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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.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.
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.
Product arrive 6 days early, which is fantastic. Assembly took 30 minutes and directions are easy to follow. Awesome job ETrailer.
Great hitch, works great on my short bed Ram.
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
Installation was straight forward operates very smooth and quiet installed overhead winch as seen in photo to make install easy also to remove very impressed with the craftsmanship of hitch.
I had an auto sliding hitch made by a competitor. It wasn’t built anywhere near the quality of this hitch. This hitch is much smoother and far better quality of construction hands down it’s a better hitch.
After a year, I still like my Demco autoslide. It works great. I have pulled my trailer quite a few times and have had no issues at all. I know quite a few people that pull 5th wheels and one actually went out and purchased a autoslide after watching mine work.
Great Product! I thought that I was not going to be able to use my DEMCO auto slider because the Rhino box pin box was too small on the new camper. This helps out perfectly! Customer support was great helping me find the right solution!
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!
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.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT. I purchased 2 different 5th Wheel Hitches before I purchased this one. After hitting the cab of the truck, I wanted to get a slider. I did my research for several months and just kept coming back to the Demco. This hitch automatically makes the adjustment when I need it, even when I don't realize I need the extra room. I never have to get out of the truck to release the hitch to slide back. I put the hitch together with no problems, of course it came about put together anyway, and the Instructions were good. the locking down ont he truck seems to be easier than other I had. The only regret I have is that I didn't buy this one sooner.
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David
5/13/2024
Still very happy with it. If you have not had one before they take a little getting accustomed to because the sliding of the hitch is too subtle to observe from your review mirror.