To lube or not to lube...that is the question.

[Subzilla]

I've always slapped on grease on my trailer hitch ball before using and have always wondered if that was necessary. For me, it's metal on metal and that deserves some lubricating to not wear out the ball(??). BUT, I've had others tell me they don't do it and will even make fun of me for doing this. I've seen plenty of rusty, DRY hitch balls on other trucks.

I know it's not an earth shaking question but I'm just wondering what the general consensus is here....

[trbankii]

I've always greased my balls...

Ummm... Maybe that didn't come out right... :eek:

But I agree with you. Metal on metal is bad enough but add to it the rusty grit and that cannot be good. For the average person, I doubt they're going to tow enough to wear through the coupler from the abrasive action. But that doesn't make it right.

[Subzilla]

Now, I tried really hard to be carefull with wording of this subject...

I know the average ball is not very expensive and even if not lubed, wear out time has to be quite a while (as you were saying). BUT, is there any advantage, mechanicalwise or safetywise, to adding grease?

I'll still probably always do it just because it seems right.

[DmaxMaverick]

There's 2 sides to this. You are correct. Metal to metal does deserve some grease. However, a greasy hitch ball can be just as bad. Unless you keep it covered when not towing, or clean/grease every time you use it, it can actually be worse. Metal to metal will wear. Metal to silica to metal will wear more, and the grease can hide the scores. Grease is good, if you keep it clean.

[trbankii]

DMax has a couple good points. I do keep the ball covered and typically take the hitch out of the receiver and store it in the shop on a shelf unless I'm going to be towing.

Before putting the cover on, I wipe off the ball so that I don't transfer any grit into the cover and then apply a fresh dab of grease when I take the cover off. I probably should make more of a point to wipe the grease out of the coupler every now and then so that it does not accumulate grit either.

And I'd be less concerned about the ball wearing out than it wearing through the stamped metal coupler - which is much thinner and likely not as hard.

[DmaxMaverick]

That's a good practice, trbankii. Unfortunately, most folks just leave their hitch ball hanging on the back of their truck. Same with many 5th wheels. I don't use grease on mine (Teflon "lube disc"), but know many who do. I don't know anyone who cleans or covers their hitch, and most of them still have the original application still there years later. The 5th is a much larger load-bearing surface, so it isn't as dramatic, but will be the same over time. I do keep a clean, light coat of motorcycle chain lube on the kingpin, though. On that note, the chain lube is a good idea for hitch balls, too. It's a little lighter than grease, and has a higher surface adhesive quality, and tends to attract less dirt.

[DennisG01]

From experience (I work at a Sea Ray dealership), I don't see the need for the ball to be greased. We tow around A LOT of boats and I have never noticed any wear on the balls (I have actually wondered this exact thing, myself!). However, I would also guess that there might be more wear happening on the inside of the coupler than the ball. That being said, I have always greased my hitch ball ("hitch ball" sounds a little better than just plain "ball":p), until recently. I've gotten tired of brushing against the greased ball with my pants leg!!!!

On edit: Just to clarify - We've never greased the hitch balls at the marina --- I've only ever greased my own, personal hitch balls until recently.

[76m880]

this is what i use on the kenworth http://www.autobarn.net/luc10030.html

[Mark Rinker]

We don't lube any of the hitches on our rigs. They are all nice and shiny as a result, but never wore out any balls yet. (She said...)

However, we actually wore through the top of a 2 5/16" hitch on a 25' 14K# bumper pull trailer and had to bolt on a new one to pass inspection! Not sure if grease would have made a lick of difference - it had about 150K hard towing miles on it! The first sign of the wear-through was a tiny hairline crack that started to become visible due to the rust. By the time it came off, you could see light through it...

[Gapper_ca]

used to grease mine all the time, then was told that vasilne will work as well and you can was it off of your pant legs. makes the wife a little happier ....

[Stlheadake]

I don't put any lube on any of my balls (man this is sooooo juvenile.. I can't stop giggling!) and have never had a problem. I have a friend who used a lot of grease and actually had a grounding problem as a result.

If you are an everyday tower, I think you MIGHT see a slight difference in the life of a greased and greased ball. I personally don't like them being so dirty and like mentioned above, don't want to brush my pants on it.

As for the fifth wheel king pin, I was told YOU SHOULD ALWAYS grease the pin. I too use a nylon plate on the hitch, but you should grease the king pin. I was told that they are coated with a hardened plating, and failure to grease could cause failure of the plating. So I use wheel bearing grease about every other trip out. I just dab enough to coat the pin and not be too messy.

That's my .02

[arveetek]

I have a friend who used a lot of grease and actually had a grounding problem as a result.


If the trailer wiring is in good shape, this should not be an issue. Proper trailer wiring should include a good ground wire that connects the ground from the tow vehicle to the trailer through the trailer connector. If the wiring is in proper condition, you should have good lights and good grounds with the trailer not hooked up to the truck, but the trailer light cord plugged in.

I've followed trailers that you could tell had the grounding occurring through the ball, since the lights continually flickered.

Personally, I agree with the above poster....no grease necessary unless you tow professionally for a living. Grease only on the kingpin for 5th wheels when using a lube plate.

Casey

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

However, we actually wore through the top of a 2 5/16" hitch on a 25' 14K# bumper pull trailer and had to bolt on a new one to pass inspection! Not sure if grease would have made a lick of difference - it had about 150K hard towing miles on it! The first sign of the wear-through was a tiny hairline crack that started to become visible due to the rust. By the time it came off, you could see light through it... Mark - might be worth an experiment, eh? I'd try moly grease. As someone else said, probably the only person to profit from greasing hitch balls might be professional towers like Mark. I'd guess Mark's hitches are mostly in use, unlike mine, riding around on the floor of the truck.

Happy towing Mark &...

Blessings!

[JohnC]

OK, for me it would be a sacrilege to put that much stress on a dry metal-to-metal joint. Keep it clean and greased. It can't hurt, and nothing else makes sense...

[gillguy]

I grease mine too, but I always manage to bump into it, or get grease on me while unhitching. I've thought about just spraying it with a dry film lube to see how that will work.