B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch

[HookMeUp]

Spent the afternoon installing my B&W gooseneck hitch. Everything went pretty well except when I was torquing everything down. Some of those bolts where a bear to get a torque wrench on. A couple I had to guess on with different wrench. I like it so far clean bed when not in use. Also bought a Companion to go with it. Got that assembled and put on also. Well built and great quality. In the instructions it states that the jaws need grease. Of you Companion owners out there where at on the jaws do I need to put grease? I don't want to jus slather it on and make a mess of everything. As soon as the weather breaks we can go get our new 5th wheel.

 

[RustyJC]

I spray some white lithium grease on the jaw pivot pins and use a coat of wheel bearing grease in the jaw bore where it engages the kingpin.



Rusty

 

[RVTRKN]

Also keep white lithium grease on the urethane supports.

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

I bought a Teflon slip disc for the top and use a little grease on the kingpin. It will drip a little bit down under the jaws, but nothing that can't be wiped up with a rag easy.

I looked at a couple used hitches before buying mine new and could see wear on all of them from people who towed often and never used any grease at all. The trailer I bought had never seen grease on the kingpin and has some minor wear that is visible and it was only a year old.

 

[Skydiver]

Of you Companion owners out there where at on the jaws do I need to put grease? I don't want to jus slather it on and make a mess of everything.

Thanks for the laugh. For a fifth wheel to last a long time, it must be,,,slathered with greese and messy. That's a small price to pay to reap the benefits a fifth offers.
Any time I messed with my companion it made a mess of me. I use that ultra messy grey grease. The stuff you can't remove with a pressure washer.

 

[RustyJC]

I would suggest the teflon load disc that fits over the kingpin in lieu of slathering grease all over the load plate of the 5th wheel hitch. I've been running the teflon discs for many years and still have the paint on the load plate of the companion 5th wheel hitch (which, by the way, I purchased in 2001 and carried over from my 2002 Ram 3500 dually to the new truck).



Rusty

 

[Powder Extreme]

If your not sure on the hitch you can apply quite a bit of grease to the narrow section of the king pin on the trailer. That will grease the necessary points on the lock jaws. Ditto om the teflon plate. Used them for hundreds of thousands of miles on semis and rvs both.

As mentioned, don't forget some lithium grease on the pads where the two seperate sections of the hitch come together.

After towing a ways its a good idea to check the u-bolts, I've had mine loosen once.

Oh, there's a grease zirk on the hitch itself for the side to side tilt. Doesn't take much.

 

[LRutigliano]

Congrats on doing the install yourself. I have seen butcher jobs on the frame rails and in the beds from RV dealers doing the hitch installs.

I have a Pull-Rite hitch and use the large plastic donut on the plate. I usually replace this every 3rd season.

My owner's manual states to use WD-40 on the kingpin prior to each hookup.

I have done this since it was new and only when we hook up at the house, not at the campground and the hitch jaws and the kingpin look new.

WD-40 is super easy to apply and use.

Maybe this is a good option instead of getting all messy with grease.

Hope this helps,
Louis

 

[RustyJC]

Despite what Pull-Rite says, I would suggest that WD-40 isn't a good lubricant for this purpose. It's designed to displace water, not to lubricate. It might be slightly better than nothing, but not by much. Heck, 3-in-1 oil would be better than WD-40 (at least it's designed to be a lubricant).



Where you have heavy loads and low relative speeds (such as between the kingpin and the hitch jaws), you need a lubricant that can take the extreme pressure and not be squeezed out. A good EP grease meets these requirements.



JM2CW



Rusty

 

[HookMeUp]

Congrats on doing the install yourself. I have seen butcher jobs on the frame rails and in the beds from RV dealers doing the hitch installs.

Louis

I checked around at a few hitch shops around town and really didn't like what I was hearing. I enjoy doing all of my own work, that way It's done to my satisfaction. I was planning on using a slip disc. Thanks for all the suggestions.