Hitch longevity

[Veebyes]

Another post got me to thinking about this one.

What sort of lifespan can one expect out of a hitch? 10 years old here. About 150 nights per year on the road. At least 60 hitching cycles per year. 12,000-15,000 miles per year. Never damaged. A bit of WD40 every so often. 18,000# hitch with 13,000# loaded trailer. Well under limits. No complaints about it.

[Cummins12V98]

RobWNY wrote:
I don't know if my choices of lubricants are right or wrong but I use Blaster White Lithium Grease on the jaws and pivot points before each use and I have a grease zerk fitting on the underside of my B&W that gets some Red N Tacky grease once a season. On the pin I use a Lube Plate. It keeps things from getting messy because I don't have to grease the plate itself

Overkill on the pivot points and under kill on the supporting shaft with the grease ZERK.

[jrs1871]

We had an RBW hitch that we bought in 1993 when we bought our first fifth wheel. We used that hitch through 3 fifth wheels (all of comparable weight and within weight ratings) until 2018 when we switched to an Anderson Ultimate.
Like others said, routine inspection and lubrication go a long way to prolonging the life of a good hitch. There was actually nothing wrong with the RBW when we replaced it. It just took two men and a boy (slight exaggeration)whenever we need to remove it so we had full use of the bed. We have been very pleased with the Anderson and have over 10,000 miles on it so far.

[ford_truck_guy]

This is the WD40 product that I use on my 6 point jack pistons - Silicone WD40

I have had a small leak twice... sprayed this on, ran them up and down a couple of times.. and its all better..

WD-40 is NOT only a water displacer like a lot of people think.... They have evolved along the years with a lot of different products.

[WTP-GC]

bpounds wrote:

Veebyes wrote:

Actually yes, you are correct. WD40 is fish oil based. Has no real staying ability. My usual goto product is something called Boeshield. Been using it on my boats for years. Developed for Boeing, it becomes a waxy substance after a few hours. Another product, LPS 3 is somewhat similar.

None of those are a good lubricant for your hitch. Good corrosion preventatives, but not much lubricant value.

I always hear people talk about using WD40 and that's followed by those who will bash it. That's because people think of WD40 as the original formula in the blue/yellow can. However, in the last 10-15 years (or so), WD40 has come out with several alternative formulas, some of which are actually true lubricants. So these days, it's necessary for someone to specify which WD40 product they're actually using before the bashing can begin 🙂

[RAS43]

My 20000lb Reese is 22 years old and still works fine. I lube the jaw faces and trailer pin 2-3 times a year. I take the head apart every other year and clean and lube all parts. I only use wheel bearing grease. The 2 springs were replaced at 10 years old. I have no plans to replace the hitch anytime soon. We travel from April to November from our home base, usually 5-6000 miles on average per year to many destinations.

[laknox]

My B&W gets a few shots of basic "chassis lube" grease on the large pivot bolt and a few shots on the head of each side piece once or twice a season. Put 3-4 shots on the back side of the king pin and just let it work its way around. Sure wish they'd come up with a "lube tube" for king pins; d@mn grease gets messy. :B

Lyle

[RobWNY]

I don't know if my choices of lubricants are right or wrong but I use Blaster White Lithium Grease on the jaws and pivot points before each use and I have a grease zerk fitting on the underside of my B&W that gets some Red N Tacky grease once a season. On the pin I use a Lube Plate. It keeps things from getting messy because I don't have to grease the plate itself

[jerem0621]

If it’s a Reese, Andersen, or a Curt it should be replaced before you even open the box.

If it’s a B&W it’s good till infinity. When society ends there will be only a few relics of humanity...The great Pyramids and all the B&W hitches. I mean, come on, they have their own fan club and everything.

In seriousness, I would not replace the hitch, I would maintain it...replace the springs and jaws if needed. These pieces of equipment are expensive and should only be replaced by want or by need.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[bpounds]

Veebyes wrote:

Actually yes, you are correct. WD40 is fish oil based. Has no real staying ability. My usual goto product is something called Boeshield. Been using it on my boats for years. Developed for Boeing, it becomes a waxy substance after a few hours. Another product, LPS 3 is somewhat similar.

None of those are a good lubricant for your hitch. Good corrosion preventatives, but not much lubricant value.

I use motorcycle chain lubricant in a spray can. Sprays out easily through the straw, right where I want it, penetrates well, and then sets up and clings. Doesn't attract dirt once it is set.

[bpounds]

I don't think anyone can predict how long a hitch will last. All you can do is inspect it, clean it, and lubricate it. If it is a hitch that uses springs, pay particular attention to those. At 10 years I would consider just replacing the springs, since you can't really know when a spring will snap. And always store your hitch with the springs in the relaxed position, not locked open for example.

If you've got any of the air loaded hitches, you have a whole nother level of concern.

[Second_Chance]

Veebyes wrote:
WD40 is fish oil based.

Common myth.

[Veebyes]

Tyler0215 wrote:
WD 40 is NOT a lube. It does do good job of cleaning old lube off.

Actually yes, you are correct. WD40 is fish oil based. Has no real staying ability. My usual goto product is something called Boeshield. Been using it on my boats for years. Developed for Boeing, it becomes a waxy substance after a few hours. Another product, LPS 3 is somewhat similar.

[Tyler0215]

WD 40 is NOT a lube. It does do good job of cleaning old lube off.

[Second_Chance]

Actually, there can be a good bit of wear if there is significant pin weight. It all depends on how well you maintain the hitch and the miles (including road quality) on the rig. The manual for our PullRite OE 18K calls for pulling the head and greasing the load-bearing points at specified intervals. This turns out to be about twice a year for us (full-timers with about 12K miles per year). I can tell there's over 3,000 lbs. on the pin when I pull things apart (shiny areas on the load-bearing surfaces), but keeping things clean and well lubricated, the hitch looks like it's got a lot of life left in it.

Rob

[valhalla360]

Yes, look it over periodically, clean and lubricate the moving parts but really not a lot of wear and tear cruising down the road.