Simple question from a new driver - 5th wheel grease and winter

Years ago wheel bearing grease used to be stringy as hell.
With the EP additives it was very good at protecting 5 wheels.
If you know someone or someplace that uses gear driven ball/rod mills and some gear driven raise bridges they use a very good grease for slow moving high pressure point lubrication.
Once got a drum that has sugar grain size pieces of lead in it.
They said it dressed(Filled) the low spots so the pressure was more evenly spread.

There is however not much you can do about getting shinny grease free spots if the 5th wheel and trailed mating surface are not flat and straight.

 

Carry a putty knife with you, and a small plastic tub of lube. You can find them at auto supply stores- or just an old plastic container. You can always fill it up at the yard. Scrape the lube that gooshes over the edge of the fifth wheel plate back onto it, and you can add more lube as necessary. Some contaminated oil or Lucas fifth wheel lube helps in cold weather, as has been mentioned. You want to keep the fifth wheel greased so the trailer doesn't pull your tractor around, and it will help the life of your steer tires.

Thanx and a tip 'o the hat to SouthernPride (RIP) for the tip.

 

First of all clean the groves and lower areas on the fifth wheel and then fill them up with grease. Those groves are called reservoires, but many drivers and mechanics even don't know what they are for. Anything put on top of the plate will be removed when hooking/unhooking. Any grease will do the job.

 

Grease maybe at WM, but for sure small tubes available at all truck stops. They really rake you, though. You could carry a manual grease gun in your tools, probably the best solution. I'm wondering why you're having this problem. Once in a while the plate wants some love, sure, but it doesn't add up if it's more than occasionally. My truck only wants 5th wheel grease during PM's, around 15K miles.

 

One other thing. The biggest problem I've had with winter driving was the 5th wheel release, either not catching the pin, or not releasing the pin. What a pain. Are you noticing anything like that?

 

Hi Starboyjim, when it was really cold, my old Pete's 5th wheel wouldn't latch. I had to really slam it hard. As far as releasing, some trucks I drove, I had to set the trailer brakes and back the tractor up just a hair, to take pressure off the 5th wheel jaws. On a Freightliner cabover I drove (shutter), once the 5th wheel wouldn't release, and we messed with it for 15 minutes, until an old timer saw us, came over and said, straighten out the tractor, ( it was a little ####ed) and bing, it worked.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4450021]Hi Starboyjim, when it was really cold, my old Pete's 5th wheel wouldn't latch. I had to really slam it hard. As far as releasing, some trucks I drove, I had to set the trailer brakes and back the tractor up just a hair, to take pressure off the 5th wheel jaws. On a Freightliner cabover I drove (shutter), once the 5th wheel wouldn't release, and we messed with it for 15 minutes, until an old timer saw us, came over and said, straighten out the tractor, ( it was a little ####ed) and bing, it worked.[/QUOTE]

I've run into that before myself. First trick I try is releasing just the tractor brakes and rock the cab. Only been one time that hasn't worked for me.

 

The red grease is high temp grease and is better for the summer months. Ask if they have any of the green grease, it won't get as stiff in the cold.

 

I think there are synthetic greases out there now. So maybe the temps when extremely cold may not be such a factor? Check with your shop, regarding what they use?