The Working Person’s Guide to the Holland Fifth Wheel Rebuild Kit

Fleet managers don’t rebuild fifth wheels for fun. They do it to keep revenue miles rolling and prevent those maddening dock delays. In the last year, I’ve noticed more operators choosing complete kits—especially those compatible with the Holland H-3510 pattern—because parts arrive matched, hardened, and ready to drop in. To be honest, it’s a small decision with outsized impact on uptime.

What’s in the box (typically)

A Holland Fifth Wheel Rebuild Kit usually bundles locking jaws, wedge/block, springs, pins, bushings, adjuster, and fasteners—matched for the H-3510 geometry. The set highlighted here is produced in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, China by LAND D, and ships standard in black finish.

Process and testing (how it’s built)

• Materials: forged or precision-machined alloy steels for load parts; tight-grain stock for pins.
• Methods: CNC milling/turning, controlled heat treat, shot peen on contact radii, final grind on jaw faces.
• QC and standards: hardness maps, dimensional checks (critical features ±0.10 mm), coating tests to ASTM B117; designed with reference to ECE R55 coupling principles and ISO 337 kingpin interface.
• Functional tests: lock/unlock cycling ≈ 30,000–100,000 cycles; jaw wear land inspection at intervals.

Where it’s used

Line-haul tractors, tankers, reefers, intermodal chassis, and vocational dump fleets. If you’re coupling 50 mm (2") kingpins under ISO 337, a fresh Holland Fifth Wheel Rebuild Kit restores clamp force and reduces kingpin fretting. Many customers say steering shimmy under load mysteriously “goes away” after a rebuild—no mystery, just proper jaw geometry again.

Advantages I’ve seen in the field

• Predictable lock feel; less slam-coupling to “catch” worn jaws.
• Lower pin wear; smoother uncouple in winter grime (surprisingly big deal).
• Cost control: kit pricing beats piecemeal replacements.

Quick vendor snapshot (neutral view)

Trademarks belong to their owners; “H-3510” refers to a fit pattern. Always verify part numbers on your fifth wheel ID plate.

Customization and options

From LAND D, kits can be branded, packaged to fleet SKU, or supplied with upgraded bushings. Coatings can shift from black oxide to phosphate + oil for wetter climates. I guess that’s overkill for Arizona, but smart for coastal runs.

Mini case study

A Northern China tank fleet (53 tractors) scheduled fifth-wheel rebuilds every 180k–220k km. After switching to a Holland Fifth Wheel Rebuild Kit program, unplanned uncoupling faults dropped from 5 to 1 per quarter, and drivers reported “clean” locks even after freeze-thaw weeks. Not scientific, but it tracks with what maintenance managers tell me.

Install and upkeep (short version)

• Follow TMC maintenance practices; inspect plate flatness and tilt pins.
• Replace jaw/wedge as a matched set; torque hardware per spec.
• Grease per interval; verify lock test with a calibrated 50 mm kingpin.

Citations

1. UNECE Regulation No. 55 – Mechanical coupling components for vehicles.
2. ISO 337 – Dimensions/requirements for 50 mm fifth wheel kingpins.
3. ASTM B117 – Standard Practice for Operating Salt Spray (Fog) Apparatus.
4. ATA TMC Recommended Practices – Fifth Wheel Inspection and Maintenance (RP series).