Wheel bearing grease.

Is there any preferred type bearing grease you find better, longer lasting, etc? How often do you grease your wheel bearings?

While on the subject of lubricants, what do you use for the 5th wheel and where? I mean, do you only lubricate the plate or do you use the same lubricant on the locking parts as well?

On a 15k Pullrite supperglide you do not grease the the top plate.
There is no need as the plate does not turn. You need to spray the springs under the top plate to keep them in good working order, as do the King pin, roller and cam arm WD40 works well on these. the pivot bolt needs to be removed and cleaned and re-greased with axle grease.
The way tubes need to be greased with a good quality grease, so that they don't bind or lock. I use a complex lithium grease and I have not had any problems.

I just had my bearings repacked and the RV service center used Castrol Pyroplex Red grease in the tube.

B
Get one if the Teflon disks for the hitch, no grease and no gooey mess.

Important thing to remember when re-greasing hubs and bearings is that some greases are not compatible with each other and can lead to corrosions or damage to hubs/bearings/spindles.

I've got a really handy chart in one of my catalogs so if anyone has a compatibility question let me know. A lot of common greases are lithium based, but there are some calcium based, polyurea and even aluminum and barium based. Some play nice and can be mixed, others can't.

"Red" grease is usually lithium complex based. This is compatible with other lithium complex based greases as well as lithium 12-hydroxy and lithium stearate based greases.

We use LubriMatic LMX the "red" grease, in our shop for replacing bearings, swapping hubs or anything like that. If it is a boat or jet-ski trailer, we use a LubriMatic Marine purpose grease. It's better formulated for the moisture.

I can provide links if you all would like.

oldelmer1 wrote:
Get one if the Teflon disks for the hitch, no grease and no gooey mess.

oldelmer1,

We carry those, and a few of us wonder if they really work well and how long they last. Can you shed any light? It's a great idea, certainly less mess and pretty simple to change out, but are they effective? How long do they last? How often are you towing each season?

The Teflon disk does not work with a Pullrite hitch due to the fact the hitch moves with the trailer, not like conventional hitches that are static and the trailer pivots on the hitch. So do not waste your money on the disk because you will not be able to hitch up.
Sean

BobnPi, if you want a manual for your Hitch PM me with your email address and I'll send a PDF copy.
Sean

The teflon disk work great and seem to last a long time.

The part I put grease on is the kingpin.

I used the red grease also on the wheel bearings.

As for how often do you grease the wheel bearings. If you pack them yourself , I'd say repack them every year. I add a squirt or two to each bearing buddy before each trip. I also take them apart and visually inspect from time to time. Make sure the seals are good and not letting grease on the brakes. Mine are due for new bearings all the way around. I want to go back with timken if I can afford them.

I had a teflon disk on my last fiver for 13 years when we traded it. It showed very little wear. I am pretty sure they will last as long as any fifth wheel.

KH

I have a teflon disk on mine,also got an extra for when this one wears out.I think I my have wasted my money.I don't see any wear at all.3 years old.

etrailer wrote:

oldelmer1,

We carry those, and a few of us wonder if they really work well and how long they last. Can you shed any light? It's a great idea, certainly less mess and pretty simple to change out, but are they effective? How long do they last? How often are you towing each season?

etrailer,
I have used the Teflon disk on my wildcat for 4 years with no problems at all. It did get some paint on it from connecting, but I just washed it off with a scrubby and put it back on.

I've towed probably 20K miles in 4 year and just traded my CAT in with the same disk.

So, I would say YES, they work great.

KHUBER wrote:I had a teflon disk on my last fiver for 13 years when we traded it. It showed very little wear. I am pretty sure they will last as long as any fifth wheel.

KH

Same here. After more than 3 years, I see no wear at all on the teflon disk; I don't think I'll be using the spare for awhile. I would never go back to greasing the plate.

Awesome, thanks for all the input. We've been wondering about how this product works and have never heard anything from our customers about it, so I guess this is why. They put it on and it works and they can forget about it.

Thanks again.

Does using the teflon disk require any changes to the capture plate?

We avg. about 4-5k miles a year. On our last TT, I removed/cleaned/greased the bearings every year. There was never anything wrong with them.
On the WC, I check them at the beginning of the season for play and roughness and I adj the brakes. While driving, I check them for heat at every stop but have still never had a problem.
Next spring (after about 30k miles) I'll take everything apart, repack the bearings and inspect the brakes. I'll let everyone know what I find and we'll see if I was tempting fate .
For me, the yearly drudgery of packing bearings was a waste of time.

BobnPi wrote:Does using the teflon disk require any changes to the capture plate?

Nope, no changes at all.

Actually, I checked the More-Ride hitch on this Montana and it didn't have a Teflon disk on it, but I carry a spare, so I put it on.

Thanks etrailer for the reminder to check for one.

BobnPi wrote:Does using the teflon disk require any changes to the capture plate?

Don't forget that on a Pullrite hitch there is a capture plate welded just behind the the pin so a Teflon disk will not fit
Sean

My Teflon disk lasted about 3 years. I think we finally got the trailer level so there should be less pressure on it. In order to accomplish this I have about 9 inches between the bed and the trailer. I should never have any clearance problems.

Portagie1968 wrote:My Teflon disk lasted about 3 years. I think we finally got the trailer level so there should be less pressure on it. In order to accomplish this I have about 9 inches between the bed and the trailer. I should never have any clearance problems.

6 inches is about the minimum, so with 9 you should be pretty well set for just about any conditions. I would wouldn't try any off-roading or rock-crawling with it.

Thank you etrailer. Off-roading would not be a problem considering how far a 2006 Wildcat sits of the ground.

Portagie1968 wrote:Thank you etrailer. Off-roading would not be a problem considering how far a 2006 Wildcat sits of the ground.

I was mostly being goofy. I'm sure you guys have seen people do plenty of strange things with their trailers, we get calls and emails from those people every day.

Some folks consider off-road to be dirt and gravel roads. Other people want to tow their 30 foot trailer through the mountains on a Jeep trail with a half-ton 2-wheel drive. I guess it takes all types.

Patrick - I understood that when you wrote it. I just notice how high a 30rlbs stands of the ground.