Hitch fit with lube plate

This plate is thinner than most. This one is 1/8", and most are 3/16". It is more expensive that most lube plates, but if you need it you need it.

REESE 83004 Lube Plate

I have to use a thin lube plate with my hitch. until i figured it out, i really struggled with getting locked in.

Get a thinner lube plate.

Ken

dang pbounds, what an excellent thought.

Or like me, I don't need one of those gizmos. My hitch is hanging on the king pin as we speak.

If you are a woodworker, or know one, run your lube plate through your thickness planer.

I use a lube plate. Thinner plate may be your answer.

I never raise the trailer enough to see any gap between the hitch plate and the pin box plate. When I hitch up I have the pin box plate about 1” below the hitch plate so that the pin box plate rides up onto the hitch plate to ensure proper hitching. And when I unhitch I have the pin box at about that same height so that the pin box slides down that same 1”.

Hensley sells a 1/8" lube plate, not cheap but do work well. My last Companion had 1 1/8" thick jaws and really needed the thinner plate. Current companion jaws are 1" and it is still nicer to use the 1/8" plate.

Slide Bar..............OLD hitch?
Some pin boxes do not allow for standard 1/4" lube plate

There are 1/8" slim lube plates.......might give one a try

Otherwise, back to the old grease routine

wdgold wrote:
After installing a lube plate the slide bar operates very hard when sliding over pin collar. Their is essentially no gap between flats on hitch and pin box now and its hard to tell when weight is off to unhitch. This makes no sense to me being I have owned a different 5th wheel in the past with no issues. It seems the pin doesn't go deep enough in the hitch.

I helped a guy next to me last year that could not get his hitch to close, there was just enough warp, and rough edges on the lube plate to keep the hitch from closing . You could see there was just a little more gap created from the lube plate then normal. Took off the lube plate, and the hitch slammed shut, all was well, nothing was wrong with the hitch. . Not sure how he messed up the lube plate ,but it was.