SAF-Holland, as a specialist in commercial vehicle axle components, also includes various types of couplings and suspension components for tractors and buses in its portfolio. Complementing its core program, the corporate group from Bessenbach near Aschaffenburg has tailored the Recolube lubricant pump to its fifth wheel couplings. Installed under the fifth wheel plate, it automatically greases the connection between the tractor and semi-trailer with the exact amount needed.
The corresponding lubricant is also available from SAF-Holland with their high-performance grease Recolube Power SKX 372. However, there is an environmentally friendly alternative: the variant Recolube Biopower SKX 023, introduced in mid-2024 and according to the provider biologically degradable, possesses the EU Ecolabel for environmentally friendly substances, which complies with strict ecological standards. Additionally, according to the provider, the substance is also suitable for other lubrication purposes on vehicles.
The website states about the product:
“The biodegradable special long-term grease completes the system for automatic grease distribution on the fifth wheel plate. The autonomous lubrication process for fifth wheel couplings simplifies maintenance and operation, lowers operating costs, and is environmentally friendly, thanks to bio-quality lubricant.”
According to Claudio
Bertini, Engineering Director EMEA Couplings and Fifth Wheels at SAF-Holland, the Recolube lubricant system is doubly advantageous for fleet operators: the maintenance is efficiently managed by the lubricant pump automation, with material consumption being “precisely dosed” and thus very low, making it environmentally friendly. “Commercial vehicles are thus more economical on the road permanently.”
Yet the efficiency achieved by the provider with the system even when using the conventional lubricant—the grease supply is, for example, stated as sufficient for about one year of operation or 100,000 kilometers—was not enough for SAF-Holland. Now, it should also be an environmentally friendly substance that goes on the fifth wheel plate. Bertini:
“With the newly developed special lubricant, we are going one step further: the biodegradable grease consists of over 80 percent renewable raw materials and is harmless to health for humans and the environment.”
Several Advantages
With the Recolube lubricant pump, "securely installed under the fifth wheel plate" and controlled via the vehicle's central onboard computer, which monitors function and fill level in the lubricant container and displays it on the vehicle display, the substance is distributed via the
integrated lubricant distributor to specific relevant points of the fifth wheel coupling: at the closure and four other points. This eliminates manual lubrication.
The process, which runs regularly according to a precisely tuned lubrication plan, occurs through five independent pump elements that bring the grease with high delivery pressure to the fifth wheel plate, “where it distributes evenly in lubrication grooves,” according to the description. The transparent reservoir allows the fill level to be checked at a glance. “If the grease reservoir is exhausted, the Recolube system sends an electronic signal to the display in the cockpit.”
According to the instructions, refilling can be easily and quickly performed through the integrated standard grease nipple using a commercial cartridge press. The maximum fill level of the container, as mentioned, is sufficient for about one year. The system should not underperform even under difficult conditions and at low temperatures.
As the newer lubricant is a more environmentally friendly variant, the economical system ensures not only limited environmental impact with the grease, since “excess oils or greases no longer end up on the road,” but as a degradable product,
the lubricant is particularly environmentally friendly with the EU Ecolabel. The environmental label introduced by the European Commission in 1992 is recognized in all EU member states, as well as in Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. “The easy biological degradability allows it to be used even in sensitive environmental areas with loss lubrication,” states the press release.
Multifunctional
The product is versatile due to its special composition and viscosity, according to the description. The Recolube Biopower SKX 023 can also be used for general vehicle lubrication or industrial applications—with usability in the temperature range of -30° Celsius to 110° Celsius, meaning it can withstand both very low temperatures as in industrial applications and relatively high heat exposure while remaining functional. The provider specifies:
“The lubricant complies with DIN 51 502: KPFPE 2 K-30 and ISO 6743-9: L-X-CCEB 2.”
Other properties for use, for example, on the fifth wheel coupling mentioned by SAF-Holland include good adhesion on metal surfaces and outstanding water resistance, which should protect against corrosion even in heavy wet conditions. The lubricant is available in three different packaging sizes: 400 g cartridge, 25-kilogram bucket, or
