No joke. Anyone grease your hitch ball?

My hitch had a little wiggle to it so I cut a piece of metal to take up the slack.
I even drilled a hole in it for the locking pin to go through.  Well after pounding it in
just past half way it decided to not move any more in either direction.  Yes it took up the slack just fine
and there is no more wobble. However the metal exposed rusted a little and the receiver has not been
removed for a long time.  I doubt that it will come out without a lot of work so it stays put.
Because I have a motorcycle lift on the back which sticks out more then the ball does I don't run into it.
I have a cover over the ball when I'm not using the trailer which helps keep the grease on the ball but
this posting is a good reminder to add more grease to it add it to my to do list before I take a 1200 mile trip this Fall.

I bought a cap to cover the ball and reduce the risk of getting grease on me or other things.

OldGuyOnTheRun said:

Does anyone grease your hitch ball? I towed a small trailer for many years and clearly my hitch ball suffered from the friction.

Is it a good idea?

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I used to apply a small amount of grease to the ball, it's easily transferred to legs and pants.. so I gave up and bought an Andersen no sway hitch.. no more grease..!

solarman said:

I used to apply a small amount of grease to the ball, it's easily transferred to legs and pants.. so I gave up and bought an Andersen no sway hitch.. no more grease..!

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With the extreme pressure that the Andersen puts on the latch. I would grease the ball.  The ball still gets worked in the up and down direction.

lynnmor said:

With the extreme pressure that the Andersen puts on the latch. I would grease the ball.  The ball still gets worked in the up and down direction.

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so how does this differ from a more conventional WDH ?

solarman said:

so how does this differ from a more conventional WDH ?

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Look at the pair of chains pulling back at a level below the ball and putting pressure on the latch which is at the lower rear area of the ball.

JoelP said:

I bought a cap to cover the ball and reduce the risk of getting grease on me or other things.

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When I worked in an RV parts store these were one of our best sellers.  A couple of bucks saved a lot of greasy pants.  But no help in not wrecking a knee when you forget it sticks out.  Here are some overpriced versions:


https://www.amazon.com/TRAILER-HITCH-COVER-PROTECTOR-ATLANTIS/dp/B00RDFG1G2/ref=sr_1_15/135-3661903-5573659?ie=UTF8&qid=1538310262&sr=8-15&keywords=trailer+hitch+ball+cover

Bill

Bill N said:

When I worked in an RV parts store these were one of our best sellers.  A couple of bucks saved a lot of greasy pants.  But no help in not wrecking a knee when you forget it sticks out.  Here are some overpriced versions:


https://www.amazon.com/TRAILER-HITCH-COVER-PROTECTOR-ATLANTIS/dp/B00RDFG1G2/ref=sr_1_15/135-3661903-5573659?ie=UTF8&qid=1538310262&sr=8-15&keywords=trailer+hitch+ball+cover

Bill

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This is what I use. Just have to remember to wipe it off once in a while as some grease will find its way to the outside of it.

Hammster said:

This is what I use. Just have to remember to wipe it off once in a while as some grease will find its way to the outside of it.

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I used those things years ago.  Not only will some grease get on the outside, but dirt will get inside and that is not easy to clean.

trailer hitch lube?

I've enjoyed riding motos for decades and lube the chains often.  It's a very harsh environment and chains would not last very long running dry.  So I use chain lube on the hitch...the waxy version sometimes.  Seems to work just fine and seems to "stick" around better than regular lubes... spray on when needed.

I used grease once, got it all over the place. Switched to Vaseline and never worry about. Only time I remove the ball is when I need to put it behind the 5th wheel to tow the boat. Otherwise it lives in the truck receiver to tow the boat.