I've never owned a side tilt hitch and in 27 years have had problems hooking or unhooking just a few times. Solutions in those cases can be putting leveling boards under a truck rear tire or just disconnecting the hitch head from the base and leave it hanging on the pin. However, side tilt is beneficial provided you have enough clearance to avoid trailer to truck bed contact. Slide bar latches are pretty secure but wear at the very tiny point of contact can be significant. There are so many choices in new hitches, you might use the existing hitch for a while first, then see if a change is needed.
