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This hitch solves the clearance problem most short-bed truck owners run into. It slides automatically as you turn, giving you 22-1/2" of travel front to back so you can maneuver without leaving the driver’s seat. The roller-and-guide assembly inside the base keeps movement smooth and controlled, gliding toward the tailgate during sharp turns and returning to center as you straighten out. No need to pull levers or get in and out of the cab—just drive and let the mechanism do the work for you.
A strong, one-piece wraparound jaw grips the king pin for full 360-degree contact. That tight connection locks out rattle and chucking for a quieter, smoother ride that feels solid mile after mile. A 3/4" thick steel locking bar reinforces the jaw so your trailer stays securely coupled. The bar automatically locks when the jaw closes, so you can hook up, drop the pin, and know it’s latched tight every time.
Getting a level setup is easy thanks to the double-pivot head that moves both front-to-back and side-to-side. Built-in polyurethane dampeners cushion road shock and cut down on noise while towing. You can fine-tune your setup with three hitch height settings—15-1/4", 16-1/2", and 18"—to match different trailer and bed rail clearances. The spring-loaded handle and tethered safety pin make securing or releasing the hitch straightforward, even when working solo.
This hitch is built from sturdy steel with a rust-resistant black powder coat finish and rated for 13,000 lbs gross towing weight with a 3,250 lbs vertical load limit. The solid build gives it a planted feel under load and confidence when hauling heavy fifth wheels over long distances. It mounts to standard above-bed base rails using included safety pins for a simple, dependable connection that stays locked in place on every trip.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
94% were satisfied with this product
6% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Item works exactly as described. I have a shortbed (6.5') Ford F350. Probably towed our 5th wheeler 5000+ miles with no problem. Then last year it happened! We were making a sharp turn in an uneven lot and POW, the 5vr hit the rear window and it exploded. After that I became gun shy about turning with the 5vr attached so I started looking at sliding hitches. A slider that you had to get out and unlatch to make work, didn't make sense to me. At what point do you get out? So, an auto slider hitch was purchased. Now when I get to a certain degree turn the auto-slide hitch moves back in its carriage and then auto-slides to the normal location once straightened out. Not gun shy anymore.
Pro:
Well packaged
Well made
Easy install
It WORKS.
Cons:
Price
Very heavy
Some clunking after it straightens out from a turn
Very happy with my Demco Autoslide hitch after one year. We pull a Montana 3120 35 ft 5th wheel with a 2019 Ford F-350 short bed. Took a month long 6,000 mile trip from Colorado to New England/Canada this Summer. Lots of hilly/curvy roads and some remote campgrounds with tight corners and some near 80 degree back ins. Never came close to trailer contacting the truck. I’ve had no jerking or other issues when turning or stoping/starting. Works great. The only drawback is there isn’t much room for error when you back up to hook up the trailer, so it takes a little practice to get used to correctly lining up your Demco Hitch to the trailer. The first couple of trips, it took me 3 or 4 attempts to properly line it up. No longer an issue for me after a few trips and you get used to the angles. It weighs about 300 pounds. I got a small chain hoist which I installed in my garage rafters and easily lift the hitch in and out of my truck and just let it hang front he rafters until I need to use it.
This 21K unit is very well built. It does have some weight to it so some help installing would be much easier.my installation was completed solo and took approx 1 hour in a GMC 3500 Denali.
Heavy as hell. Shims should be in smaller increments. Took a sledge hammer to get pins to finally seat in pucks and to close the locking handles. Took apart and back together 5 times to get it right. Not enough play in the system in my opinion but I have zero experience with OEM 5th wheel prep stuff so who knows. Ultimately in the end it's installed and feels tight. Backing 90 degrees i didn't see and slide but maybe it knows what it needs to do better than I do.
The product is very well built. The instructions could use some clarity on exactly which bolts go where.
Hitch is amazing. I was worried about towing a 5th wheel with a short bed. Hitch works as advertised. Easy install. Thanks for the help and fast shipping.
Install pretty straight forward. Hitch works as it should. 90 degrees with my 5 1/2 foot bed. The ums rails..well just say there ain't no way the bolts just drop in from above like in install video. My truck is same year as in the video. Rails with spacers (which needed pusuasion to "slide" in) are flush with the bed. Also the hole plugs work great with no rails...need to trim tip off for them to seat with rails installed. See pics
The product showed up in perfect condition. Followed the instructions and install was pretty smooth. I had access to a forklift so I was able to do the install by myself. Just be aware that it’s a freight shipped item so the estimated arrival time is wrong. It will take longer than what the website tells you at checkout. But the customer service reps were helpful in explaining the process when I inquired as to where my package was.
