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This hitch slides automatically as you drive to give you 14" of additional clearance for tight turns. A wraparound jaw provides a smooth ride and a locking bar offers added security. Pivoting head allows easy hook up and helps to limit chucking.
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, 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 designed to attach to universal above-bed base rails (sold separately). The hitch will fit most industry-standard rails, including those from B&W, Curt, Demco, Draw-Tite, Hidden Hitch, Husky, Reese, and Valley. 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 above-bed rails, 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 attach the base to the rails with the included safety pins.
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 (597 Customer Reviews)
This hitch slides automatically as you drive to give you 14" of additional clearance for tight turns. A wraparound jaw provides a smooth ride and a locking bar offers added security. Pivoting head allows easy hook up and helps to limit chucking.
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.
My wife and I are full-time RVers, and have used this slider hitch from the get-go while traveling around seeing the country over the past year. We are happy with our purchase, which has proven to be both easy to hook up, adjust, and functions well, as advertised.
The only matter I think you may want to address are the thick plastic removable maintenance access covers which tend to bow, and the areas around the attachment holes have melted, in the hot weather. Perhaps instead using a light metal for the covers would be better solution.
We are very happy overall with this hitch, and plan to keep it . Thank you.
I have owned this unit for over a year now. Here are the pro's and cons that I have experienced.
Pro- I have pulled with this hitch in some really tight spaces in forward and reverse and still have the rear window in tact.
Con- Heavy, really heavy.
Pro- heavy duty,smooth riding, and double jaw lock makes a great connection.
Con- manufacturer recommends 1/8 of separation between the slides on the top of hitch. When backing upon 40' wheeler in some tight spaces it is hard to align without opening the slides a bit more. This is not he issue. Remembering to tighten them in the rush of leaving is the hard part.
Pro- once you are attached to your truck there is nothing more you need to worry about until you disconnect.
Con- If you are a weekender like me and use your truck for work the rest of the week, you will need at least one person to help lift in or out pre or post travel. Works pretty well with gantry crane.
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.
Installed in my 2014 Silverado. This looks to be a very heavy-duty hitch that doesn't require a capture plate.
Mike G.
9/15/2019
This hitch has worked well for me. It is now used in a 2018 GMC Sierra 2500. It is just tall enough that I can see it in my rearview mirror to make it easy to get lined up with the kingpin
Jon G.
9/27/2019
Helpful Links
I love this hitch. Never having used an automatic slider and moving from a long bed to a short bed truck it took me a few attempts to get accustomed to backing up.
I would recommend this slider over any other brand. No capture plate needed either.
wow what a great hitch . Got the no drill bed rails and the bolted rite up to my B&W gooseneck hitch . Ashley E did a great job answering all my questions . Only took a few days to get here too. Took me about 2 hours to install everything and if you have a short bed truck this is the only way to go .
Excellent choice for a short bed Super Duty . Have towed several thousand miles with no issues. This is a heavy hitch , but that is what you get with a heavy duty Demco hitch . Plenty of room between trailer and truck when doing tight turns.
Tows great. I’m a first time fifth wheel owner. This made it easy. Be careful because this hitch is capable of angle that your trailer axles aren’t especially on a hard surface like asphalt or concrete. Over all very pleased. Be prepared to hoist this hitch in and out of your truck if you plan on removing it often. Probably weights closed to 400-500 lbs.
Unit is heavy and well built. Install was easy, just bolt on side plates on, drop the base on the adapter plate and pin it, put head assembly on and pin that, that's all there is to it. Looking forward to many years of towing with this unit.
Demco fifth wheel hitch purchase and installation pictures.
Demco 18k Highjacker Autoslide
This was a huge improvement over my last hitch. This hitch took away the most of the jerking and bouncing I had before. Easy to install though pretty heavy. It also took away the fear of hitting my cab with the trailer every time I had to make a sharp turn and knocking out my back window again. Those of you that have the aluminum body Fords, beware, the cab won't take much abuse as the older steel body did.
We absolutely love our Demco Hijacker auto-slider hitch. We have a 6.5 ft bed, and a rather large 5th-wheel. I never have to give a single thought to unlocking the hitch and re-locking it before / after maneuvering. Everyone who sees it in action has that "jaw drop" reaction to it. Hooking up is very easy, and the engagement is VERY positive - you cannot miss getting it locked in place. Under tow, it is much more quiet than the previous one we used (loaner), and there is zero "lurching" or "chucking" as we experienced with the previous unit.
