Lube Plates

DazedNConfused wrote:

lakeside013104 wrote:
Hensley Mfg. sells a lube plate designed for your hitch. The tolerance on their hitches are close so you most likely will NOT be able to hook up if you use a standard 1/4" thick lube plate. Hensley's are 1/8" thick and I think 8" diameter. Just give Aaron a call at Hensley and he will fix you up. These are great people to do business with. Good luck.

Lakeside

Not necessarily. I have the BD3 and purchased the 1/8" lube plate from Hensley. As is obvious, it is half the thickness of the 1/4" standard plate from places like Reese. The problem is that it easily deforms...and once it deforms, it will not stay on the king pin...and the result is frustration as it falls off the pin and into the bed of your truck just as you are pulling up to the pin to hook up.

I quickly noticed that my BD3 jaws were very high up on the king pin -- so it was obvious that a thicker plate would lower the jaws and make them more centered and I had plenty of room for a standard 1/4". I bought the 1/4" plate recently and wish I had done it sooner. Of note, the Hensley plate is 10" diameter...so that's the size Reese plate that I bought. Hope this helps.

Of note, you will LOVE this hitch. It is a very high quality head and it's pretty wild to see the camper in your rear view mirror moving up and down independent of your truck -- knowing the bugger is doing its job. Not sure which truck u have, but I bought Hensley's under bed mount that is a direct replacement for the Ford under bed mount (made by Reese, I believe) -- but the Hensley is beefier. This is a very heavy hitch, btw -- about 250ish lbs if memory serves. I use an engine hoist to get it in and out of my truck. Shoot me a note if I can be of any help.

- DNC

I use my Hensley 1/8" slip plate (expensive) with my B&W hitch. Mine fell off easily also, I laid it on a hard surface and hit the edges of the opening of the plate with a hammer a few times and it decreased the inside diameter slightly of the plate and made it fit tightly. Now all is good.

Traveler II:

Our BD3 was installed on our truck in April and we started using it with our quarter-inch thick (10-inch) lube plate in May. I was a little hesitant to try it, but did anyway. We've been traveling since then and have had no problems with it.

Mike

RECVEH2005 wrote:
On my new BD3 hitch, a quarter-inch thick plate works fine. It sounds as if some of these BD3 hitches work OK with a quarter-inch thick plate and some don't.

Mike

Mike have you always used the thicker plate or did you find with time they would work? When we first got our BD3 I had trouble un-hooking until I bought the thinner plates. I've been using them for the last two year and have not tried going back.

On my new BD3 hitch, a quarter-inch thick plate works fine. It sounds as if some of these BD3 hitches work OK with a quarter-inch thick plate and some don't.

Mike

We love our BD3, but we've had to use the thin lube plate from Hensley. I find they last about 10,000 miles and start to fall off when you un-hitch. I just order several at a time.

lakeside013104 wrote:
Hensley Mfg. sells a lube plate designed for your hitch. The tolerance on their hitches are close so you most likely will NOT be able to hook up if you use a standard 1/4" thick lube plate. Hensley's are 1/8" thick and I think 8" diameter. Just give Aaron a call at Hensley and he will fix you up. These are great people to do business with. Good luck.

Lakeside

Not necessarily. I have the BD3 and purchased the 1/8" lube plate from Hensley. As is obvious, it is half the thickness of the 1/4" standard plate from places like Reese. The problem is that it easily deforms...and once it deforms, it will not stay on the king pin...and the result is frustration as it falls off the pin and into the bed of your truck just as you are pulling up to the pin to hook up.

I quickly noticed that my BD3 jaws were very high up on the king pin -- so it was obvious that a thicker plate would lower the jaws and make them more centered and I had plenty of room for a standard 1/4". I bought the 1/4" plate recently and wish I had done it sooner. Of note, the Hensley plate is 10" diameter...so that's the size Reese plate that I bought. Hope this helps.

Of note, you will LOVE this hitch. It is a very high quality head and it's pretty wild to see the camper in your rear view mirror moving up and down independent of your truck -- knowing the bugger is doing its job. Not sure which truck u have, but I bought Hensley's under bed mount that is a direct replacement for the Ford under bed mount (made by Reese, I believe) -- but the Hensley is beefier. This is a very heavy hitch, btw -- about 250ish lbs if memory serves. I use an engine hoist to get it in and out of my truck. Shoot me a note if I can be of any help.

- DNC

If you buy a typical lube plate you will end up sanding more then 1/2 of it off to make it fit,dont ask how I know this .
I have used a pail bottom in a pinch ,but mostly just grease the hitch head and call it good.

Hensley Mfg. sells a lube plate designed for your hitch. The tolerance on their hitches are close so you most likely will NOT be able to hook up if you use a standard 1/4" thick lube plate. Hensley's are 1/8" thick and I think 8" diameter. Just give Aaron a call at Hensley and he will fix you up. These are great people to do business with. Good luck.

Lakeside

what is the size of your plate?