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?

[jamesbeam4ever]

Had a work truck and trailor hooked together most of the time for 10-12 years no grease it actualy wore thru the top of the trailor tounge. Id never run with out grease after that. Get some of those rubber palm work gloves and a bar of lava with pumice.

[SDcampowneroper]

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?
Grease it if you want, do not be concerned with wear.
Does the owners manual of your hiitch recommend grease? I bet not.
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.

[Ivylog]

Slow internet... double post.

[Ivylog]

No. Unless you clean it regularly it becomes grinding compound.

[HuckleberryHunt]

bdhoun wrote:
I always use lithium grease on mine

Same.

[mike-s]

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Grease, Brylcreem, whatever it takes.

Grease keeps things from rusting. Other than that, it might save wear on the coupler if you're planning on a few million miles of travel.

The best reason to use grease is as a training method to keep people from bumping into the hitch. Better to get a grease stained leg than a bloody shin.

[Terryallan]

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Just so you know, I'm with you, BrylCreem. Course I was just a young kid watchin on a Black, and White TV. Yes children, Once aponatime TV only had 2 colors, Black, and white.

As for grease on the ball. IF there is a reason to grease 5th wheels, and there is. There is a reason to grease coupler balls. Any time 2 pieces of metal rub together. Grease in needed.

[samsontdog]

bdhoun wrote:
I always use lithium grease on mine

Same here

[Muddydogs]

I started to after seeing ball wear on my Anderson hitch set up but I never did when towing trailers for my work. Until the Anderson hitch I had never seen ball wear and I have at least 100000 miles towing.

I keep a roll of paper towels in my front pass through, before I take the hitch off the truck I wipe off the ball and slide one of them rubber ball covers over the ball.

[allen8106]

Not needed and in my 35 years of towing never used any nor have I known anyone that has.

[jfkmk]

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Sadly, yes.

[ScottG]

I like to use petroleum jelly.
It washes out of my jeans easier.

[D_E_Bishop]

Houston Remodeler wrote:
A little dab'll do ya

(for those of us old enough to remember)

Watch who you're calling old.

[MitchF150]

I do for my travel trailer but I don't for my little utility trailer.. 14 years with the same TT hitch and ball.. 18 years with the same utility trailer.. 🙂 The EAZ-Lift WD setup gets grease on the ends too. Same age as the TT.

Good luck!

Mitch

[bgum]

Yes