Gear Head Lube launched a soy-based fifth wheel lubricant that be applied by hand cleanly and quickly.

The Gear Head Fifth Wheel Pads are a patented alternative to conventional fifth wheel greasing methods. Gear Head’s pads provide a consistent fixed amount of grease and can be handled without gloves. The grease has a thin, hard, smooth shell, which is designed to be easy to handle. It doesn’t get on the driver’s or technician’s clothes while being applied.

“The use of grease guns or applying grease by spatula is messy and time consuming. Additionally, without measuring the amount of grease being used it can be easy to over-grease or under-grease the fifth wheel,"  said Gear Head Director of Product Development Todd Whiting.

Gear Heads’ grease starts with oil from soybeans produced by U.S. farmers. Soybean oil exhibits a property called polarity. Soy oil molecules carry a charge that makes them attracted to metal surfaces. This provides a stronger bond between the grease and the metal. Thus, Gear Head soy-based grease provides protection for the metal surfaces of the fifth wheel. Users are reporting they need to lubricate their fifth wheels less frequently when using Gear Head Fifth Wheel Lube Pads.

From an environmental standpoint, the use of petroleum-based grease products on fifth wheels leads to toxic runoff and degrades water quality, company officials said. Unlike conventional petroleum-based fifth wheel grease, Gear Head says its soy-based formulation is non-toxic and biodegradable.

“When it comes to greasing fifth wheels, drivers either don’t do the job, or they do it too well,” said Brian Walker, business development, marketing and sales, during a TMC press conference. “Both cases are not good. You’re either getting a mess on the vehicle chassis or dry spots on the fifth wheel which can lead to problems. And fifth wheel grease is uncontained. It will go do the roadbed and into the soil at some point. Fleets using this soy-based grease can significantly help reduce roadside contamination.”