Requiring no lubrication for the top plate, locks or brackets, the Holland NoLube fifth wheel incorporates a combination of new technologies that could eventually yield a completely maintenance free fifth wheel, according to Jack Gisinger, vp-engineering for The Holland Group.
Scheduled to replace the company's LowLube 3500 Series fifth wheel model in the fall, the NoLube features a new top-plate insert made of a polyethylene material said to handle more compressive weight. This insert's new mechanical bonding process also increases resistance to buckling, folding and tearing.
A laser process hardens the fifth wheel's lock jaws to eliminate wear without requiring lubrication, and dry-film compounds on other lock components eliminate greasing while also improving wear and corrosion resistance, according to Holland.
Calling the NoLube the next step in the evolution of its LowLube fifth wheel, Scott Fowler, fifth wheel product team director, says the new model will be introduced at the same price and will carry the same 6-yr./600,000-mi. parts warranty and performance guarantee for onroad applications.
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