Roy T
Dodge City, Kansas
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Joined: 09/16/2007
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The lube plate is a must. Also you will need to lubricate the moving parts of the hitch to keep things working properly.
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keith and sharon
Van Nuys, CA.
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Joined: 01/25/2007
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Lube plate is a must, we went camping at the beach with a friend, who will only do what "the truckers do" by applying a thick layer of grease on the hitch plate, the weekend we stayed at the beach the wind was blowing from the water, his hitch plate looked like sand paper.
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DCHaviland
Pearland, Texas
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Joined: 04/25/2006
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mellis68 wrote:Ok, no laughing out there but I bought my first fiver last year so this is my first time "de-winterizing" and hitting the road. Is there anything I need to do to lube the king pin? I see other postings about a "hitch plate" which I don't have....at least I don't think. It would seem that I could lube the pin so it rides smoother in the hitch.
Hi... I use the nylon slip disk and was told by two dealers that I didn't need any sort of lube other than maybe a shot of WD-40 around where the latch binds the king-pin. As I remove my 5th wheel hitch with some regularity (yes, I actually need my truck for something other than hauling the 5th wheel) the last thing I wanted to do was get all "greased up" taking the hitch off.
I know two guys that did use grease and now that they know about the nylon disks, they wish they could go back. One is trying!
David
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rsherrie
Littleton,CO
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Joined: 03/23/2006
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DCHaviland wrote:
Hi... I use the nylon slip disk and was told by two dealers that I didn't need any sort of lube other than maybe a shot of WD-40 around where the latch binds the king-pin. As I remove my 5th wheel hitch with some regularity (yes, I actually need my truck for something other than hauling the 5th wheel) the last thing I wanted to do was get all "greased up" taking the hitch off. David
I would say that this advice is not in your best interests. WD40 is not enough lubricant for the jaws and pin. There is a lot of weight excerting pressure on these parts and a little grease is a much better lubricant. You don't need much so it won't make a mesh. I have seen worn out jaws and they aren't cheap to replace (retired mechanic)
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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For the actual pin I use Slip Plate graphite spray.
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Paul Clancy
BC Canada
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Joined: 09/16/2005
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No grease or wd40=seized hitch. Happened to me and I was given the same bad dealer advice. White lithium or equivalent INSIDE the mechanism is a must or carry a big sledge for when it stops working.
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