide, again, if you're gonna be towing a flat, a fifth wheel quite often, and you do have to make those sharp turns, everyone says, "Oh, I'll be fine." Well, you get yourself into one or two pickles and you don't want to get it out of the truck, you can solve that problem with the Autoslide. Absolutely. So huge thanks Verlin for taking the time to show us the Demco Autoslide as well as their sliding Recon.
Ratings & Reviews
My brackets were on back order for a few weeks and the day after I put my order in I had received a phone call asking me if I would want to change get my order or keep it. I kept it because I wasnt in a rush and the whole team let me know any information that came in. Delivered on time as estimated ...great customer service.. thanks for everything!
This sliding hitch is great. I have no worries about my fifth wheel crushing my truck cab. It's the real deal.
Purchased a heavier 5th wheel so this one replaced my pull rite. No more capture plate to deal with. Very happy with this hitch.
I have not received the Autoslide trailer hitch only the locking plate.
When will I get the hitch??
I wish the place I bought my camper would have recommended this from the start. Makes owning a 5th wheel so much easier!
Good hitch but very heavy and hard to maneuver
If that's not an issue it works perfect
Don't have to worry about turning with 6,4 bed
Etrailer great job shipping , etc
Worked good but a lot of adjustments. They sent the wrong capture plates. Demco customer support was great.
Sierra K.
9/1/2021
In the description it says locking plates, sold separately, are required for the Rota-Flex Pin box that you have. Item # DM6171
The hitch and adaptor arrived in three days. Everything went together fairly easy considering I had just torn my rotator cuff a week earlier and my helper never showed up. Definitely would have been easier with two people. Had planned a trip next week to Yellowstone National Park but will have to wait until after surgery. Will do a follow up review after I am able to see how well auto slide works. Great customer service!
Really like this hitch. Two things I don't like however, are 1) you need to backup almost perfectly the way you unhooked or it's a bear to hitch backup. 2) I don't like the bolts for the pinbox. Wish there was a quicker alternative. Hate getting a wrench out to tighten and losen.
I think that etrailer requires their employees to lie so as not to have any confrontations with customers on the phone. I placed two orders on 8/23 and immediately received followup emails that order received, order processed by (employee name) and then is in stock with associated time each step completed.
Then I noticed that shipping date kept getting 1 day later each day I checked order status. So, I contacted etrailer on day 5, 8/27 and find out my item was not in stock at all and would not be until mid Oct. Well,I then had them order me the same part by a different manufacturer and was told that it was in stock and would still be still be shipped 8/28 and delivered on 8/30, the same day my fifth wheel hitch is being delivered, so everything seemed rectified until I checked order status online the evening of 8/28 and find that the ship date again had been pushed back another day 8/29 with a delivery date of 9/1, (which is a Sunday). Seems that at this rate I may have it sometime in September. Going by their assurance of delivery on 8/30, I arranged to pickup my new camper on 9/5, that seems to be an impossibility at this time because Order #121389499 the installation kit with base rails is a very necessary part of the assembly. So, in closing I can only say that if you do not have the parts to ship, be honest and state the truth. This has made me feel very negative now toward etrailor as I already had become with Camping World. Is there any honesty in the RV parts aftermarket?
We received the hitch in great shape. The boxes were in very good shape. The only problem was a missing polyurethane dampener that was’t included. I called and received great service from etrailer. I have had a demco autoslide for several years but it was an 18000 pound hitch and went to a 21000 pound hitch. They are the best hitch for a shortened truck on the market
Extremely well made product and as always arrived in perfect condition. Etrailer is my go to for all things trailer related and is the first place I look!! They have the best prices around and stand behind every sale which gives me confidence in every purchase. I love this hitch and look forward to many years of towing with it! Thank you again etrailer!!
thanks to Greg S. he helped me a lot in choosing and answering all my questions
Very happy with the product. The only draw back is the weight. Can't be loaded/unloaded by one person.
A good cross-sell opportunity is to offer a tool for removal.
When I first got it, it didn't fit the truck. Support team was helpful and responsive. It seemed to be due to the bed spray. I was able to get it to mount perfectly by loosening a bolt under the truck, and then smoothing the edges of the locks in the rails.
If you have to have a slider this is the one to buy. I’ve now driven with it about 5000 miles..the only down side is that you have to hook and unhook with the truck perfectly straight in line with the trailer. But it does work perfectly as advertised.
Richard
6/5/2019
Great, customer service with [Demco Representative] could not be any better..he knows this hitch like the back of his hand . I would buy another just because of him.
It works really well. It is really nice not to worry about the 5th wheel trailer clearance when making tight turns. We pulled the rig several hundred miles last summer and at least 3000 more since January with no issues.
Also I used the height adjustment feature when setting up my trailer.
When I received the shipment I was impressed by how well it was packed. It would have been nice to had had help, but I was able to assemble and mount it myself. The instructions were good, and as I said, we have had no issues during our first snowbird season.
This is an initial impression review. The hitch was delivered on a pallet and arrived earlier than expected. Everything was well packaged with all associated hardware. This hitch was mounted on Reese Quick-Install Custom Outboard Installation Kit w/ Base Rails for 5th Wheel Trailer Hitches ( in the bed of a 2007 Dodge Mega Cab 3500. Overall it appears to be well constructed, unfortunately, I did have issues with bolting the hitch adapters to the hitch. The hardware is either grade 3 or 5 (looks like 5) and did not torque well. I had one bolt that stretched and sheared before I reached the torque spec (photo attached). I'm not sure if this was designed to use the weaker hardware or a business decision, however, all eight bolts were replaced with grade 8. I do look forward to utilizing this hitch in a few months. I would at photos, however it appears that I can't.
