Bad coupler?

[dpowli]

Hi. I need some travel trailer hitch coupler expertise.I just replaced the 2 5/16 ball on my hitch because the old one was showing wear around the top of the ball. It had been used for two years on my old trailer and since April of this year.
The new Reese ball shows galling around the top edge of the ball. The coupler is labeled 2 5/16 and also shows wear only around the top circumference with zero contact at the top of the coupler. The ball also has no wear on the top.
I did check and the trailer has a good ground through the plug so the galling is not from arcing to ground through the ball.

I will try to post pictures.

Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks

[5picker]

What's the inside of the trailer coupler socket look like?
Have you ever used grease or dry lube?

[dpowli]

The top picture is the inside of the coupler. Grease was used. The ball only has 450 miles of towing on it.

[B and B]

I believe some grease is needed. Lots of it.

[rocketman1083]

My new trailer has almost the same mileage with a new 14k rated 2 5/16 hitch ball. I haven't looked at the socket yet but my ball looks exactly like yours on the crown. I've always used synthetic grease since we bought the trailer. I always just assumed it was normal due to the weight of almost 1k on the tongue.

[Retired JSO]

That's the same way my ball looks on my Blue Ox hitch. New trailer in March 2016. Grease doesn't seem to help. I plan on changing mine next spring.

[Crusadernoob]

Our ball came on the truck so not sure how many miles or how heavy it towed. I grease it every now and then when it gets dry, no wear yet.

[dpowli]

Thanks for the replies. Guess I will just continue to monitor it for wearing in the coupler. Safe travels to everyone.

[OldCoot]

Where you see the galling is where you need to put the grease. Looks like normal wear without being lubricated.

[dpowli]

Thanks Old Coot , changing to white lithium to see if it helps. I was using a generic axle grease.

[18CrewDually]

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...ese/58117.html

[FrankG]

A couple of things. The ball and coupler were designed to carry the load around the outer portion of the top of the ball, (as your photo's indicate) not the flat top of the ball. The materials used in the Ball and Coupler are high strength steel, as opposed to hardened steels which would be suspect-able to cracking and sudden, unpredictable failure. With that said, the materials used are prone to galling. The only way to stop this is to start with relatively smooth mating surfaces and use a good quality grease. It looks like you have a Blue Ox hitch, use the same grease you are using to grease the hitch pivots with. Wipe the ball off after every use and apply fresh. KEEP THE SAND OUT. You may want to clean up the inside of the coupler to remove any burrs.

Good Luck and Happy Camping

[Oaklevel]

Balls are weight rated as well I would also try a different ball in addition to the grease. I do see that yours is rated at 20,000.

https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=...furl=-pg-Balls

[dpowli]

Thanks everyone for the tips.