Get the one linked above.

I have the original Demco HiJacker Autoslide with the underbed mounting system. I LOVE IT! The flat smooth bed floor when the hitch is out is great. I would never have rails in the bed with today's under bed systems.

The part I absolutely LOVE about the AUTO slide is it's AUTOMATIC. No thought required. You dont have to get out and pull any pins and slide it toward the rear when you get in tight spots. It's ALWAYs WORKING and ALWAYS slides back away from the cab. So if you ever wind up having to make an unexpected turn or maneuver you dont have to worry about whether or not you need to be slid back to make it.... the hitch already moved back for you as you make that turn and your truck cab and trailer's front cap are safe and damage free.

They're expensive but worth every penny in my opinion.

They only drawback is the weight. It's freakin' heavy. I'm a pretty strong guy, but cant remove it without help. I'd guess it weighs a couple hundred pounds. I bought an engine hoist and I can man handle it to the rear of the bed, then lift it out with the hoist.

Here's some pics of it in my 2004 F250. I have since transferred it to my 2015 and it fit perfectly. My new truck did NOT have the prep package. Luckily the underbed system from my 2004 fit the 2015 too so no new stuff to buy.

The center hole if from a gooseneck ball that was in the truck when I bought it. That hole isn't in my 2015. The underbed rails aren't installed in these pics either, that's why you can see straight thru....

 

Forget that manual sliding $2000+ Reese.

Get this AUTO sliding Demco for about half that - HiJacker 18k for Ford Prep

 

I think I am getting ready to pull the trigger on my first 5th wheel and have been looking at hitches. I have the "short bed", but the 5th wheel I'm looking at has the rounded front and advertises increased turning radius for short bed trucks. I'm wondering if I "need" a slider hitch. I know conventional wisdom says that I do, but are any of you guys pulling a newer model 5th wheel without a slider? If so, how is that working for you?

 

I have a short bed I was towing with until I got the long bed. My fifth wheel has the same advertisement but in doing one back in the front of pickup raised just enough to hit corner of trailer . Just beware . I would get one

 

If the cost fits in your budget... Do it. Better safe than sorry.

Ditto. Even with my auto slider and rounded cap on my 5th wheel, it still has gotten close on uneven terrain.

 

Sorry to resurrect an old post, but had a question for you Ginther...with your experience with the Demco AutoSlide.

I have the exact same truck as you (only 2014) and will be getting our first 5'er soon. It doesn't have the rounded cap so looking at the Demco Autoslide. Couple questions for you if you don't mind sharing your experience with it:

1.) What about backing into a spot and your truck and rig are not straight...so unhooking at an angle with the Demco?

2.) With the weight issue...ever use the jacks on the 5'er to lift the hitch above the truck bed...then lower onto say a raised cart and then disengage from the hitch pin?

Just some questions I've thought of. Too bad you could try some of these hitches prior to ordering. Especially if you are a newbie to 5,ers, like me.

 

Glad to help if I can....

1. Hooking and un-hooking need to be done fairly straight because the way the pin box capture plates work.



2. No. I've never tried that... mainly because I don't have a cart that would even come close to working lol.

What I did was install a large eye-bolt above my garage door. I back under the bolt and hook to my hitch with a come-a-long and chains and winch it up from the bed.

I then move the truck and lower the hitch onto a cheap furniture dolly from Harbor Freight.



I keep meaning to grab a chain hoist like this because the come-a-long is slow and tedious to use...

 

Thanks for the response.

As far as hooking and unhooking at angles greater than 10-11 degrees...have you ever found yourself wishing you had that capability or is it pretty much not needed.

As for lifting off, i think i could build a nice supporting table on casters that would be roughly the height of the truck bed, so the camper wouldn't have to raise the hitch too high and would only need to support for enough time to pull the truck out from under. Then lower onto the table and disconnect. When i get my hitch and have time to build, and if it works well, i'll try and take some pics and post.

Thanks for your info. Much appreciated.

 

So far.... knock on wood..... I've never been in a spot where I couldn't hook/unhook nearly straight on.

And yes, if/when you build a hitch cart post pics.

Right now my trailer is kept in a storage facility. So I only bring my hitch home with me, not the trailer to lift it.

I'm in the process of buying some land in the country and will have plenty of room to store my trailer on my own property then. Then I might look into a way to store the hitch with/near the trailer.

 

I have never met a guy who really needed a Slider. They have been obsolete since 2011.

 

I have never met a guy who really needed a Slider. They have been obsolete since 2011. Just don’t hurt yourself now, Emergency services are maxed out.

 

Then you've never met someone with a short bed and a 5th wheel with a nose cap that is not cut for short beds... who likes to be able to turn almost 90* if needed.

Like me. Mine would hit the cab in tight turns if not for the slider.

 

What hitch are you using?

My B&W will turn almost 90 degrees and my trailer has no cut outs.

Also i ihave I never understood the obsession with the 90 degree turn. In real life i have never come close to needing to turn that short. Plus its VERY hard on the trailer suspension to slide it sideways like that.

I owned a slider hitch for 6 years and i only slid it one time. That was to show the person I was selling it to that it still worked.

 

I towed for years all over the US and never got close to 90 degrees. Maybe I had copilot induced fear.

 

I've got a Demco HiJacker autoslide hitch.

To get in my driveway at my house in the city I have to make a 90* turn. And yes, it's hard on the trailer tires/axles. I wet the surface down with water (soapy water if I have time) to help the tires slide. I store it at our place in the country now and have much more room to park it there.

There have been a few campsites where I've had to cut it really tight too. Stuffing a 36 footer in a small slot can be tight at times.

Do I really NEED a slider.... maybe not. But the peace of mind being able to cut it hard and make a tight turn whenever, where ever I needed, without having to worry about hitting the cab makes it worth it to me.

Hit the cab once .... and it'll cost you WAY MORE than a slider ever would. Not to mention ruining your day/weekend/trip/vacation.

There's only two things I don't like about my auto-slider:

1. Weight. - it's heavy, like 300lbs heavy. You're not moving it by hand alone.
2. Cost - several times more expensive than a static hitch.

But to each his own. If whatever you prefer works for you... then by all means go for it.