The installation instructions of the base rails were vague at best. There was a reference to a template that was not included, and each package of the hitch said nearly the same information. The beneath bed brackets would lead one to believe that they were shaped to avoid obstructions on the frame, this was not the case and in two occasions the bracket had to be trimmed in order to avoid a rivet and have the bracket lay flat on the frame. The bolts for the frame were grade 5 , however the carriage bolts had no grade marking. At no point in the instructions was it mentioned to remove the tires for the drilling, not a big deal normally, but I was away from my shop and it added another layer that I didn't come prepared for.
Works great except life would be so much simpler if they had a hole drilled on each side to remove the lock pins that are below it in the mounting plate to be able to remove the unit from the truck.
Jon G.
7/30/2021
Thank you for the review! While I do see where a hole in the mounting bracket would make this easier to remove with your Adapter Plate # DM6333, a solid bracket in this instance is much better for strength, especially considering this hitch is designed around the universal rails for trucks.
I had trouble with this hitch at first. I could not get it to close and latch properly when I backed into the king pin. I worked with tech services and ended up replacing the inner pivot parts and I have really not had any issues since. Because I have to have the locking plate for my pin box, you do have to line up the truck just right for it to latch properly, but once you figure that out, it is easy. The auto slide feature works really good. I have a short bed RAM truck and I have completely turned 90 degrees with my trailer attached and it slides back with no issues to miss my cab. I highly recommend this hitch. Also the Demco Tech Services guys are great to work with.
Best 5th wheel hitch ever for a RAM 3500 mega cab.
No issues with the RV coming close to the back of the cab or back glass.
I would recommend this hitch to anyone searching for a 5th wheel hitch for a Ram mega cab, I wish I knew about it when I first purchased my Ram mega cab, I learned the hard way, after busting out my back glass...and trying several hitches. This hitch is truly an autoslide. I have showed several short bed guys this hitch and told them the cost of the 5th wheel hitch is worth it.... It is top of the line. This will be the last 5th wheel hitch I will ever need to purchase.
Great hitch. No capture plate to deal with, you can hook up to any 5th wheel. No more greasy pin box. No more watching the mirror wondering if your going to hit and damage the cab of your truck. Works perfectly. Built solid, though I did purchase the 21K for a 15K 5th wheel. Easy to lube. The only drawback I had was that it sat just a little bit high in the truck even on the lowest mounting holes. If you are thinking of purchasing this you may want to take some measurements first. I have an 08' F350 SD with air springs so it does set high. Before I bought it I called the factory (easy to reach and eager to help) and asked them, among other things," if the hitch broke, could I easily get parts for it?" They replied that if you need parts we will get them to you wherever you are. Overall I think this is the best hitch on the market.
Joe W.
10/26/2018
After about 6000 miles the hitch developed some fore and aft movement. After another 2000 miles it seemed to be excessive with a loud clunk when stopping and starting. Yes, I do grease it as per instructions before each trip. I called Demco and told them the problem and they sent me the parts I needed at no charge since it was under warranty. Since I had the mechanical ability I disassembled, diagnosed and repaired it myself. I thought later on that I should have been compensated something for my time only because if I took it to a dealer they would have charged for labor. Just a suggestion, there needs to be an easier way to lubricate this hitch rather than removing the large pivot pin and also the large pivot bolt and greasing them by hand. Some well placed grease fittings would make this job a lot easier and cleaner, especially when on the road. Also, the hitch owner would be far more inclined to do it. Other than that the hitch has performed great and I am very happy with it. Thanks.
This is a quality piece of equipment. I can't wait to use it. The installation directions were complete and easy to follow. Looks fantastic.
This review is for the Demco Autoslide 21k and accompanying OEM rail adaptor I purchased for a 2020 Ram 3500 Megacab DRW. I've owned it one year. Overall, the hitch performs as I expected. It is high quality, very sturdy and seems like it will last for a long time. I had it installed at the dealer when I purchased the truck. It automatically slides to protect the cab in my 6'4" bed without any incidents. I tow a standard fifth wheel RV. There are a few negatives, which are not necessarily shortcoming of the product but, instead, necessary evils to allow me to have a short bed. First, it is BIG and BULKY. I believe this is just a function of the mechanism required to allow the autosliding feature and I am not really sure there are any other lighter alternatives with this feature. The fact it requires two parts (OEM Puck Rail and hitch), make it even more bulky. It takes up almost the entire bed and prevents most auxillary tank / tool box combos from fitting. Even standard size storage bins will not fit in my bed. I would prefer if they had a custom OEM all-in-one hitch for my truck like they do for the Ford. It adds significant weight, which decreases carrying capacity, which can be at a premium in hauling a heavy fifth wheel. I've never even tried to take it out of the bed due to the weight and difficulty. I also am not very happy with the adjustable catch plate design. It requires significant manipulation loosening and tightening 8 nuts when hitching and unhitching. This requires a step ladder to reach the nuts. I also found out after the fact that it does not come with the right size catch plate attachments for my hitch and I had to purchase a separate part, which added unexpected expense and delayed my taking the RV on its first trip. Overall, I am satisfied with the hitch.
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Darrel
1/17/2023
I firmly believe that every fifth sold should have one of these hitches. It is a job getting it in and out of truck but I feel better knowing its not going to let my trailer damage my truck.