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This hitch slides automatically when you turn to give you 14" of clearance for tight turns. A wraparound jaw provides a smooth ride and a locking bar offers added security. Base secures in underbed mounts and removes for full bed access.
Features:
Specs:
Note: 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.
Most often used on trucks with 6-1/2' beds, a slider helps to eliminate clearance problems during slow-speed turns. When you are towing a fifth-wheel trailer, your hitch must be situated on the cab side of your truck's rear axle. However, at slow speeds you can use a slider to slide the fifth-wheel hitch (and the trailer) toward your truck's tailgate and past the rear axle, creating enough space between the cab of your truck and the trailer to permit less-restricted turning.
Normally, you'd have to get out of your truck and pull a lever to release the slider before every turn, but what if there was an automatic system? Imagine having 14" of extra clearance while towing your fifth-wheel trailer. Now imagine having this without needing get out of the truck to move your slider. The Demco Autoslide makes this fantasy a reality. The Autoslide automatically glides back smoothly when you make a sharp turn so you can maneuver effortlessly around tight corners within campsites and parking lots.
The base of the Autoslide has a built-in rack-and-pinion gear system that operates automatically. As your truck turns, the pinion in the base also turns. This activates the rack gear, which causes the rotational force of the truck to be converted into the linear sliding action of the hitch. So, when your truck makes a sharp, slow-speed turn, the gears inside the Autoslide force the hitch head to slide down toward your truck's tailgate in a smooth, controlled motion. This way, any time that your truck turns more than 10 to 15 degrees, the Autoslide will ensure that there is enough clearance for your trailer to complete the turn as well, and it will do so without any jerking or binding.
In order for the rack-and-pinion assembly to function as designed, the pin box must be stabilized on the hitch head. Normally in a fifth-wheel hitch, the king pin moves inside of the hitch head so that the trailer can turn. With the Autoslide, the king pin remains fixed inside of the jaws of the hitch and it is the hitch head itself that turns. This is thanks to the capture brackets on the sides of the head that brace the pin box from both sides to hold it in place on top of the hitch head. This is done to ensure that there is enough resistance within the hitch when your truck turns to properly activate the rack-and-pinion gear mechanism.
To stabilize your pin box on the hitch head, simply push the capture brackets up against your pin box once the trailer is coupled and tighten the outer bolts and the inner jam nuts. The Autoslide head and brackets will fit standard pin boxes that are between 12" and 14" wide. If you have a Glide Ride, Mor Ryde, Trailair Tri Glide, Rota Flex, Lippert Road Armor, or 5th Airborne pin box, you must install a special locking plate (sold separately) as well.
When you straighten your rig out again and your trailer moves back in line, the hitch head will rotate back to center and slide back toward the cab into the straight towing position.
The single-piece, strong wraparound jaw completely surrounds your trailer's king pin for 360 degrees of contact. This wraparound jaw provides a more secure connection than standard 2-piece jaws that close in on the king pin from the sides. The increased jaw-to-king-pin contact on the Autoslide offers tighter tolerances around the king pin, which minimizes both rattle and chucking, for a smooth, quiet ride.
A 3/4" solid steel locking bar spans the area in front of the jaw. This bar provides an added barrier of protection against accidental disconnection so you can have peace of mind that your trailer is secure. The locking bar is attached to the jaw and to the spring-loaded handle. The bar automatically locks when the jaw closes around your king pin.
The double pivoting, cushioned head improves your towing experience dramatically by helping to reduce jarring and unwanted noise. Built-in pins allow the hitch head to pivot back and forth and side to side. And hooking up is easy because the hitch head will automatically pivot to the proper angle when it comes into contact with your pin box.
Three polyurethane dampeners help to cushion the movement from the pivoting head and to reduce towing noise. Two of these dampeners are built into the head assembly to cushion the head's side-to-side pivoting. The third dampener cushions the back-and-forth motion and must be installed in the hitch prior to use. Installation of this third dampener is easy - simply press the dampener up into the pre-drilled hole underneath the hitch head.
Easy Installation
The Autoslide hitch is specially designed to fit in the underbed rails of your Ford Super Duty factory fifth-wheel towing prep package. The hitch comes pre-assembled for an easy installation. All you have to do is bolt on the side plates and attach the head to the hitch base.
The side plates have 2 functions. They contain the feet that fit into your OEM tow package receivers, and they allow you to raise or lower the hitch head to better match your pin box height. After you choose your desired height setting, simply bolt the side plates to the hitch base with the included hardware. Then lower the hitch into the 4 puck receivers in your truck bed. Turn the handles to lock the feet into the pucks and secure the handles with the included safety pins. The hitch can be removed to give you full truck bed access. Simply remove the safety pins, turn the handles to unlock the feet, and lift the hitch out of the receivers.
