Anybody Grease Their Hitch Ball?

[jerrybob]

Truckers use moly grease on their fifth wheels.....seems to work very well and debris is not an issue. Lots of good suggestions out there......whatever works is a good solution.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Barb Hunt

I was told that sand and debris can collect in grease and cause problems with constant friction, so I use powdered graphite, works great.

Well the main way that would happen is if you drive with the stinger on the TV a lot. Another reason to remove it.

[Butsky]

Always use grease and cover with rubber/plastic ball cover. protects from grit and grease transfer on ones legs!

[Defenestrator]

Initially I didn't use grease and I ended up having some issues with galling. The ball looked really rough, and it was making terrible groans and even clunks when I turned. I started using white lithium grease, but it didn't help much. Cleaning up the ball and hitch a bit with a dremel got rid of the clunks, but not the groaning. Switching to a thicker molybdenum grease helped a bit more. Finally just replaced the ball and that plus the grease has eliminated the problem. I do wipe it off and replace with fresh grease basically every time I unhook, which avoids the contamination issue. At some point I'll probably get one of those Andersen balls, though the hitch will probably need some better cleanup first.

[redbarron55]

While I just greased the ball and the WDH pivots on my rig I was just thinking that grinding compound is grit (sand and dirt) in a grease carrier.
Just saying.

[charlsara]

We just returned from a 7300 mile nationwide trip. The Anderson ball worked great and shows very little wear.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by charlsara

We just returned from a 7300 mile nationwide trip. The Anderson ball worked great and shows very little wear.

But what happened in the hitch. The reason I started greasing was that a friend actually had the front of his hitch wear through, and came loose on the road. Thank god for safety chains. But that was a very expensive repair.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by computerspook

But what happened in the hitch. The reason I started greasing was that a friend actually had the front of his hitch wear through, and came loose on the road. Thank god for safety chains. But that was a very expensive repair.

Do you mean the coupler wore so thin that it broke? That is what grease- or the Anderson ball- prevents. Or perhaps a better word is “forestall,” since given enough time and use, everything will wear out eventually.

Grease and the Anderson work on different principles. Grease reduces the friction that causes wear. The Anderson has a softer material on top designed to wear out and be replaced periodically.

However one chooses to address the problem (or not), there’s no substitute for regular inspections of your hitch and every part thereof.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Do you mean the coupler wore so thin that it broke? That is what grease- or the Anderson ball- prevents. Or perhaps a better word is “forestall,” since given enough time and use, everything will wear out eventually.

Grease and the Anderson work on different principles. Grease reduces the friction that causes wear. The Anderson has a softer material that is designed to wear out and be replaced periodically.

However one chooses to address the problem (or not), there’s no substitute for regular inspections of your hitch and every part thereof.

Yeah that's pretty much exactly what I'm saying is that the front of the coupler got thin enough that under a heavy load it split enough to allow the ball to come out of the coupler.

Interesting on the Anderson that could be a unique solution. I'll have to research it more and maybe a good link here would be helpful because the link I found talked about how hard a material their balls were made out of and how impossible it was for them to wear out. Might have found the wrong site. ;-).

Oh yeah I'm a firm believer and inspections. I had a boss what I first started being a full-time worker who was a firm believer in inspections. That was one of his things he checked with you regularly was what you knew about the item you were using and had you inspected it and knew what to expect from it. Started well and have stuck with that.

Kind of freak out a lot of people when I stopped with my camper because before I go do anything else I'll walk around the vehicle in the camper and look. And then I'll walk around the camper and the vehicle before I get back in and leave. Also will pull out of my driveway go about a thousand foot to a nice pull out that happens to be available. And I'll stop and inspect my trailer hook up in the trailer whether it is my camper one of my other trailers after I get that far.

Of course I also do inspections before I hook up and as I hook up. but I'd really not thought before about the front of the Doppler I've looked at you all the coupling mechanism every time but up till then I hadn't thought about the front and the actual internal surface. And what I went out to help my friend with the problem, when I got back I looked at one of my trailers and I did notice that there was somewhere that was visible on the front of the coupler. that's what I went and got that grease and started doing the grease thing and I've clean my coupler out regularly and what I do I inspect the whole inside. And I had some noticeable wear on my couplers. It hasn't increased any. :-).

But yeah I do a lot of cleaning out the Grease too. And mostly what I do doesn't generate a lot of grit inside.

[Wayne Collins]

An interesting fact we learned in my job, mechanical engineering, was that when you have two metals rubbing or sliding against each other, if there is no lubricant, and if one metal is softer then the other, the softer one will gall.
But, if they are of the same hardness, they will polish each other.
In case of the hitch balls and sockets, it seems, the ball is much harder than the socket. So, the part on the trailer could wear through, if not greased.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

An interesting fact we learned in my job, mechanical engineering, was that when you have two metals rubbing or sliding against each other, if there is no lubricant, and if one metal is softer then the other, the softer one will gall.
But, if they are of the same hardness, they will polish each other.
In case of the hitch balls and sockets, it seems, the ball is much harder than the socket. So, the part on the trailer could wear through, if not greased.

Could be. I'd like to see some real testing regarding hitches before I want to fully apply this. I'm sure as you know for mechanical engineering oh, just cuz you think it works it doesn't always work. And the one thing about lubing that I have found is it works.

[Rzrbrn]

Thx Wayne. I lube w grease, no prob w grit. I spend 30% of my miles on dirt roads. I do wipe off and reapply now and again.

[charlsara]

Originally Posted by computerspook

But what happened in the hitch. The reason I started greasing was that a friend actually had the front of his hitch wear through, and came loose on the road. Thank god for safety chains. But that was a very expensive repair.

I use a heavy duty Quick bite hitch.It has stainless steel jaws that are much thicker than the standard stamped steel hitch. I can’t see any wear since I started to use the Anderson ball. I used grease before that.

[Mike_L]

I keep the ball greased all the time. The grease does attract dust and debris but I just wipe it with a paper towel and apply more.
I also grease the torsion bars where they fit into the WD hitch as this is a swivel point too.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Alli

We use a fresh piece of wax paper each time we hitch. It works well and is completely clean. We use it on the sway control connections too. Happy trails!

This sounded interesting to me. I tried 4 layers of waxed paper for the ride to Florida and all I got out of it was chipped and flaking chrome on my hitch ball.

I would not suggest this for anyone......Tom

[Iowa Dave]

A nice light coat of lithium grease is all I ever used for the past 55 years. When it gets black I wipe it all off including up inside of the coupler and apply fresh grease. On adjustable yokes, I make they are adjusted up for no flop. It works for me. Have not tried greaseless balls, nylon, whatever. Not saying they are not good just that I do not use them.
YMMV

[WizWid]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

A nice light coat of lithium grease is all I ever used for the past 55 years. When it gets black I wipe it all off including up inside of the coupler and apply fresh grease. On adjustable yokes, I make they are adjusted up for no flop. It works for me. Have not tried greaseless balls, nylon, whatever. Not saying they are not good just that I do not use them.
YMMV

Ditto.

[Yellowjacket]

I grease mine with a light coat of lithium grease. And when not in use I cover it with a short piece of 2 inch ABS and a PVC pipe cap with a magnet inside. Keeps dust and road grime out of things.