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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.
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.
Very high quality product. Used on a extended cab short bed F250 and the sliding mechanism provides plenty of clearance between the Fifth Wheel front and the truck's cab. Fits Ford's factory fifth wheel bed mount holes perfectly. Used to tow a 42' fifth wheel regularly. Foot print is small enough to allow me to retain my tool box in the truck during towing.
The hitch is heavy! Do not plan to try to install with one person with out an engine hoist or gantry crane. Two strong people can, but extreme caution should be taken as the hitch weighs nearly 300lbs and is awkward.
I have a F350 Super Duty Short bed.
This slider works as expected. The ease of backing or tight turns makes this product excellent without the need to pulls pins for extension. I can remove or install in 7 minutes without a problem without any assistance. I am pulling a 44 foot trailer and have not experience any chucking or sway even in windy conditions. Tows very smoothly
The hitch works well during normal use but has two areas that needs improved. The guides that maintain the 5th wheel in the hitch need to be taller. Also the hitch does not rotate back to the center position if it is disconnected at an angle.
Sierra K.
12/29/2021
Rehitching at an angle is an issue with Demco. The reason the hitch head does not rotate back to the center position is so you can connect at the same angle you disconnected from. If that head was loose it would be more difficult to align your trailer. That being said, it is not recommended to either couple or uncouple at an angle with this hitch due to the autoslide feature. It is best to be at no more than a 15 degree angle.
Rodney
1/1/2023
Overall the hitch is working well. As mentioned before the guide that need maintain the 5th wheel hitch aligned need to be taller to both to guide the hitch in as well as keep it aligned during a turn.
I’m happy with hitch. Check out these videos of install for Ford prep package and hitch. Using the hitch on a 2017 Ford F-350 SRW shortbed. I’m pulling a 2015 Keystone Carbon 327 37’ toy hauler
We are full time RV’ers GLAMP Ride and Thrive on [social media]. We tow every 14-days with this Demco Hitch, the only reason i gave it 4-star instead of 5-star is because when you turn very sharp it pops and jerks the entire camper. It feels like it slips about 1-inch thats what causes the jerking. I had talked to Demco Reps at the Hershey RV show and they were clueless why it did it. They could not give me any help what so ever. But 95% of the time you don’t turn that sharp, overall is a good hitch and next time I’m getting an 8-foot truck box, so i wont need a slider hitch. I will then go with the B&W. Happy Glamping!
Good customer service, Looks like a great made product and I will find out once I get my 5th wheel RV connected.
Best purchase I made. Unit is made with high quality and works great. Fit into the truck bed with ease. I would recommend this hitch to anyone looking for a high quality 5th wheel hitch.
Kent V.
10/11/2017
Unit works better then expected, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality fifth wheel hitch.
This hitch is well worth the purchase, and etrailer treated us really well I guess I would say they have treated us very well on all of our purchases. The hitch worked very well on our trip home from Oregon all the way back to Alaska. I never had to worry about tight turns at all.
David M.
8/26/2021
I love it!!!
Hitch works fine. Took me a while to find the right shims to get it to fit in the pick system. No hoist and by myself a little heavy to wrestle up and down to change shims. Would be nice if the instructions called out the shims to use based on the truck make and model.
Joe C.
11/1/2021
Hitch has worked without issue for over a year now. We are on stop 54 of our travels this year so that is 54 hitch and unhitch without issue. Awesome product!
I have used the Demco Hijacker Autoslider hitch for a year now. It works perfect together with the capture plate for my 5th wheel. Heavy? YES, but this thing is a beast and works just like it was designed. I have towed our 16k pound 5th wheel with my short bed F350 for over 3000 miles now. Plenty of room to make turns without worrying about crashing my back window or cab. I also don't have to get out of the truck to release the slider when at the campsite, fuel station or other tight spaced situation we might encounter especially at night or during inclement weather. Once set up it only takes me minutes to install/ uninstall with a winch mounted in the ceiling of my garage using the Demco 5th Wheel Lifting Bracket.
Works great! Only downside is that it is very heavy, takes three people to lift out of the bed.
Great Product - had it installed by E-trailer - however very easy to remove and put back into truck bed puck system. I have 44'foot 5th wheel and 6 foot bed on my F"350 - so the slider has helped in tight pivots - especially getting gas in small mountain towns. The hitch is heavy - needs 2 people to get lifted into truck - but a great product.
I am currently about to install this 5th wheel hitch. I chose this one because B&W doesn't make an auto slider, Pullrite has to have a capture plate on the trailer (which limits other trailers you can tow), so that Is how I decided on Demco.
