Hello,I am currently having an issue with a new demco autoslider. Its mounted in a 2018 F250. Long story short, it will not hitch to a pin box. The jaws will close around the pin, but the locking bar will not lock into place completely, it hits the other side. I have tried 3 different 5th wheels, one with the same pin box and the other with a roto flex pin box and the locking bar does the same thing. When we picked up the 5th wheel from the dealer, one of the techs had to jump into the bed of the pickup and hold the head steady before it would lock completely. If i take the head off of the hitch and push it onto the pin it locks and the locking bar goes into place. So the problem only happens when i back up and try to hitch to a 5th wheel. Demco has sent me another head and it does the same thing. I've adjusted the hitch from high setting to low, and lowered and raised the 5th wheel to different settings to no avail.Please help.

Not sure if this will help because you may have tried this. If I hook up and the pin is high, the bar will not close all the way. I have found if I lower the fiver just a bit, it closes.

maximus216 wrote:Hello,I am currently having an issue with a new demco autoslider. Its mounted in a 2018 F250. Long story short, it will not hitch to a pin box. The jaws will close around the pin, but the locking bar will not lock into place completely, it hits the other side. I have tried 3 different 5th wheels, one with the same pin box and the other with a roto flex pin box and the locking bar does the same thing. When we picked up the 5th wheel from the dealer, one of the techs had to jump into the bed of the pickup and hold the head steady before it would lock completely. If i take the head off of the hitch and push it onto the pin it locks and the locking bar goes into place. So the problem only happens when i back up and try to hitch to a 5th wheel. Demco has sent me another head and it does the same thing. I've adjusted the hitch from high setting to low, and lowered and raised the 5th wheel to different settings to no avail.Please help.I have this hitch, and when new, I had this problem too. Very Frustrating! What I believe happens is the jaws of the hitch hang up on the pin a bit. I put a light coat of grease on surface area of the pin that the jaws close around, and the problem went away.Also, like many others, I set the pin box height for hitching an inch or so lower than the hitch, so that when I back under it, the pin has to "ride up" the hitch head a bit to ensure I'm not high-hitching.One last item that ALMOST bit me....TWICE. I have had two instances where hitching up, I back into the hitch, the latch snaps shut, like it does when you are hooked up. I have always done a "pull-test" with the front landing gear just an inch off the ground. Those two times, what happened is that the 5ver pin must have come in at an angle tripping the release of the hitch latch BEFORE the pin was in place. Pull test failed, as the pin wasnt latched into the hitch. Now, I always visually doublecheck from the back side of the hitch that the pin is indeed in the hitch, and then still do the pull test.It almost made me sick to the stomach the first time this happened, and thanked my luck stars that I had left the landing gear mostly down avoiding a really costly mistake....

if you want to take to your insurance company, to make a clame ,just get ride of it & buy a b& w hitch , thats cheap comparied to whats going to happen , not latching, wont release , drop on bed , & always happens when least expected , peace of mind to.

djousma wrote:maximus216 wrote:Hello,I am currently having an issue with a new demco autoslider. Its mounted in a 2018 F250. Long story short, it will not hitch to a pin box. The jaws will close around the pin, but the locking bar will not lock into place completely, it hits the other side. I have tried 3 different 5th wheels, one with the same pin box and the other with a roto flex pin box and the locking bar does the same thing. When we picked up the 5th wheel from the dealer, one of the techs had to jump into the bed of the pickup and hold the head steady before it would lock completely. If i take the head off of the hitch and push it onto the pin it locks and the locking bar goes into place. So the problem only happens when i back up and try to hitch to a 5th wheel. Demco has sent me another head and it does the same thing. I've adjusted the hitch from high setting to low, and lowered and raised the 5th wheel to different settings to no avail.Please help.I have this hitch, and when new, I had this problem too. Very Frustrating! What I believe happens is the jaws of the hitch hang up on the pin a bit. I put a light coat of grease on surface area of the pin that the jaws close around, and the problem went away.Also, like many others, I set the pin box height for hitching an inch or so lower than the hitch, so that when I back under it, the pin has to "ride up" the hitch head a bit to ensure I'm not high-hitching.One last item that ALMOST bit me....TWICE. I have had two instances where hitching up, I back into the hitch, the latch snaps shut, like it does when you are hooked up. I have always done a "pull-test" with the front landing gear just an inch off the ground. Those two times, what happened is that the 5ver pin must have come in at an angle tripping the release of the hitch latch BEFORE the pin was in place. Pull test failed, as the pin wasnt latched into the hitch. Now, I always visually doublecheck from the back side of the hitch that the pin is indeed in the hitch, and then still do the pull test.It almost made me sick to the stomach the first time this happened, and thanked my luck stars that I had left the landing gear mostly down avoiding a really costly mistake....Have never had this happen to me but I do check the jaws before I raise the front legs. I like the Demco because it has the bar that blocks the pin from coming out. I guess any system is not fool proof but I always follow my checklist no matter how often I hook up or unhook...I never want to miss a step. I always make sure he kingpin has to slide up the hitch. Let us know if our suggestions helped.

Thanks for the replies! There are three height adjustments on the demco. I've adjusted it to the medium setting and now the locking bar is moving further over than before and i can easily insert the cotter pin into the handle to lock the bar into place. However, it is still not where it is suppose to be. I will apply some grease today and see if that helps. Decmo customer support has been great by the way.