I like to hitch but unfortunately doesn’t work for my trailer as it won’t travel level meaning it was to high in the bed of the truck causing to much weight to be on the rear axle of the trailer which will cause other issues like wearing tires, wheel bearings, axles and could cause rear tires to blow out while traveling. With discussion with Will at ETrailer we worked out to use a stationary hitch until one can be available for our situation. Will was excellent to work out our options.
Installing was relatively easy. Made my silly Rhino hitch work with auto slide.
This hitch is very well made. Its very heavy and will require some kind of lift to get into the back of the truck. I used a foldable engine hoist. The puck system works well as long as the pucks the truck manufacturer installs are cast correctly. One of the RAM pucks had some slag or casting imperfections that had to be removed for the hitch to go into the puck. Once that was cleaned up the hitch installed very easily. Another thing is this hitch has no rattles when I am not pulling a trailer.Very impressive to other 5th wheel hitches I have used. The hitch works as intended as I do not have any issues with clearance in a full 90 degree turn. When turning at a 90 on a grade or large angle which sometimes causes clearance issues this hitch I have not had any issues.
Working perfectly. Delivered via LTL, the carrier called in advance to schedule delivery to our home. I requested a lift gate at delivery. Driver picked up the (1) skid (approx. 500 lbs.) with pallet jack, moved it to the lift gate. I backed the pickup truck receiving the hitch to the back of the carrier truck and put down the tailgate. Driver lowered the lift gate to the same level as the tailgate of the pickup truck and moved the pallet from the lift gate to the back of the pickup using the pallet jack. All done in the street in front of our house. No problem!
I assembled the hitch in the rear of the truck by myself. Everything lined up perfectly with the "puck" system. Install took a few hours since I was on my own.
First hookup with 5th wheel was a little problematic. Hitch would not engage when the king pin hit the back of the hitch. Being new to a 5th wheel hitch, I thought I was doing something wrong. I got a neighbor who had years of experience with 5th wheels to take a look - we still were having problems getting the new hitch to engage. As it turned out, the king pin on the camper had a little corrosion, which we cleaned off and added a little grease. We added a touch of grease to the new hitch at the point of contact with the king pin. Hooked up on the next try and every other try (probably a dozen or more) since then.
Did some practicing on sharp turns and the automatic slide works perfectly! Full clearance between cab of truck and camper in all the turns we attempted. I did a lot of research and stressed a good deal over this purchase - so excited it worked out. Knowing what I know now, I'd do it again!
Worked out great. I used the hitch for my camper right after I installed it. However, I did break one of the bolts when installing it, which is OK. I just switched to grade 8 bolts which is better anyways. I love the fact that Demco hitch unlocks when you pull the lever regardless of weight on it. Compared to my previous Mopar hitch you had to get at the right weight pressure to unlock it.
Seems to be built very well, and installation was fairly easy considering the size and weight. Won’t know how it travels until I get the RV in the Spring….we shall see! In my particular case, I had to use spacer washers between one of the brackets and the hitch so it wouldn’t jam in the truck mounts but no big deal.
I’ve also figured out a way to “store” the hitch for the winter.
everything i have bought i am very happy with and will buy again.
Everyone that I spoke to on the phone were very helpful. I haven't hooked up my hitch yet but I like what I see so far.
Didn’t realize it was 13k thought it as the 18 k I wanted….
Your team was very helpful getting me the hitch that I needed, and it arrived a little sooner than expected. In fact my truck is still in the repair shop for the damage caused by the other hitch, so I have not installed the new one as of yet.
Thanks for all your help.
Hitch works great, my truck has a 5’7” box, I can back up turning 90 degrees if I need to. It’s very important that your pretty straight when you unhook or you can’t hookup. You have to be more accurate when hookup. The first few times it seemed like it was going to be a hassle, you just have to pay a little more attention. Hitch is worth it
Wow, where to begin. I can't imagine towing a 5th wheel trailer in a shorter bed truck without an autoslide setup. After the initial install I noted on the 2nd(?) trip a clunking noise during acceleration after a stop - a couple emails back and forth with Demco support, as well as a quick phone call, and it was all sorted out (user error) with no further issues - Thank you Demco!
I tow a short & light Jayco 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton shortbed and having the ability to drive, turn, and park the camper without having to get out of the truck to manually engage or disengage a slide on the hitch has made for much more relaxing weekends away. The Hijacker autoslide gives PLENTY of space between the camper and cab and I've never had to worry, but I did my homework and ran the numbers well before I purchased my hitch so I wasn't surprised.
I would say the only downside for me would be the weight and bulkiness of the hitch. Not having the means to easily remove and store it between trips, the hitch is forced to live in the bed of the truck right now, but I did know about the weight going into the purchase.
All in all, for the peace of mind the Demco autoslide gives me, I'd spend the money all over again.
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Kevin
10/22/2021
its been great. love it