Worn Powder Coat on Skid Plate for B&W Companion OEM

Published 09/28/2018

Question:

I recently purchased the BWRVK3300 OEM 5th Wheel hitch. The very first time I used it was picking up a trailer at a dealership. I had never towed a fifth wheel before, so the walk-through guy was guiding me through the process. All went fine until I got home and un-hooked the trailer to see that the top of my hitch was scratched badly. Where the powder-coat finish used to be, it is now just metal. Can this be fixed? Do I need to worry about it? Just put grease on it for next time? If the dealer messed this up, Id like them to help fix this if they should have guided me to grease the skid first.

asked by: Ben

Expert Reply:

The skid plate on your B&W Companion OEM 5th-Wheel Hitch part # BWRVK3300 should have been lubed prior to hitching the trailer per the owner's manual for the unit which is attached for you. The worn powder coat is not a huge deal but there may be some accumulation of rust so you would want to spray some paint over the exposed metal and keep a fair amount of grease on it. I also recommend using a lube plate part # HT34914 as this should prevent any more material from wearing away.

expert reply by: Conner L