To grease the ball or not?

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.

grandpaswagon wrote:
The torque on my ball is spec'd at 175. If you guys have balls loosening, maybe you better check the tightness.

How much torque would you think is generated by a 25 foot, 8000 pound, lever on the ball when it turns? ( The length of the trailer frame)

Just sayin.

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?

One thing we found with making long trips with the rig hooked. We did not always have to unhook our Airstream when just spending a night. So found I had to unhook the rig from the ball and regrease it every couple days. Also had to drop the bars and regrease them.. Its always easy to pick out the ones that do not use grease when they come in a camp ground. You can hear them from 200 feet.

The biggest reason to not grease a hitch ball is because when dirt/sand gets into the grease, it greatly increases the grinding effect that can ruin a hitch. You need to carefully wipe out the hitch and wipe off the ball and then regrease them regularly.

If you don't tow a lot, maybe only a couple times a year, it may actually be better for the hitch to not grease the ball if you don't clean it carefully.

I didn't grease my TT's hitch for a few years when we first got it, until I started seeing some wear. Now I grease (and clean) the hitch regularly.

snowdance wrote:
If you do not grease it you will have to replace it often. Left dry it will grind it down and also the inside of the hitch. You will also have to replace it. Cutting it off and welding a new one on. Easier to just put some grease on the ball. Carry paper towels to wipe it off when you unhook.

X2. Initially I did not lube the ball and it got some pretty good gouges in it from the high pressure applied. Now I do it every time I hitch using the white ball grease. Soon as I unhitch I wipe the ball with a paper towel and the mess is gone.

Dick

In my experience I believe the answer is it depends.
I started with a light 2000Lb PUP. Towed it for three years without a WDH and never saw wear.
We stepped up to a 5500Lb TT. Towed it for eight years and never saw wear nor did I ever grease.
Then we stepped up to a 9000Lb TT with 1000Lb tongue weight. I almost immediately detected wear on the WDH bars where they interfaced with the hitch. I started greasing all contact points, including the ball with cheap wheel bearing grease at that time.

You have the potential loaded weight of 8000Lb so I would say greasing by means of your choice are in order.

To stay clean I placed a 1 gal ziplock freezer bag over the hitch and greasy bar ends when not in use. I stowed them in the pass-through.

Hope this helps.

White spray on lithium grease. One can last years.

Wipe it off with paper towel each time you disconnect. Save the grease covered paper towel as it makes a great campfire starter.

i ALWAYS keep the hitch ball greased with a high pressure synthetic grease, and when i un-hook the trailer i put a small paper coffee cup over the ball and guess what??? NO MESS :S :S

The torque on my ball is spec'd at 175. If you guys have balls loosening, maybe you better check the tightness.