Abstract: An improved universal greaseless fifth wheel plate cover and method of installation are disclosed. The fifth wheel plate cover can be retrofitted to almost every existing conventional (greased) fifth wheel, or it could optionally be manufactured into new fifth wheels. The disclosed device comprises a slip plate, which preferably is comprised of a pair of mirror-imaged slip plate members, a plurality of tie down plates, and at least two ramp plate members. The slip plate(s) contain recessed pockets with a plurality of slip plate holes for receiving the plurality of tie down plates. Each tie down plate contains a plurality of corresponding tie down plate holes with sloped edges for contacting a fifth wheel top surface at a distance removed from the bottom edge of the slip plate, thereby ensuring that a weld to fixedly attach the tie down plate to the fifth wheel top surface does not compromise the integrity of the slip plate upon installation.