Might be a stupid question, but....

We use all aluminum 5th wheels w teflon slider pads.
No lube ever but does require periodic pad replacement.

 

I use PB Blaster if rust is present and no lube is handy.

 

What kind of sorcery is this "grease" you speak of?

 

Every weekend, stem to stern, with the steer wheels on the ground and off. Oil every 10k. The most valuable part of this routine is the opportunity to see, study, observe and learn about the many components of your truck.......and identify problems and issues early, as opposed to in rush hour traffic ........in a snow storm,......holiday weekend.......you get the picture.

 

Yep. Everybody ####s on log haulers but dad's trucks were like new, all the time. I think he only ever missed half a dozen trips to the mill over his 15 year career as an O/O.

It helped having 2 of us go over the iron. Sometimes I'd miss something and he'd catch it or vice versa. Trucks got washed clean enough to eat off of any surface every weekend. I'm not kidding when I say that. Inside frame rails, on top of transmission, engine etc.

 

I’m surprised Cali hasn’t picked up on this .. many guys over grease everything and it ends up on the road ..

 

LOL ...... Your old man must be my unknown brother!

Years ago I built a small heated shop with a wash bay, just big enough for my tractor. I'm home most nights, and if that truck even smells road salt ( which is 5-6 days a week here in northern N.E) it gets washed before I go to bed. Don't matter how tired I am. Takes a strong hour to wash inside and outside of frame rails, pumpkins and housings where the salt really eats because of the heat that's generated, both sides of every wheel, all electrical connections , under the fuel tank straps--- the best I can,.......then body, lights and mirrors...........all the while looking closely for anything that could delay my start in the morning, or shut me down. And it sure is nice to leave out with clean glass and mirrors, and warm fuel.

I ain't lookin' to keep a show truck, cuz it's the furtherest thing from it.....just looking to keep it.!

 

Regular washing is one of the best things you can do for a truck IMO. Keeps the salt from rotting everything and it makes it easier to find problems. A wash job on a 7 axle logger is a minimum 2.5 hour job with a steam cleaner. Had it take up to 6 hours in spring with the mud lol.

 

Ya, trailer washin' just sucks, no two ways around it....

My hog pot takes 3 hours of nasty work, obviously can't do it in the winter (at home). Come spring---- maybe next week --------I'll be a full day diggin' an clawin' an scrapin' an shovelin' .

Maybe I'll hire me a new steering wheel holder for the day. Introduce ' em to the finer points of truckin' !

 

Can you use a Teflon pad on a steel fw plate?