Fifth wheel greasing frequency?
 

How often should I grease my fifth wheel? I have just started doing a drop and hook twice per day on average. So that is ten different trailers per week.

When I was keeping the same trailer for several weeks I would grease it every week or two. How often do you grease yours and what do you use for grease?

Thanks.

I don't know about any said schedule on greasing. I generally run the same trailer, so I will often look at my plate, at least every 2nd 34 hour reset. Lots of the docks will ask for a dolly-down/disconnect to unload. (reefer) That is a great time for me to see how I'm looking. Another good time for me is when I do switch to another trailer, or do my Tractor PM. I always have them grease the 5th wheel.

Grease is cheap. I keep a grease gun, and like to grease my trailer, when I adjust my brakes. I don't like to adjust my brakes by the self-adjusters. I usually get a trailer where that works just so-so. I can tell they are bad, when I try to set my tandems. I've been caught having to adjust my brakes in sub-zero temps, in the middle of the night...so I got in the habit of doing this on a regular basis, when I am in a good spot...like just unloaded at a dock, on a sunny day. That's when I will run my tandems all the way up and back several times...to clean the tracks.

I'll notice bad performance with a dry 5th. Once you feel the difference, you kinda know. It is a good idea every so often to clean off the old grease...especially out of those grooves. They get filled up with dirt, and crap. That is what they are for. To spare the surfaces from rust, stones, dirt, etc. If you run a lot of dirt roads...you should clean and regrease more often.

A dry 5th will put more wear on your tractor tires. You can notice the trailer acting stiff. It will also wear the suspension more, and the bushings and bearings.

BTW Rawlco...congrats on your TMC Dedicated to the Home Depot dist center in Norwood MA. :) sweet!

that's funny, i would usually scrape the stuff off the edges and reapply it to the end of the plate for reuse :P

You're also applying all the dirt it has collected.

A big loogy after drinking a Sunkist Orange soda works pretty good too!!

Has anyone tried those velcro grease packets that you put on the 5th wheel plate and get squiched when you couple?

Yeah...I love how the spent package slides right off the 5th wheel. :shock:

Actually, don't know about the velcro type :!: . I've used the plastic grease packets.

At any rate, environmentalists love 'em. :lol:

figure it's a choice between a little more dirt, or bare metal?

I never used them. I like my grease gun best.
But if I were to apply the packet, I'd set my plate the same way, as I normally do.

When I'm greasing, I dolly down, until I hear my air bags, disconnect the air lines, then I release the kingpin, dump the tractor air, and just start to pull away releasing the kingpin. I stop before the plate comes away from the trailer. I dolly up/down just enough to keep a slight clearance between the trailer deck, and the 5th wheel plate...but still low enough for the kingpin to engage, and not walk over the top of the plate.

That way, when I grease... I can ease the 5th wheel plate back under, leaving all the grease where I want it, and not scrape most of it off on the front edge of the trailer deck.

You can use less grease, and not have a gobbed up mess dripping from the front edge of the trailer deck....or spread out on the trailer deck ahead of the plate.

If I am hooking up to a new trailer, and want to grease... I'll hook up first, make my adjustments, then pull away, as I described to grease. When you set yourself up like this...it really doesn't take much time, and you get lined up, for a simple reconnect, and keep your grease where you want it.

Thanks for the tip, Roadhog.