Two questions: Hub temp and hitch lube

[esox07]

OK, two days until I leave for my trip from Wisconsin to S. Texas and back towing my 19' KZ Sportsman. It is a single axle trailer and since this will be my longest trip with the trailer by far, I am planning on stopping to check a few things every so often along the way. Tires, pressure, hitch, oil, tranny temps, etc.... I also plan to check the hub temps every few hundred miles. I have an infrared temp gauge but I have no idea what temps I should be concerned about. I pulled the bearings, inspected them and lubed them back up this spring. I don't expect any problems, but I want to be cautious.
The other question I have is this: Is it a good idea to put some lube on the hitch ball and coupeler or will that just attract more debris and make it worse?
So, lube the hitch or not and max temp for trailer wheel hubs???
Thanks.

[RoadrunnerII]

I check the hubs by hand temp most times
Now for the ball to coupler I found something that seems to work and is not messy
Take some of the better halfs waxed paper Fold it up so you have 4 layers and wrap the ball with it. Us a large elastic to hold in place
When you get to your destination pitch the waxed paper remains
Ball is smooth and shiny and no grease to worry about.

YMMV

RRII

[Community Alumni]

Buy some DuPont Chain Saver. It's a chain wax meant for motorcycles, but works well on the ball. You can find it in the motorcycle section of Walmart. Just spray it on and it dries clear in a few minutes. I spray it on the ball and inside the coupler. Helps repel dirt and other muck. The nice part is that when you accidentally walk into your hitch, you don't end up with a gooey mess on your shin lol.

Hubs should be around 100 or so. Keep a close eye on the temperature difference between each one as it may be a sign of trouble.

[stufarmer]

I can't imagine in my 40+yrs of towing that not lubing a metal to metal contact combined with friction isn't a wise idea. A Hitch Ball Cover will decrease your need of making a greasy mess of things. As far as the axle hub heat, a 100* temp seems to be a fair average temp. That temp is only based on you not using your brakes. Other than flat towing will your hubs feel only warm to the touch. As your driving habits began change, such as using your brakes more often will that temp begin to increase in temp. Myself I use a synthetic rear differential oil and a synthetic wheel bearing products to help in maintain lower operating temps. Synthetic oil is used in most HD trucks in the rear diffs from the factory.

[Golden_HVAC]

I think that you are overthinking all of this.

I probably would not check the hub temps at each rest area, but if you want to, go ahead. Just don't go back to check them. Maybe every other stop for gas? Until you figure out that it is not changing.

My brother in law used to unplug everything in the kitchen - drove my sister nuts when they where first married, the VCR got unplugged too - so the clock was always flashing too. He was "Worried" about something he had no need to worry about!

Just enjoy the trip. With new lube on the bearings (that probably only need to be lubed every 25,000 miles) you will be fine. . .

Boat trailers require much more frequent lubrication (and even have a place to grease them through the hubs) because the boat trailers get submerged in water each time you launch or retrieve the boat.

Have fun on your trip!

Fred.

[rbpru]

I use Vaseline on the ball, it washes out of clothes easier.

I must admit I did lose a bearing on my 20 year old PUP but I never considered TT bearing failure any more of an issue, than the bearings on the front of my TV. At least the TT bearing get serviced every year.

Certainly checking the key items is a good idea.

[mosseater]

I lube mine with a a little decent bearing grease I keep on board in case I have to change a bearing along the road. Little dab will do ya. The ball is a high load, metal to metal sliding contact point. If you like screeching, chattering, rusting hitch balls that can seize and come lose, then don't lube it. Mine is polished smooth and quiet as a sleeping baby. Each to his own.

I checked my hub temps frequently for a while, then after I got used to how they felt at normal temps, I just used my hand from then on. Mine ran around 100-120 in summer towing (90's here in PA). Don't forget every IR thermometer has its own spot to distance ratio. The reading field is a cone shape and gets larger the farther away from the object. The typical ratio is about 8:1, meaning 8" away the spot is 1" diam., 16" away the spot is 2" diam, and so on. The laser is merely an aiming aid, so if you want an acccurate temp of a specific spot, closer is better.

[69_Avion]

If you have a heavy tongue weight, you really need hitch grease. I just use a rubber ball cover when I disconnect the trailer.

[TNRIVERSIDE]

We just got back from a 7,700 mile trip. I started using my infrared temp gun. It was always giving me different readings because I could not "see" the same area of the brake brum due to the wheel. I soon went back placing a hand on the tire and a finger tip on the drum. The hand worked much better.
Grease is needed on the hitch ball. I too started using white grease only to find that red bearing grease is superior. IMHO..

[Lynnmor]

dodge guy wrote:
The hub temps will probably be around 100 degrees or so. Compare them side-side, if one is significantly hotter than the other then something needs to be checked.

Yes you want to lube the hitch ball. Metal on metal is not good and will prematurely wear out both the ball and coupler. It's basically a ball joint, and those also have grease in them. I wipe it off about every other trip and reapply a new dab of grease. Same should be done to the points where the WD bars slip into the WD hitch head.

Here Dodge Guy gives good advice. I completed a 9000+ mile trip and learned a bit about ball grease. I was using Lubrimatic white lithium grease at the start. I cleaned and re-applied each uncoupling. The white grease turned into a thick, black, nearly dry cake and allowed the ball to squeak. Worthless, so I cleaned and used my red wheel bearing grease. That worked as it should. I was once in the any grease will do camp, now I know better.

[esox07]

A lot of you have been saying hub temps around 100 degrees. In Texas, it is 100 degrees every day. I would expect them to be a little warmer than that even if working properly.
I suppose I will put some lube on the hitch/ball. Can I just use some General purpose lube. I don't want have to drive around looking for the white teflon stuff?

[dodge_guy]

The hub temps will probably be around 100 degrees or so. Compare them side-side, if one is significantly hotter than the other then something needs to be checked.

Yes you want to lube the hitch ball. Metal on metal is not good and will prematurely wear out both the ball and coupler. It's basically a ball joint, and those also have grease in them. I wipe it off about every other trip and reapply a new dab of grease. Same should be done to the points where the WD bars slip into the WD hitch head.

[Sandia_Man]

Hard to say what hub temps will be as it varies under different circumstances. I look more at the hub temps being uniform across the board and would suspect something amiss if one reading was substantially higher than the others. Enjoy your cross country trip!!!

[Kennedycamper]

When I had a TT I put a cover over the ball when not in use. Keeps you from wiping the grease of on yourself.

[downtheroad]

There's no need or value in putting lub on the hitch. It'll just get on your pants the first time you forget it's there.

Probably lots of us would disagree with this advice...but, I realize that yours and mine are nothing more than opinions..

I lube mine...and the hitch ends of the trunion bars.