Trailer Ball

bwalden · 09-24-2018, 12:29 PM

Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. I have pulled a 26 foot pull-behind for ten years having never once greased the hitch ball. Recented saw a tip on how to put grease on the hitch ball which got me thinking. Is it necessary or advisable to grease the hitch ball? Am I the only one who hasn't been doing this? I have had no problems related to it.

Marcm157 · 09-24-2018, 12:32 PM

I always apply grease to the ball / coupler prior to towing. That has been for every trailer I've ever towed.

NewBlackDak · 09-24-2018, 12:51 PM

I’ve never greased the ball. I grease the couple twice a year. Not trailers I do once a month during the months it gets used.

Jagiven · 09-24-2018, 01:08 PM

I had not greased the ball until about a year after buying our htt. I noticed a huge grove, being cut into the ball, and I had a lot of hitch noise.

Since starting to grease the ball, the grove has not grown, and I have no hitch noise. About every 1000 to 1500 mile I wipe the ball clean, and slather on new grease. when the ball is not in use I cover it with a solo cup, it fits perfectly.

ALJO · 09-24-2018, 01:41 PM

Steel on steel creates wear, it means the tolerance get wider. For prevention of wear we oil or grease things. When friction is high it creates heat. When friction is low it creates noise.

A good example of friction is the railroad. The wheels wear faster than the railroad track.

Mach1tosh · 09-25-2018, 10:26 AM

I've always greased the ball. We travel on a lot of dusty roads so I wipe the ball down after each trip, gets pretty black and apply new grease before hitching up the next time. I use a paint brush to slather on the grease. Easy peasy and well worth the effort.

kayakterp · 09-25-2018, 10:39 AM

I started using high temperature grease after I noticed a loud screeching noise while backing up (especially when turning while backing)
Definitely helped with the noise factor

RAurand · 09-25-2018, 12:39 PM

I ALWAYS grease my ball. Metal against metal will cause wear. Wear makes for a looser fit. I certainly don't want my coupler worn to the point it don't lock on the ball anymore.

wags999 · 09-25-2018, 01:46 PM

No reason NOT to grease the ball. Metal on metal dry is not good. I use a lithium spray grease, cleaning the ball and reapplying as needed. Ball still looks new and never have a "sticking" issue when unhooking. Also spray where the WD bars attach to the hitch..no noise no issues.

Good Luck..

SloPoke · 09-25-2018, 02:46 PM

I had not greased them for many years... until my most recent trailer with a lot of tongue weight. After the third trip, the ball was showing the galling in the finish - that was the end of the no-grease program.

Always grease now.

John from Central Florida · 09-25-2018, 03:11 PM

I grease as well.

**Midnightmoon** · 09-25-2018, 03:28 PM

Used to when I ran an old Reese hitch. No grease needed on the Anderson.

rkresge · 09-25-2018, 06:13 PM

Grease the ball, Luke!

Roger

us71na · 09-25-2018, 07:28 PM

I keep mine greased. I clean it off when it starts looking dirty and apply new grease.

travelingjw · 09-25-2018, 08:07 PM

I had the same question and read answers on the forum about a year ago, some think yes, some think no. Some have not greased for years. I asked because I saw significant "scarring" of the ball and wondered if I should be using grease. I now grease my ball. What I found was that the wear on the top of the ball virtually stopped when I started using grease.

Atlee · 09-26-2018, 10:41 AM

I've always greased the ball, except for the time I had a different trailer and was using an Anderson Hitch. Anderson hitches do not use grease on the ball.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwalden

Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. I have pulled a 26 foot pull-behind for ten years having never once greased the hitch ball. Recented saw a tip on how to put grease on the hitch ball which got me thinking. Is it necessary or advisable to grease the hitch ball? Am I the only one who hasn't been doing this? I have had no problems related to it.

Chet & Marie · 09-26-2018, 08:36 PM

I used to grease but got sick of the mess. Now I spray with WD40 each hook up. No noise and easy decoupling.

DOUBLETROUBLE · 09-27-2018, 04:43 AM

I grease, just a light coating on all friction points of the hitch/WD bars. I've seen the damage that concert occurs when none is used. Plus, typically a ball will develop a bit of rust when not lubed somehow, that rust will be a severe abrasive if left on and hooked up dry.

charlesfarm · 09-27-2018, 01:43 PM

Mystik Jt-6 #2, applied liberally to hitch ball by hand before hitching up to depart from home. Has seemed to help prevent galling. I now also spray PB blaster on the friction points for the spring bars where they engage the hitch - they were making terrible popping & squeaking noises before I started doing that - even with the Mystik application on those areas.

I don't mess with applying any grease/PB for the return trip from our destination - residual from the outbound drive seems to be enough

It does make a mess, I don't like it very much when I accidentally brush my pants on it walking behind the van before I get the draw bar out of the hitch.

Atlee · 09-28-2018, 05:36 AM

What WDH do you have?

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlesfarm

Mystik Jt-6 #2, applied liberally to hitch ball by hand before hitching up to depart from home. Has seemed to help prevent galling. I now also spray PB blaster on the friction points for the spring bars where they engage the hitch - they were making terrible popping & squeaking noises before I started doing that - even with the Mystik application on those areas.

I don't mess with applying any grease/PB for the return trip from our destination - residual from the outbound drive seems to be enough

It does make a mess, I don't like it very much when I accidentally brush my pants on it walking behind the van before I get the draw bar out of the hitch.

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