ET Hitch Preventive Maintenance

[SuiteSuccess]

Thanks Jim & Stekay.

[Nuke-E]

Carl,

 

Answers above are good ones--the most important difference is thickness, with the MDS-filled nylon being 1/32" thinner. Either should be fine for you, as you weren't particularly tight to begin with.

[Big5er]

as you weren't particularly tight to begin with.

I'm not even gonna touch that line

[Nuke-E]

I'm not even gonna touch that line

 

I should have known this discussion was going off the rails sooner or later. I guess I was just surprised at Henry's restraint, what with mentioning Jimmy Carter without any adjectives.

 

Just so everyone else follows what I was saying, Carl had been able to use a standard 3/16" lube plate with his ET and the pin on his trailer without too much trouble. In other words, either of the two nylon plates should work just fine. If you haven't been able to use a lube plate at all, or have a lot of trouble getting lined up just right, make sure to go for the thinner one.

[GlennWest]

Mine was tight enough that I had to make it latch. Almost pushed off blocks. I use them to shorten ram. That why I took off. I would like to have a thin one also

[Nuke-E]

Mine was tight enough that I had to make it latch. Almost pushed off blocks. I use them to shorten ram. That why I took off. I would like to have a thin one also

 

Hi Glenn,

 

The link ended up at the bottom of the previous page--here it is: http://deepspacelighting.com/shop/rv-fifth-wheel-lube-plate/

[Jim & Wilma]

 

I should have known this discussion was going off the rails sooner or later. I guess I was just surprised at Henry's restraint, what with mentioning Jimmy Carter without any adjectives.

 

I've been on the forum just long enough to hear about a legend of an “old geezer”; his name I think was also Henry. I missed any of the exchanges but I've got to imagine the current political environment would have offered rich commentary. I think I would have liked that old geezer.

 

OK, returning to your normal programming . . . I opted for the thin version to increase my margin for misalignment, not that I’ve had too much trouble hitching up; of which mostly I attribute to my rookie status.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Just a side note here- If you have a plate that is too thick, find a local cabinet shop that has a planer. They can thin it down if the planer can accept the wide material.

[tippey]

We're very much newbies on the forum and we've been learning more than I can remember learning. (Hmmm)

 

My DW and I are almost fully transitioned from our Class A life to our new Fifth Wheel life. Our 'new to us' Carriage Royals International 36MAX1 will be ready for service from the dealer we purchased it from. We've had to store our 2001 Volvo since we purchased it from Rick Younger in November. It's now completed it's long hibernation and should be ready to roll for us. Our ET hitch has not yet been tested since we bought it but it's looking good with only a little bit of rust on the head surface.. We'll be doing a lot of practice on hitching and unhitching in a nice open area down here in Southern AZ south of Tucson in Amado AZ.

 

When I emailed Henry just a few days ago to ask about lubrication best practices for the ET he referred me to what he called this 'lively' conversation. How's that for good timing to jump on this thread.

 

We sure appreciate this timely conversation along with the recommendations you are putting out here. At the moment we have nothing but will shop today for spray-on lubricant for the jaws and pivot points. As to the head lube plate I guess I can see what's available locally in Tucson but if they may make it more of a pain hitching up I may prefer to purchase off this thread to start out with the thin plate you are talking about here.

 

Feedback is welcomed & thanks!

Tipper

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I guess I must be old fashioned then, I just use plain old grease. Nothing fancy, nothing ever rusts, the same grease on the pin is used on the plate, it can be found almost anywhere and it never causes a problem hitching up. For a little more spice to life, I sometimes use waterproof marine grease.

 

As far as the OP's question about maintenance on the ET hitch, I don't think there are any zerk fittings on it anywhere. Henry uses hi tech plastic but I might call him to see if I can drill and tap a few strategic holes to add so lube in critical wear areas. Don't know if the ET has any or not as I haven't seen mine yet, our bed build is due to start in June and hopefully, Henry will have mine ready by then.

[phoenix2013]

I guess I must be old fashioned then, I just use plain old grease. Nothing fancy, nothing ever rusts, the same grease on the pin is used on the plate, it can be found almost anywhere and it never causes a problem hitching up. For a little more spice to life, I sometimes use waterproof marine grease.

 

As far as the OP's question about maintenance on the ET hitch, I don't think there are any zerk fittings on it anywhere. Henry uses hi tech plastic but I might call him to see if I can drill and tap a few strategic holes to add so lube in critical wear areas. Don't know if the ET has any or not as I haven't seen mine yet, our bed build is due to start in June and hopefully, Henry will have mine ready by then.

It's in process, with three others, you might say it will be one of the "quadruplets". Although genetically it might not be accurate since there is one Jr. in the bunch. Composite bearings (12 of them) do not require greasing. Grease on the head helps prevent rusting, but you might look like a grease monkey when you get too close.

 

 

I've been on the forum just long enough to hear about a legend of an “old geezer”; his name I think was also Henry. I missed any of the exchanges but I've got to imagine the current political environment would have offered rich commentary. I think I would have liked that old geezer.

 

OK, returning to your normal programming . . . I opted for the thin version to increase my margin for misalignment, not that I’ve had too much trouble hitching up; of which mostly I attribute to my rookie status.

That old geezer (also named Henry) was plenty opinionated, particularly when it came to work performed by folks with thin resumes (such as community organizers). But that old geezer is no longer on the forum, he upset too many people.

The reference Phoenix made in regards to Jimmy Carter's Presidency was strictly to give folks (old folks) time interval they can relate to. A year later he would have mentioned Reagan's Presidency.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

It's in process, with three others, you might say it will be one of the "quadruplets". Although genetically it might not be accurate since there is one Jr. in the bunch. Composite bearings (12 of them) do not require greasing. Grease on the head helps prevent rusting, but you might look like a grease monkey when you get too close.

 

I hope the truck will be delivered in the next 2-3 weeks and then we will get ready for a drive to Texas to see Larry. Glad to hear mine is in progress and I don't mind a little grease and oil, I like working my the garage and with old cars, you are going to get a little messy.

[RickW]

I guess I must be old fashioned then, I just use plain old grease. Nothing fancy, nothing ever rusts, the same grease on the pin is used on the plate, it can be found almost anywhere and it never causes a problem hitching up. For a little more spice to life, I sometimes use waterproof marine grease.

 

That is what I use. When I first got my ET 6 years ago I could not find a teflon ring thin enough to work with my pinbox. Typically I only need to grease the hitch plate once or twice a year. It is basically also the same time that I get under the trailer and grease the axles too.