Trailer Slick Plate

Save time and money while protecting your equipment with Minimizer’s Trailer Slick Plate.

This game-changing product eliminates the need to grease your fifth wheel top plate and upper coupler while reducing wear on those critical areas. It also increases the life of your steer tires and makes for easier trailer handling for drivers.

The trailer slick plate is perfect for those that drop-and-hook frequently, and it comes with a five-year warranty.

MINIMIZER™ SLICK PLATE OPTIONS:

Minimizer Trailer Slick Plates are specific to the King Pin Setback. Find your exact part number using the selector tool below. Once you have your part number selected you will see local and online buying options.

G.1 Minimizer LLC. warrants that polyethylene components will be free from defects in material and workmanship, including being free from rust and corrosion at the time of delivery and for a period of (5) five years.

G.2 Any Slick Plate product not mounted with SlickPlate mounting hardware will void all warranties

FAQ's

What colors are the Trailer Slick Plates available in? White Only
What is the warranty on the Trailer Slick Plate? 5 Year Warranty
What sizes of Trailer Slick Plates do you offer? Sizes vary; the plates are designed to fit a specific upper coupler plate. Please reference our Trailer Slick Plate flyer to find your part#.
What is the weight of your Trailer Slick Plate? Plate weights will vary depending on size, but none of them will weigh more than 14 lbs.
Does the Slick Plate require any install? Yes, you will have to drill approximately 13 to 19 holes (depending on plate size) into your trailer upper coupler plate. The Trailer Slick Plate itself comes with recessed mounting holes to be used as a guide. Installation instructions, including drill size and recommended tools will be noted.
What recommended tools will I need to install the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate? To install your Trailer Slick Plate, you will need the following: Marker, screwdriver, center punch or centering tool, drill with 1/8”, 17/64” and 9/32” (optional drill bits, Loctite, Impact driver.
Does the Trailer Slick Plate come with the hardware to install? Yes, all mounting hardware is included with your Trailer Slick Plate. **Note you will actually have extra mounting Torx bolts included with your hardware in the event a bolt break should occur. **
Do you have to tap your holes for the install? No the bolts are self-taping, we recommend starting with a smaller pilot hole, then moving to a larger drill bit. Once your larger hole has been drilled, using the provided Torx bolt, you will screw the fasteners in.
What happens if one of these Torx bolts breaks during install? This may occur especially on hardened upper coupler plates. In the event a Torx bolt should break. Drill a 5/16” hole in the Trailer Slick Plate next to the broken screw hole. Countersink the hole with a standard 82 degree countersink bit. Install Torx screw per instructions procedure and move on to the next hole. This is why we include extra hardware in the event this may occur.
Will drilling of holes into my upper coupler plate on my trailer void any warranty? Please contact your trailer warranty guide on this, most of the warranties we researched are not limited to such a case, best to check first however.
Will this cause any coupling issues when connecting my trailer to the hitch? None that we’ve found, typically kingpins are long enough anyways. According to the SAE J700 guidelines, even with installing our ¼” thick Trailer Slick Plate – your kingpin should still fall into the 3.2 to 3.4” guideline. We do recommend following the install instructions accordingly, and following proper attaching and detaching instructions when connecting your trailer. Always check to see your trailer is secure before leaving.
How long does it take to install? This may vary depending on how much cleaning is needed on your upper coupler plate. Install time would then be on average around 60 minutes.
Does the upper coupler plate on the trailer and the 5^th wheel plate on the truck need to be cleaned prior to install? Yes you will want to remove as much old grease as you possibly can. A good putty knife, solvent and if need be, a proper steam clean should get the job done. It is important to avoid getting water behind the upper coupler plate when using the steam cleaning method.
Will you need to continue to grease the 5^th wheel plate after installing the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate? No, the top plate itself you will not want to apply grease. We would recommend applying either a 85/140W gear lube or regular motor oil to the 5^th wheel during regular PM’s or every (2) months. This is only for preventive maintenance and will help keep corrosion from setting in on your 5^th wheel top plate.
Will I have to do the same with the Trailer Slick Plate? As far as applying a anti-corrosion oil to the plate itself no. We do recommend applying a glaze or anti-rust paint, or gear lube or motor oil to the bottom side of the upper coupler trailer plate. This again is to prevent corrosion.
Will grease hurt the Trailer Slick Plate? No grease itself will not, however old grease does contain your abrasive materials where the wearing of the plate can occur, always try to keep as much grease off the plate as possible.
What if you hook to multiple tractors? If possible, clean as much grease off prior to hooking, what is also handy is to keep a bottle of dawn dish soap readily available and prior to hooking, apply to the Trailer Slick Plate to act as a de-greaser.
What is the load capacity of your Slick Plate? >100,000 lbs.
How can I determine what Trailer Slick Plate I need? You will want to take a measurement from the front of your trailer to the center of your king pin. Then using our Trailer Slick Plate guide, you can determine what Trailer Slick Plate will fit to your trailer dimensions. Or visit our website at www.minimizer.com and reference our On the Truck Series product lineup and find the Trailer Slick Plate brochure.
Can I buy replacement Torx bolts? Yes, the bolts will have a bolt pack# assigned to them. Reference your Trailer Slick Plate part# to find your correct bolt kit pack. Then contact any of our Minimizer distributors to order.
What is the Trailer Slick Plate made out of? It is made from Ultra High-density Molecular Weight Polyethylene. (UHMWPE) is odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic. It is highly resistant to corrosive chemicals except oxidizing acids; has extremely low moisture absorption and a very low coefficient of friction; is self-lubricating; and is highly resistant to abrasion, in some forms being 15 times more resistant to abrasion than carbon steel.
Will I need to still grease my 5^th wheel plates locking jaws? Yes, you will still want to maintain proper lubrication on the locking jaws and mechanism. This can be done while the trailer is pinned also.
Is there anything else I should have to do, to my 5^th wheel plate? Always be sure the 5^th wheel is deburred before pinning up to the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate.
I have a low lube Teflon 5^th wheel top plate; will the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate still work in conjunction with this? No, we do not recommend running a 5^th wheel low lube Teflon top plate with the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate, or any other plate for that matter. One or the other is only recommended.
What side of the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate goes towards the front? The plate has a front and a rear to each of them. The front side, will be the side with the beveled edge.
With all these holes, is there a certain pattern that needs to be followed when attaching the Trailer Slick Plate down? Yes, you will find a recommended bolting pattern in our supplied install instruction. We recommend following the proper bolting pattern.
Is there any maintenance I will need to do to the Trailer Slick Plate overtime? We suggest you continue to follow your 5^th wheel manufacture’s lubrication and maintenance recommendations for the locking mechanism and king pin. Other than that, be sure to keep grease off, and periodically check bolts/nuts and retighten if necessary.
How far do you drill your holes into the upper coupler plate? Drill the holes all the way through.
I’ve encountered a beam when drilling into my upper coupler plate, what should I do? If you encounter a beam, you only need to drill as deep as the screw itself.
My plate sticks past my trailer front edge, what now, can I cut it? No, if your Trailer Slick Plate exceeds the front of your trailer, you have the incorrect Trailer Slick Plate. Do not install. You will need to consult our Trailer Slick Plate diagrams that can be found at www.minimizer.com and confirm your size. You will have to get a new Trailer Slick Plate in the event it sticks past the front of your trailer.
Where can I purchase the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate? At any of our Minimizer distributors, contact us at 800-248-3855 to find your nearest Minimizer distributor or visit us online at www.minimizer.com and request additional info on the Minimizer Trailer Slick Plate.