My only (minor) complaint is that I wish it wasn't quite so heavy, but it IS built like a tank. I probably could have gone with a lighter-duty unit for my specific 5th-wheel, but didn't want to have to replace the hitch if I ever upgraded to a heavier unit.
As for etrailer: everything I've purchased from them has shipped quickly, arrived (undamaged) on time, and has been of excellent quality. Thanks!
Jimp
9/5/2019
Still loving it. My only complaint definitely a 1st world problem! is that the unit takes up a lot of space in our bed when were not using the trailer. I solved that issue with a cheap chain hoist, attached to a beam in my garage. Now when we return from a trip and know were not going to use the 5th Wheel for a while, I just hook up the hoist and pull it out. Simple solution to my only issue with the Demco Hijacker.
Easy installation.
Excellent product easy to install fit perfect and easy to hitch up well built exceeded my expectations.
Quality is good. Installation was tricky without a lift. Some of the bed rail bolt holes (passenger side rear rail) where nearly impossible for a large hand to fit the nut on the bolt. Actually had to have my wife crawl under the truck and slide her hand in the brace to install the nut. Getting a decent size torque wrench into the space was also imposible. The front drivers side rail bracket required removing several vehicle lines and wires which was easy however the bracket covered the holes where the wires attached to the frame, so now they are hanging zip tied together. Hitch/ fifth wheel looks good quality but very heavy. Installed a 400 .lb capacity electric winch from harbor freight to lift the hitch. Firestone airbag helper springs was easy install but getting the exact straight cut on the hose end that hooks to the fill port was challenging to keep it from leaking
Videos were very helpful
Glenn
7/11/2021
Works Flawlessly
I've been a tool and die maker for 42 years and can see the outstanding craftsmanship in this 5th wheel. It's built like a tank. Best of all it's made in AMERICA.
Works like a charm
received the hitch from the shipper. everything was well packaged onto one pallet and cellophane wrapped. Inspected all the components - no issues. this weekends project is to install the hitch.
Very well built and engineered. Great customer Sevice from etrailer and demco. If you plan to remove the fifth wheel from the truck demco makes a lifting pin. A gantry Crain is helpful too. This thing is heavy duty, good for a lifetime! I also purchased the rail adapter. Thumbs up for that also. Be aware that this setup is tall. My 2018 fwd Ram has a tall bed height combined with the fifth wheel height could make a lower trailer pin height a problem with tailgate clearance and trailer angle. I’m very happy with this setup.
Mark C.
1/20/2020
Its been a year and I would not hesitate to purchase again.
I would not buy this hitch again because --
1. It takes up to much space in the truck bed
2. It is over built thus weighs to much
3. It is very hard to hook up because the hitch swivels when unhooking, thus making the hooking up very difficult lining up on an angle.
4. With this hitch I cannot lock out the swivel feature. My old hitch I could lock it out
I would buy from E Trailer again there sales people are great and delivered time was great. The hitch choice was my mistake not E Trailer's
Heather A.
8/14/2018
This demco hitch part DM8550034 is a completely gear driven hitch. Whichever angle you uncouple at is the same position the head will stay in until it is coupled back up. It is a good idea to couple up at as straight of an angle as possible. If there is ever a situation where you have to uncouple at an angle you can physically turn the head back to a straight position by taking the head off the hitch and putting a straight bar through the assembly for some leverage. The head should not be swiveling during coupling unless the main bolt is loose. The bolt that holds the gear assembly together has to be torqued to the specific foot lbs in the installation instructions or the head may swivel and cause issues during coupling. That bolt is part 05366 in the instructions.
This hitch combined with the puck system makes it easy to hitch up my 5th wheel and tow it worry free. When done towing I simply remove the hitch and have the whole bed available to use. The auto slide works effortlessly to make maneuvering the trailer easy. Very excellent product at a fair price.
Gene T.
6/21/2020
Now that Ive had time to use this, it is awesome! never worry about having to adjust the hitch to make sharp corners. Worry free RVing at its best! Love it!
The hitch works GREAT! Thanks.
Lenny J.
5/14/2020
Wonderful It’s a great hitch!!!
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John
7/17/2023
Still working great!