Since this is a large heavy item etrailer has to ship it by freight company. Had a lot of negative issues with the shipping part. After ordering the hitch I obtained an expected delivery date from etrailer & it was expected to arrive during a planned vacation. So I contact etrailer to reschedule the delivery date after my return which I was told was not a problem. However I then got a noticed that the hitch was shipped and the arrival date was the day before I left for vacay. This was not what I requested, but I'll make it work.
However that day came and went. The hitch arrived to the freight company (Force) on time from etrailer, so we called Force and talked to an employee who said he call back in a hour (nothing). Next day we called and talked to another employee who said he call back in an hour (again nothing). Finally called and was able to get a supervisor that.gave us a believery date and we had to make arrangements on the delivery (remember vacay).
The delivery date came and we never got a phone call from TForce or any kind of updated tracking until the afternoon when the delivery guy just showed up at the door step with the hitch.
The driver was a good guy, but TForce Frieght CO gets a huge negative review.
So I you order an item large enough to require a third party freight co try to make sure its not TForce Freight. I'm also a little put out that etrailer didn't schedule the delivery as requested.
We ABSOLUTELY love the Demco 5th wheel hitch. It is tough getting it in and out of the truck bed and we do certainly 2 strong people but it is well worth the effort. It works perfectly and is super easy to maintain. We did buy the cover for the head unit and love it. We would HIGHLY recommend this product. We pull a Grand Design 43' toy hauler.
This hitch is VERY HEAVY. I had to essentially rig a crane in my driveway to lift it into the bed of my truck. My wife and I are in our 60's and no longer have any young/strong backs living in the house to help us out. Other than that we are very pleased with the hitch for towing. It has saved the cab of my short be F350 at least twice while backing and not paying enough attention to the front of the fifth wheel as it approached the cab. Have had no trouble getting aligned and hooked up.
The hitch works great but it added a lot of weight to my truck. I only used it once and weighed everything on CAT scales and found that with only 2 people in the truck and with full fuel including my auxiliary tank and the pin weight of my 5th wheel I was over the gross vehicle weight by 100 lbs so I have opted for a lighter hitch. I gave it 5 stars because it works and performs exactly as advertised,
The product arrived intact and unscathed despite the long journey. I have not installed it yet but it is one beefy mother! Glad I went with the 21K just in case I decide to go with a bigger camper. The only thing is that 350# isn't as light as it used to be especially if you are alone to bring it into the garage! LOL
Gerald W.
5/9/2021
When we took our trip for a weeks getaway it worked flawlessly driving and parking the trailer in tight quarters. The slide allowed me ample room to make tight turns without damaging my cab. I highly recommend anyone to purchase it.
Had this for a year. Works very well. A bit heavy to remove but worth the confidence knowing this hitch is built heavy duty. Also not having my truck damaged is priceless. There is a routine that needs to be followed to lock in side rails. I put magnets on each side with a wrench on a tether so that I just reach down a grab the wrench for each side. Keep in mind, you need to back straight to hook up. Not designed to back in on a angle. That all being said, very pleased with this hitch and the great customer service from etrailer
the Demco slider hitch I bought has performed as expected with no problems so far. I feel confident when taking sharp turns that my 5th wheel will keep its distance from the cab of my truck. The product is heavy duty and looks great too.
I like the hitch. Easy to hook up to camper. Only issue I have is if you make a 90 degree turn, it jerks some when it glides back.
HEAVY. EXPECTED THAT. IT FEELS VERY SLOOPY LOOSE. HAVE ADJUSTED IT AND IT STILL SLAMS AROUND HARD!! EVERYBODY IVE SPOKEN WITH SAYS THAT IS HOW THEY OPERATE. 16K SHOULD ‘NT SLAM AROUND. GO WITH A FIXED HITCH. JUST WATCH YOUR 90* TURNS.
Jenny N.
1/13/2022
I reached out to the manufacturer and they recommend to check to make sure that the built in capture plates are adjusted properly. If the capture plates are too far apart, it allows the head to turn and slide back and forth when it should not. It is critical to have the capture plates just one sixteenth of an inch on each side of the pin box for a total of one eighth wider then the width of the pin box.
Love this hitch! Minus the 2 hour set up and occasional greasing. It’s been maintenance free. Very rare to find something to truly be maintenance free. Easy to use. 5 minute adjustment every time you hook up! EASY!!
It is a very nice hitch. (works great) The only draw back is you have to be square with the trailer. But other then that, it works as advertised and I think it will last a long time. I'm well satisfied with the hitch.
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James
7/22/2024
After a full year I love this hitch. I overcame the weight problem by installing a winch on my garage reinforced rafters. Now putting it into and taking it out of my truck bed is a one person job!