SuperGlide Hitch: how it works
Referring to the diagram below, you will notice a plate in front of the hitch, this is the “capture plate” and it mounts on the pin box around the kingpin. This plate has a raised inverted “V” mounted to it which engages the horseshoe of the hitch and forces the horseshoe to rotate with the pin box as they are now locked together, this in turn forces the cam roller of the horseshoe to follow in the cam slot and causes the horseshoe to slide backwards on the slide rails allowing the kingpin to rest behind the rear axle and giving the 5ver front cap more room to make the turn, the tighter the turn the more rearward motion the horseshoe makes which in the case of the 12K hitch is about 22 ¾ “ at max. also notice that there is a flat spot of about 16 degrees either side of center which allows trailer movement while towing so that the slide is not activated with this little bit of movement, as you come out of the turn the hitch moves forward on the slide rails and places the kingpin over the rear axle once again (the cam roller and slots are hidden under the top finish plate). The weight of the 12K unit is listed at 317lbs and would take two men and a horse to lift out of the truck bed (lots of steel here), the bed rails can also be removed by giving the mount pins 1/4 turn and pulling them straight up (all four of them) and removing the rails, this leaves a clean bed for hauling. The slide rails must be kept lubricated with what looks to be a graphite spray. This is an ingenious yet simple design which leads to the statement “Why didn’t I think of that?”