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Tips on how to hook up at an extreme angle?

TenOC
Nomad
Nomad
We have a 2014 3100RL Montana with Mor/ride RPB72-1116 king pin with a Demco Autoslide 18K 5th wheel hitch.


Last campsite we had to unhook at an 25 to 35 degree angle โ€“ the first time for us. When we tried to re-hook we had difficulty connecting the hitch. Any suggestions or tips on how to hook up at an extreme angle?
Please give me enough troubles, uncertainty, problems, obstacles and STRESS so that I do not become arrogant, proud, and smug in my own abilities, and enough blessings and good times that I realize that someone else is in charge of my life.

Travel Photos
28 REPLIES 28

Martyn
Nomad
Nomad
CarnationSailor wrote:
Martyn suggested, "have a friendly neighbor hitch up to your trailer and pull to a spot where you can hitch up straight."

This alternative would also require that the locking plate be removed before hitching up with another hitch.


Not so - the locking plate is on the Demco hitch - the pinbox on the trailer is unaltered. That's one of the reasons I bought the Demco over the other slider, as their locking plate is on the pin box. Anyone can pull my trailer.....
2020 Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 27SGS;
2019 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 6.4 Hemi BigHorn;
DEMCO Autoslide; 2 Honda EU2000i's;
Our Website

obgraham
Explorer
Explorer
Reading the headline led me in a different direction!

Cptnvideo
Nomad
Nomad
After reading all the comments, I sure am happy we have a 8' bed on our dually.
Bill & Linda, 2019 Ram Laramie 3500 dually 4x4 diesel, Hensley BD5 hitch, 2022 Grand Design Solitude 378MBS, 1600 watts solar, Victron 150/100 MPPT controller, GoPower 3kw inverter/charger, 5 SOK 206AH LFP batteries for 1030 ah

Martyn suggested, "have a friendly neighbor hitch up to your trailer and pull to a spot where you can hitch up straight."

This alternative would also require that the locking plate be removed before hitching up with another hitch.
2015 Crossroads Rushmore Springfield
2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
Another "SHORT BED" compromise story.
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Ed9824v wrote:
Can rails be removed with the pullrite?


The problem is with the locking plate, not the rails. If you have a locking plate, then the rails serve no purpose. In fact, I had to permanently remove the rails on mine due to the type of pinbox I had.
2015 Crossroads Rushmore Springfield
2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax

Ed9824v
Explorer
Explorer
Can rails be removed with the pullrite?
Ed So.Calif
1950 Ford F1 street rod
1968 Baha Bug with 2.2 ecotec motor 170 hp, kingcoil
2000 National Sea Breeze 5th wheel trailer
1998.5 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins,4.10 gears,turbo,trans,injectors,oil cooler,lockers,edge EZ, 35" BFG's, air dog lift pump etc.

Martyn
Nomad
Nomad
Campinfan wrote:
I have a Demco but there is no locking plate, it has the silver guide rails on the hitch. I have pulled them off or backed them all the way off....was pretty easy.....hooked up and then pulled out. If I had them off. I stopped, put them on and rehitched. Only took a few minutes. Without the rails in place, the hitch still works, it just does not "autoslide". If I had the rails backed off, I just slid them over once the trailer was straight and then tightened them.
My hitch is a few years old now so the design might be a bit different from the new ones.


Mine is the same as this ^^. I would do exactly the same given the circumstances. Just a few bolts to loosen off/remove and the hitch acts like a regular hitch and doesn't slide.
The only alternative to this is to have a friendly neighbor hitch up to your trailer and pull to a spot where you can hitch up straight.
2020 Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 27SGS;
2019 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 6.4 Hemi BigHorn;
DEMCO Autoslide; 2 Honda EU2000i's;
Our Website

GottaRunGottaCa
Explorer
Explorer
I have a Pullrite 24K Superglide hitch, the owners manual says the maximum angle of the trailer to the truck (being parallel to each other) is 10 degrees either way
2016 F350
2019 Heartland Torque TQ-371

Campinfan
Explorer III
Explorer III
I have a Demco but there is no locking plate, it has the silver guide rails on the hitch. I have pulled them off or backed them all the way off....was pretty easy.....hooked up and then pulled out. If I had them off. I stopped, put them on and rehitched. Only took a few minutes. Without the rails in place, the hitch still works, it just does not "autoslide". If I had the rails backed off, I just slid them over once the trailer was straight and then tightened them.
My hitch is a few years old now so the design might be a bit different from the new ones.
______________________
2016 F 350 FX4 4WD,Lariat, 6.7 Diesel
41' 2018 Sandpiper 369 SAQB
Lovely wife and three children

TenOC wrote:
CarnationSailor wrote:
s.

You could remove the locking plate from your pin box,.


To remove the locking plate is a 1/2 to 3/4 hour job.


Maybe that's another reason why removing and re-installing it isn't a viable solution.
2015 Crossroads Rushmore Springfield
2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax

TenOC
Nomad
Nomad
CarnationSailor wrote:
s.

You could remove the locking plate from your pin box,.


To remove the locking plate is a 1/2 to 3/4 hour job.
Please give me enough troubles, uncertainty, problems, obstacles and STRESS so that I do not become arrogant, proud, and smug in my own abilities, and enough blessings and good times that I realize that someone else is in charge of my life.

Travel Photos

opnspaces
Navigator II
Navigator II
Not knowing 5th wheels is the locking plate necessary to move the trailer? Can you hitch up without it and move the trailer to level ground and stop and re-hitch? Yes it's a bunch of extra work. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
.
2001 Suburban 4x4. 6.0L, 4.10 3/4 ton **** 2005 Jayco Jay Flight 27BH **** 1986 Coleman Columbia Popup

I have the same Demco hitch. Knowing that it will be extremely hard to unhitch/hitch up at an angle greated than 5 degrees, I make sure I never have to do that. This includes not reserving curved pull-thru's.

You could remove the locking plate from your pin box, hitch up, and then TRY to re-install the locking plate; however, I expect it would be very difficut or impossible to re-install the locking plate.

I wish I could be of more help.
2015 Crossroads Rushmore Springfield
2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax