To grease the ball or not?
Should you grease the ball? I have been but was just recently told I shouldn't.
Forum Discussion
mrnoyb wrote:
You don't lubricate the friction bars on a WDH. Why would you lubricate a hitch ball? If it were necessary to grease the ball, wouldn't the manufacturers say so?
From the Equalizer site:
Should I lubricate my Equal-i-zer hitch? Where should I lubricate my Equal-i-zer hitch?
Yes, as part of regular maintenance we recommend that you clean and lubricate the top and bottom of the spring arm sockets in the hitch head. How to do this can be viewed in our Installation product video.
The steel-on-steel friction of the Equal-i-zer hitch will always generate some noise. This is not bad, or a sign that there is something wrong with the hitch or setup. In fact, it usually tells you that your hitch is working just like it's supposed to.
You can do several things that usually reduce most of the hitch noise:
1. Try using a set of Equal-i-zer Sway Bracket Jackets on your L-brackets. These were specially designed to help reduce the noise at this joint, without the mess of using grease.
2. Keep your hitch head clean and the sockets lubricated.
3. Re-adjust the angle of your hitch so that the arms sit more parallel with the trailer frame. For example - when your hitch is hooked up, if your spring arms angle up slightly from the hitch head back along the trailer frame, try adding a spacer washer to the hitch head, and lowering the L-brackets 1 hole. This will give you the same weight distribution, but make the arms more parallel to the frame of the trailer.
What should I do to maintain my Equal-i-zer?
We've detailed the steps of regular maintenance in the Owner's Manual. A good rule of thumb is to check the torques on the bolts that need it, grease the sockets in the hitch head where they rub against the forged head, and paint any exposed metal with a high-grade enamel rust-resistant spray paint.
