Quote:
Originally Posted by RubenZ
In all my years of working on a ranch, towing tractors, our RV, or trailers in general, we've never ever greased the hitches. And these are trailers that are already 20+yrs old.
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that is amazing Ruben
would think some wear by now would show
I put in many years working for the City
and towing large farm type sweepers, tractors ect
all were expected and taught to grease the hitches
if not they could expect to be written up
a few months back we bought our used 09 travel trailer
the man had used no grease on the balls
they look way worse than the ball in the below picture
both balls - 2" and smaller stabilizer ball
both showed considerble wear for only 2 years use
it would seem that if we use stabilizing bars
it adds much more pressure to the balls
this I believe to be the case with our unit
long pulls with stabilizing bars and no grease
Hitch balls: To grease, or not to grease?
Russ and Tina DeMaris
If your new RV is a travel trailer or pop-up, you're learning the ropes of hitching up the trailer to that hitch ball at the back of your tow rig. Hitching up is an adventure in itself, but it raises a new question: Should I put grease on the hitch ball, or not?
Courtesy: Collin on irv2.comA new hitch ball is often bright, shiny, and chromed. But many RVers have been much dismayed, when on lifting the hitch coupler off that new ball after the first use, that the chrome is scratched and scarred. What happened? Metal to metal contact can scrape off that shiny chrome, and things are never the same.
Is scraped up chrome the only issue here? One RVer who for years declined to grease his hitch ball found--much to his chagrin and his finances--that the ungreased condition lead to such wearing of the trailer coupler that it had to be replaced. Not only was the coupler expensive, but he had to hire the work out to a welder--a considerable amount of cash out the window. He now describes himself as a "greaser," to prevent such issues in the future.
On the other hand, you'll find some RVers who disdain greasing hitch balls because, they contend, the grease attracts dirt, and the dirt acts as a sort of sandpaper, chewing away at the hitch ball and the coupler. What's to be done? "Definitely grease," says a technical representative from PullRite Systems, a hitch manufacturer. In the company mind, a lubricated ball will allow for easier twisting and turning, and will discourage corrosion and damage.
Ah, but what about, "grease attracts dirt"? True enough, but there are a couple of schools of thought on this. One says to simply grease your hitch ball, use it, then just prior to the next use, wipe it off with a rag and give it a new coat of grease. In the process the dirt is (hopefully) wiped away. In this same vein, many RVers recommend not only putting a cover over the top of the hitch ball when not in use--thus keeping the dirt away, but also preventing a mess when someone brushes up against the ball. These same proponents also recommend covering the trailer coupler with a plastic bag when unhitched, keeping the dirt at bay.
The alternative to 'grease attracts dirt,' is to lubricate the ball with a dry graphite lubricant, which in itself, doesn't attract dirt. A small tube of graphite powder, such as "Tube O Lube" stores easily and can be coated onto the hitch ball quickly before use. You'll probably have to clean any existing grease out of the coupler before you begin using graphite, else you'll have a mess of graphite and old grease and your shiny new hitch ball.
Hitch balls: To grease, or not to grease?