5th Wheel replacement Favorite

I think I get what you're saying. On our tri-axle and quad axle logging and dump trailers we use a sealed rotec bearing between the dolly and trailer frame. Only thing is they're a permanent connection as it's bolted together.

 

The blue one in the pic is almost identical to mine

 

Always been a Holland fan. The Jost landing gear on my trailer was too tight at the bottom and needed me to cut it open and weld it back up to where the legs would slide freely. Not giving Jost a chance on a fifth wheel.

 

Before you consider another Fontaine, consider this recall of their Chinese made product:

http://www.overdriveonline.com/font...between-2009-and-2013-after-fatal-ohio-crash/

After having one of the above decks give me nothing but grief I replaced it with a Jost, the same model that is standard equipment on all Paccar products. They make a deck that fits right on the Fontaine slide.
I have no opinion on a Holland, never owned one.

 

I've owned Holland and Jost, I think the Jost is a better design and you can change the jaws from the top without having to take the whole thing apart.

I'd be very wary of buying anything made in China where your life depends on it.

 

Ozdriver, No I have never seen a setup like that here in the States.
We have the turn tables setup on steerable dollys, but no 5th wheel setups like that, or I have never seen them. Looks like a slick setup. How does that work if you're off a little bit when trying to hook up? Will it rotate to the kingpin and still lock in, or do you need to be dead on the money when hooking up?

 

Like I said they're quite popular over here especially the low profile single row bearing. Mine's the heavy duty double row like in the pic.
They wouldn't be any good for a company with lots of drivers and/or inexperienced drivers because you can stuff up easily.
If you're on level ground, drop the airbags, back up until you're almost there, raise airbags, then hook up. Or if you're confident, just back right under.
If you're on unlevel ground, you pin the fifth wheel with the yellow pin like you can just see in the pic, to stop it turning.
The trailers all have to have a block bolted up behind the kingpin which locates in the slot in the fifth wheel, so it only rotates on the bearing not the trailer.
On my trailers you can unbolt the block in case someone has a fixed fifth wheel.
Where you get problems is if you forget to take the pin out and it rips the block out of the trailer soon as you turn a corner. Or you are careless hooking up, the fifth wheel rotates, and you bend the unlocking pull bar.
Like I said, not for everyone but you don't get wear anywhere and they are clean of grease on the fifth wheel plate.

 

I'm with you Ozdriver,
Every truck I've had for the last 26yrs has had a Ballrace Turntable.
I've settled on the Low profile Single row Jost, As My preferred option.
A little trick We do is; on the locking Pin, cut 1/2 way through It with an Angle grinder in line with the exposed bit between the Top & Bottom Plate.. So if you forget to take the locking pin Out it just shears off & lets thing operate the way they should without any Damage...

 

I don't want anything to shear off, so what I do is stick a clothes peg on the steering wheel with "pin" written on it every time I do a hook up. Also I make sure the block bolts are cheap Chinese low grade so they shear off if I forget the clothes peg trick, only happened once.

 

I have always been a fan of the double jaw Holland probably the most bullet proof fifth wheel. I would scrap the Fontaine they always were more undesirable for me. The Jost would be the route I would take. I have installed several and they are a good plate, just not quite as good as the Holland