Lube Pads for 5th Wheel?

I haven't towed my new Fifth Wheel yet but already have a question.

We just had a Reese 20K hitch installed and didn't get an owner's manual.  I'm pretty surprised and am in the process of trying to get one.

I read where you can use a 'lube pad' instead of greasing up the plate.  They seem to be pretty inexpensive, about $10, and it'd be nice to keep the hitch clean.

Do they work as well as grease?

How long will they last?

Any danger of them failing and causing damage?

Thanks in advance!  This is sure a great site! 

Yes you can use a lube plate - in fact, Reese makes and sells them themselves.


Below is an excerpt from the From the Reese Products web site - Support area    Lot's of good infor there for new hitch owners - go to the Reese site and click Support.  Reese Products.
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What kind of maintenance needs to be done to the 5th Wheel Hitch?

  1. Lubricate skid plate surface of the hitch with automotive type chassis grease or use a plastic lube plate to provide a lubricated surface. Use white lithium spray lube or engine oil to lubricate pivot points of moving parts within the hitch.


  2. Plastic lube plates (Reese No. 74295) can be used to avoid messy grease. The plastic lube plate must not exceed 3/16 of an inch in thickness to ensure hitch will operate properly. Lube plates must be 10 inches in diameter or larger to properly distribute king pin weight.


  3. Before each trip or maneuver, operate the handle and check that the jaws open and close freely.


  4. See that all hitch pull pins are in place and the spring retaining pins are installed.


  5. Recheck tightness of all hardware every 1000 miles of use.


  6. Lubrication to the hitch is essential to provide for a good long service life. Any pivoting point inside the head should be lubricated with a white lithium spray lube. The pivoting points outside the head need to be lubricated with a high pressure lube, such as 80/90 gear lube or grease. Reese offers the high pressure lube as (PN 52250). This will allow for easier operation of the hitch. The skid plate can use either grease or a minimum of a 10" lube plate (PN 74295). When lubricating you should always remove the old lubricant to remove any road grim that has collected to prevent excessive wearing of components. All hardware should be inspected and torqued periodically per the recommended torque specification in the instruction manual.

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We put the plastic lube plate on our trailer when we bought the trailer. 10 years and a lot of miles later, still have the original plate and it is in good shape! 

maywes said:

We make poly fifth wheel covers that you do not have to grease other than the king pin.

Click to expand...

Yes you do make custom lube plates but who in their right mind would spend $100 or more for a lube plate when they can spend $10 to $12 from  any RV place and works just as good and lasts for years.  I looked at your video and it shows a tractor trailer fifth wheel not a RV. It mat work for them but as far as a RV, The regular round lube plate works just fine.

GypsySooners said:

I haven't towed my new Fifth Wheel yet but already have a question.

We just had a Reese 20K hitch installed and didn't get an owner's manual.  I'm pretty surprised and am in the process of trying to get one.

I read where you can use a 'lube pad' instead of greasing up the plate.  They seem to be pretty inexpensive, about $10, and it'd be nice to keep the hitch clean.

Do they work as well as grease?

How long will they last?

Any danger of them failing and causing damage?

Thanks in advance!  This is sure a great site! 

Click to expand...

Is this the hitch you have?    http://www.hitchpro.net/application/support/instructions/n30081.pdf

I just realized that the original post was in 2006. I would thing that he has the answers that he was asking.

A lube plate is all I have ever used.

Just went to the plate. DW drives most of the time and says it's not only cleaner, but that the 5ver seems to turn smoother.