Grease on the ball?

[Steelhawk]

A friend we camp with always puts grease on his trailer ball. He says I should do it as well. Is this a good idea?

[Steelhawk]

Vvvv1010 wrote:

Steelhawk wrote:

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Not only old enough to remember, I still use the stuff.

Grease it is, then.

Where do you find Brylcreem? I never saw it again. My uncles used it in the late 70s.

I can never remember to grease the ball.

I got it at WalMart. Have for the last several years. It is tucked away next to the Groom n clean.


I just did a good grease job on the ball and hitch. It should cut down on the noise and the wear.

[Vvvv1010]

Steelhawk wrote:

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Not only old enough to remember, I still use the stuff.

Grease it is, then.

Where do you find Brylcreem? I never saw it again. My uncles used it in the late 70s.

I can never remember to grease the ball.

[poppin_fresh]

The Andersen system's ball rotates inside a friction sleeve as part of its anti-sway mechanics. The coupler and ball must be tight together.

The manual specifically states that the ball must not be greased or it will reduce the anti-sway capability.

[Steelhawk]

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Not only old enough to remember, I still use the stuff.

Grease it is, then.

[hvac]

O no. Not with the Andersen WD hitch!

[bpounds]

I'm sure any lube is better than none, but in my humble opinion, those light bodies lubes like silicone or graphite sprays are not a good choice. The ball and springs are very high pressure, low velocity joints, and a heavy bodied grease is correct. Pick up a container of ball lube like they sell at CW, and you'll get an idea of what is needed. It costs way too much for the convenience of a little container, but check it out at least for reference. Then any wheel bearing grease you have laying around will work fine. I'm sure we all have that on the shelf.

[BarneyS]

rbpru wrote:
I do grease the ball but I did not see anything in the Blue Ox manual about using grease on the torsion bar sockets.

I think I will try some silicone dry lube on them.

Here is a quote from p.6 of the Blue Ox SwayPro owners manual.

"Maintenance
Grease both grease zerks on the front of the bar pivot before each use. We recommend molybdenum grease. Wipe away excess grease after
application.
Periodically grease the hitch ball with molybdenum grease.
Should the hitch head thumbscrew stick, apply silicone spray."

(italics mine)
Barney

[punomatic]

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

But watch out, the gals'll all pursue ya!

[tshirtman]

Helps the ball slide on the coupler if your a little off on the alignment.

[rbpru]

I do grease the ball but I did not see anything in the Blue Ox manual about using grease on the torsion bar sockets.

I think I will try some silicone dry lube on them.

[BarneyS]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Never have. Grease on the ball is an as you wish. Come on now think about it, that. ball and hitch does not move more than you turn. Wheres the wear?

The wear is on the ball where it can get galled and scratched badly. In fact there have been many cases of whole chunks of the ball being torn out by the coupler. There is also considerable wear on the coupler itself.
In addition, the friction between the coupler and ball has frequently been known to turn the ball and loosen it up.

Grease it if you want, do not be concerned with wear.

Very bad advice!

Does the owners manual of your hiitch recommend grease? I bet not.

You lose that bet! A quote or two from the Reese Round Bar Installation instructions.
"Apply a heavy fibrous grease on the round end of each spring bar and push end up into head socket until you hear a click."
Also,
"MAINTENANCE
Keep the round ends of the spring bars and the sockets in the head assembly free from dirt and well lubricated. Excessive wear in this
area may indicate an overload or inadequate lubrication."
Also,
"AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY TOWING DAY
Coat the round ends of the spring bars with a fibrous grease. Clean ball and coupler socket and coat ball lightly with grease."

Equalizer bars get more movement and wear than the ball, but still no reason to grease them. They will never wear out, and might also through friction give a bit more sway control.

Evidently you have never looked closly at a spring bar that has been used for some time without grease. Same goes for the sockets that they insert into. Both the bars and sockets will wear out into an oval shape and after a while will recuce the amount of WD that the bar can provide using the same chain links. If enough time has passed, the whole hitch head will probably have to be replaced.

Red comments are mine.
Barney

[OldRacer]

i run with grease on mine if for no other reason, if i dont, it squeaks, creaks and groans when making slow turns without it. With it, its quiet as a mouse.

[dave54]

I use bicycle grease. I carry it with me for my bikes anyway.

Automotive grease works well also but loses some of its effectiveness if contaminated with grit and water. Bicycle grease does not. OTOH automotive grease handles heat better.

[Camper_G]

Yes, i grease and always have. The PO of my TT clearly was in the no grease club and the wear on the ball and trunion ends of the weight bars i have are the result of his poor maintenance.

[bpounds]

On the other hand, if you just drive straight all the time, skip the grease 🙂