Problems with Demco Autoslider not hitching | Good Sam Community

maximus216
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
I moved the hitch to the medium height and it works now. The pin easily slides in the handle and the bar is far enough over to be effective. The manufacturer told me as long as the cotter pin easily slides in the hole on the handle it is working. Problem solved. Weird how a slight angle difference would cause all this trouble. just hope i don't have to rise or lower the hitch in the future.
maximus216
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
I moved the hitch to the medium height and it works now. The pin easily slides in the handle and the bar is far enough over to be effective. The manufacturer told me as long as the cotter pin easily slides in the hole on the handle it is working. Problem solved
honda1
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
take out the lube plate or its to thick,,
djousma
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
OK. well then try the other stuff I mentioned, as I had this exact same issue. for me, greasing the pin where the jaw wraps around fixed the problem for me.
maximus216
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
I know it shouldn't have matter but this was one of the options the tech guy told me to try. There is something on the hitch that is off angled by a hair to be causing this. Like i said before, i can hold the head of the hitch in my hands and push it against the pin and it closes all the way, every time. I've lowered the 5th wheel down and glide the pin box up onto the hitch and it still doesn't hitch correctly. I'm pretty sure its not the head of the hitch because i have tried a replacement with the same results. I have Houdini lubricant i'm going to try. It doesn't gum up like WD40.
djousma
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
maximus216 wrote:
Thanks for the replies! There are three height adjustments on the demco. I've adjusted it to the medium setting and now the locking bar is moving further over than before and i can easily insert the cotter pin into the handle to lock the bar into place. However, it is still not where it is suppose to be. I will apply some grease today and see if that helps. Decmo customer support has been great by the way.

Ok, so the height adjustments should have nothing to do with how the hitch latches. That adjustment is to assist making the 5th wheel level, and adjusting the clearance between your bedrails and the underside of the 5th wheel. Ideally, you want about 6" of space.

If the pin is closing enough to get the cotter pin, then you are good. if it goes in beyond that, you cant put the pin in??
JKJavelin
Explorer III
Feb 16, 2018
I have this hitch also but have not had any problems. The technician at the dealer told me to only use silicone spray on the moving parts and contact surfaces to avoid attracting dirt. Like a previous poster, I hitch up with the trailer slightly low so the pinbox rides up the plate, like a ramp. I am curious, so please report back to us on how this works out.
JK
maximus216
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
Thanks for the replies! There are three height adjustments on the demco. I've adjusted it to the medium setting and now the locking bar is moving further over than before and i can easily insert the cotter pin into the handle to lock the bar into place. However, it is still not where it is suppose to be. I will apply some grease today and see if that helps. Decmo customer support has been great by the way.
Campinfan
Explorer III
Feb 16, 2018
djousma wrote:
maximus216 wrote:
Hello,
I am currently having an issue with a new demco autoslider. Its mounted in a 2018 F250. Long story short, it will not hitch to a pin box. The jaws will close around the pin, but the locking bar will not lock into place completely, it hits the other side. I have tried 3 different 5th wheels, one with the same pin box and the other with a roto flex pin box and the locking bar does the same thing. When we picked up the 5th wheel from the dealer, one of the techs had to jump into the bed of the pickup and hold the head steady before it would lock completely. If i take the head off of the hitch and push it onto the pin it locks and the locking bar goes into place. So the problem only happens when i back up and try to hitch to a 5th wheel. Demco has sent me another head and it does the same thing. I've adjusted the hitch from high setting to low, and lowered and raised the 5th wheel to different settings to no avail.
Please help.

I have this hitch, and when new, I had this problem too. Very Frustrating! What I believe happens is the jaws of the hitch hang up on the pin a bit. I put a light coat of grease on surface area of the pin that the jaws close around, and the problem went away.

Also, like many others, I set the pin box height for hitching an inch or so lower than the hitch, so that when I back under it, the pin has to "ride up" the hitch head a bit to ensure I'm not high-hitching.

One last item that ALMOST bit me....TWICE. I have had two instances where hitching up, I back into the hitch, the latch snaps shut, like it does when you are hooked up. I have always done a "pull-test" with the front landing gear just an inch off the ground. Those two times, what happened is that the 5ver pin must have come in at an angle tripping the release of the hitch latch BEFORE the pin was in place. Pull test failed, as the pin wasnt latched into the hitch. Now, I always visually doublecheck from the back side of the hitch that the pin is indeed in the hitch, and then still do the pull test.

It almost made me sick to the stomach the first time this happened, and thanked my luck stars that I had left the landing gear mostly down avoiding a really costly mistake....

Have never had this happen to me but I do check the jaws before I raise the front legs. I like the Demco because it has the bar that blocks the pin from coming out. I guess any system is not fool proof but I always follow my checklist no matter how often I hook up or unhook...I never want to miss a step. I always make sure he kingpin has to slide up the hitch. Let us know if our suggestions helped.
honda1
Explorer
Feb 15, 2018
if you want to take to your insurance company, to make a clame ,just get ride of it & buy a b& w hitch , thats cheap comparied to whats going to happen , not latching, wont release , drop on bed , & always happens when least expected , peace of mind to.

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