Part Numbers: DM8550035,DM6099
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
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 . 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" + 14" = 50". If your fifth-wheel trailer is 84" wide, take half (42"), then plug in: 50" - 42" = 8" of clearance.
Note: At least 4 inches of clearance is recommended to safely execute a 90-degree turn.
Use your standard, above-bed fifth-wheel trailer hitch with your Ram factory, underbed 5th-wheel towing prep package. Adapter mounts in factory sockets and supplies mounting rails in your truck bed for attaching your hitch.
Features:
Specs:
This adapter is perfect if you want to use your standard fifth-wheel trailer hitch with your Ram truck's factory-installed, underbed fifth-wheel mounting kit. Just mount the adapter in your underbed rails using the integrated pucks and lock it place. Now you have the standard, above-bed base rails needed to install your fifth-wheel hitch.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (765 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. Use your standard, above-bed fifth-wheel trailer hitch with your Ram factory, underbed 5th-wheel towing prep package. Adapter mounts in factory sockets and supplies mounting rails in your truck bed for attaching your hitch.
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.
Included instructions are clear and concise. Adapter is heavy, (85lbs) recommend two people to safely lift into truck bed. Need the following tools for installation: 9/16 socket, ratchet, torque wrench and some type of grease or lubrication for the locking studs. My 20k Pullrite Superslide hitch attached easily to the inner slots.
This is an excellent product. It arrived 1 day after ordering it. It had very good instructions that were easy to follow. It only took me 20 minutes to install. It fit tight, but perfectly. It will be the perfect base for the Demco autoslider that I'm going to put on it. I'm using it in my 2018 Ram 2500 Crew cab to pull a Keystone Cougar Half ton fifth wheel.
Charles
6/1/2019
It works fantastic! Easy to install for towing 5th wheel and then easy to remove to have complete, open bed for hauling.
fast shipping. item got here a day early.
i was lucky. everything fit in place. installation was very easy.
its mated to a Super Glide 2900 slider hitch sitting in a 2016 Ram 3500 Mega Cab dually.
Andrew
9/20/2020
after 1 year, the hitch adapter is still looking good. no paint chipping, no rust. still pulling strong.
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.
It's a good quality produce built well. It's heavy but that just gives you confidence when you hit those unions where the bride engineers and the road engineers didn't agree.
Dan L.
9/5/2023
Still working perfect after a year of service.
Mike L.
10/26/2023
It works as advertised. However, it adds bulk / weight but unfortunately it is required because the autoslider hitch I purchased does not come custom all-in-one for my 2020 Ram 3500 OEM puck system.
A BIG THANK YOU to Jenny and her crew at etrailer.com. I had originally bought this puck rail adapter from Amazon and I did not take the poor reviews to heart. My mistake. On a time crunch and missing parts later, I realized I should have gone with etrailer earlier. They are a reputable business and they had AWESOME customer service and fast delivery. Jenny kept me updated on the shipment and even sent a follow email once the adapter showed delivered in their system!!!! I learned my lesson and should have done it right the first time and gone with etrailer (and they had it for the same great price). The adapter was super easy to install. Thanks again, Corey (life long customer from now on).
After minor adjustments installation was ok. Instruction were clear. My pullrite superglide fit perfectly. Thanks for this great product and etrailer I am going to have a great camping season.
This is a quality piece of equipment. I can't wait to use it. The installation directions were complete and easy to follow. Looks fantastic.
I wish the place I bought my camper would have recommended this from the start. Makes owning a 5th wheel so much easier!
Hitch installed Easily and took only 15 Min.
Fit was great. Thank you for the great advice on this product.
We received the hitch in great shape. The boxes were in very good shape. The only problem was a missing polyurethane dampener that was’t included. I called and received great service from etrailer. I have had a demco autoslide for several years but it was an 18000 pound hitch and went to a 21000 pound hitch. They are the best hitch for a shortened truck on the market
This adapter was just what I needed, able to use my hitch out of my old truck and didn’t have to spend a great deal more for another hitch.
Tracy
12/15/2022
Pulled my 30’ fifth wheel 7600 miles this year without any problems. Definitely recommend this product!!!
Great hitch. No capture plate to deal with, you can hook up to any 5th wheel. No more greasy pin box. No more watching the mirror wondering if your going to hit and damage the cab of your truck. Works perfectly. Built solid, though I did purchase the 21K for a 15K 5th wheel. Easy to lube. The only drawback I had was that it sat just a little bit high in the truck even on the lowest mounting holes. If you are thinking of purchasing this you may want to take some measurements first. I have an 08' F350 SD with air springs so it does set high. Before I bought it I called the factory (easy to reach and eager to help) and asked them, among other things," if the hitch broke, could I easily get parts for it?" They replied that if you need parts we will get them to you wherever you are. Overall I think this is the best hitch on the market.
ilove my5th wheel hitch
Very knowledgeable about hitches and got it to me in a couple days and no freight
The bolts have to be loosened in order to get it to line up. Also it seemed bw tweeked because one side I really had to fight with. Demco should look at the packaging for these.
E-trailer is a first class company and service is outstanding. Shipping is fast and customer service reps are very nice, friendly, and know their product. I am so pleased with the way my order was handled and if the need arises, I will order from this company again. If you need any parts for trailers or towing, give them a chance to prove how good their products and service really is. First class all the way
Marilyn G.
8/7/2020
It is working just fine. We are very well pleased with it.
Intal on 2018 Ram 2500 super easy super nice
Shipped to a small campground where we installed on a new truck after our old truck died.
Easy to install and adjust
Best 5th wheel hitch ever for a RAM 3500 mega cab.
No issues with the RV coming close to the back of the cab or back glass.
I would recommend this hitch to anyone searching for a 5th wheel hitch for a Ram mega cab, I wish I knew about it when I first purchased my Ram mega cab, I learned the hard way, after busting out my back glass...and trying several hitches. This hitch is truly an autoslide. I have showed several short bed guys this hitch and told them the cost of the 5th wheel hitch is worth it.... It is top of the line. This will be the last 5th wheel hitch I will ever need to purchase.
Ordered with the Demco 16k Hitch. This unit installed in the factory pucks of my Ram 2500 with little fuss. Very happy with eTrailer and Demco.
Works great except life would be so much simpler if they had a hole drilled on each side to remove the lock pins that are below it in the mounting plate to be able to remove the unit from the truck.
Good morning. The UPS delivery driver showed me the box which was damaged and ripped open exposing the product. It doesn't appear damaged, but I won't know until I try to fit it to my truck of which I haven't taken delivery of yet. I would suggest packing these types of items in a wooden frame or box to prevent this. The item looks very solid and I will be able to rate it in the near future.
Ask the Experts about this Fifth Wheel Hitch
Do you have a question about this Fifth Wheel Hitch?
Info for these parts were:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
John
7/17/2023
Still working great.