Clearance Formula for Short Bed Trucks
Use the formula below to ensure there will be enough space between your truck cab and trailer when executing a 90-degree turn.
(A+B) - C = Clearance
A = Distance from the center of fifth-wheel hitch jaw to truck cab
B = Length of Travel (14")
C = Width of trailer divided by 2 (to get half)
For example: If the distance from the center of the hitch to the cab is 36", 36" + 22" = 58". If your fifth-wheel trailer is 102" wide, take half (51"), then plug in: 58" - 51" = 7" of clearance.
Note: At least 4 inches of clearance is recommended to safely execute a 90-degree turn.
Alternate Instructions
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (625 Customer Reviews)
This hitch slides automatically when you turn to give you 14" of clearance for tight turns. A wraparound jaw provides a smooth ride and a locking bar offers added security. Base secures in underbed mounts and removes for full bed access.Installation was simple and straight forward into my Ram truck with the bed factory prep for the puck system. The unit was shipped the day I ordered it and delivery was only a few days. The unit is quite heavy so best to have two people available for the installation. It functioned perfectly the first time I used it!
Amy at eTrailer was great to work with. she helped me with hitch selection and followed up with questions about delivery. And when the delivery carrier damaged one of the boxes and lost some of the hardware, Amy sent a replacement ASAP.
Well the Demco 5th wheel hitch is great! Great product, well built, great value! but, the delivery was terrible. I ordered the hitch on 8/10 and it didn't ship until 8/18! I was promised a delivery date of 8/17, but no one at e-trailer could find the hitch and did not get any answers from the shipping company. After many phone calls, they finally located the hitch with the shipping company, Estes, and the hitch was delivered on 8/22. I would use e-trailer again, but they need better control over the shipping.
The only problem was it. It did not line up with puck mount on the width I had to loosen side mounting to drop into place. It have been about 1/2 in narrower to fit properly. I do not plan on taking it out or it would have to have had replacements modified side mountings. It does not pay to return because of time.
Awesome service! My new fifth wheel hitch arrived on-time and in perfect condition.
Dropped right in as intended.
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.
Well built fifth wheel hitch. Haven't got a chance to tow our new Montana High Country 295RL. But I know a guy that has towed his fifth wheel with this same hitch. I'm sure this 18K hitch will be excellent! Or I wouldn't have bought it. I recommend e trailer for everything.
Has to do a little assembly, really easy. Tows super nice, when turning does move towards the back. You’ll need to adjust the guides for the fifth wheel.
Demco auto slide hitch works very well with my crew cab short bed Ram. Fits under my tonneau cover nicely. Trouble free thus far. Had to purchase a Demco plate for the camper to make the Rhino box hitch work. etrailer personnel were great in helping ensure I had the right products and kept me well informed of shipping dates.
Love this hitch. While it is heavy it provides the stability and auto slide capability that I need to comfortably drive my 5th wheel thousands of miles. I have never had my 5th wheel contact my cab no matter how tight I turn.
This product definitely gives me more availability for tighter turns that I was looking for. Second trip we took one of the pins popped out of the puck locking mechanism. Our last trip to Wyoming the spring pin that holds the head onto the frame was laying in my pick up box, bought a new spring pin clip that’s a little tighter, that seem to fix that issue. It would be good practice to go over the entire hitch of all mechanisms latches and secure pins before traveling. Seems with the moving and shaking, they may have a tendency to loosen a bit overtime.
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
A very nice hitch. If you have a bed carpet or a bed liner it may require Un shimming the locking pins. I have a bed carpet and I had to stand on the back corners to get the pins to engage the bed pucks. Not really a big deal. It is very heavy so I assembled it in the bed of the truck. I would highly NOT recommend doing it this way except if you are by yourself. Get a chain hoist or maybe an engine hoist because it is very heavy as an assembled unit. It is flawless in its operation. Very well made. I am very happy with it.
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.
The Demco Auto slide takes the worry out of towing my fifth wheel trailer with a short bed F-350. I have had no problems with backing into tight camping spots. And since everything is automatic I have one less thing to worry about while traveling with a fifth wheel.
The only problem is that it is a little on the heavy side, so I just leave it in the truck when not towing. Problem solved.
I am extremely happy with the product.
So far this hitch has performed well. I have a Mor Ride hitch and had to purchase the adapter plate. The hitch connects well to the adapter plate which eliminates me having to use the adjustable side bars. The hitch is heavy but sturdy. I would recommend this hitch to anyone looking for a hands free sliding hitch.
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Jenny N.
11/2/2023
I reached out to to Demco who advised that they have run into an one eighth variance here and there. Also they gave a tip of loosening the pucks under the bed, fit the hitch in, and then tighten up the pucks under the bed.