3-point hitch pins, one facing in, one out??

[sandman2234]

If you have to lube, go greaseless.
David from jax

 

[gwdixon]

I have the exact same question. No movement, no wear. I keep a light coating of grease on mine. Maybe I shouldn't

Well, of course the ball does move a tiny bit. Just enough to grind away. However, in the long run it probably doesn't matter a bit.

The pin also moves in the ball when hooked up but folks rarely grease the pins. Some pins show considerable wear so the ball hole must be worn somewhat as well.

I have seen balls that barely stay in the sockets on an old 8N but it had been used hard. Lube may or may not have made a difference. There likely aren't any long term studies on the subject.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. We will all probably be long gone before the balls need replacing (no double meaning implied).

As far as the pins on a backhoe or excavator go, the new grease replaces the old and drives out the contaminated grease. I always grease until fresh comes out.

If the same were done with the hitch balls it would not even be being discussed. If you often change the grease or whatever lube is being used then wear would be at a minimum. When going into storage or over winter it might be a good idea to coat them with something.

Metal-on-metal wear would seem to be more severe in any case so everyone will have to decide on their own.

Hopefully, this doesn't escalate into a "What Kind of Oil?" type of thread. Just do what makes you happy. There are bigger things to be concerned about.

 

[beenthere]

I am just curious to all those that say no lube for the ball sockets. If the ball isn't moving all that much how is lubing it going to cause wear? I would rather have a light coat of oil on them to help keep rust away then just let them go. I would say the pins {especially out by the bucket} on my excavator get a lot more dirt sand etc... then the ball on a 3pt would and I constantly grease them. I do realize oils can attract dirt but which would be better rust{stuck} or dirty?

I don't put anything on them because I don't want them greasy when handling or when rubbing next to them with my clothes. Seems like the grease gets all over then.

But no objections to anyone greasing theirs up

 

[Gordon Gould]

Well, of course the ball does move a tiny bit. Just enough to grind away. However, in the long run it probably doesn't matter a bit.

The pin also moves in the ball when hooked up but folks rarely grease the pins. Some pins show considerable wear so the ball hole must be worn somewhat as well.

I have seen balls that barely stay in the sockets on an old 8N but it had been used hard. Lube may or may not have made a difference. There likely aren't any long term studies on the subject.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. We will all probably be long gone before the balls need replacing (no double meaning implied).

As far as the pins on a backhoe or excavator go, the new grease replaces the old and drives out the contaminated grease. I always grease until fresh comes out.

If the same were done with the hitch balls it would not even be being discussed. If you often change the grease or whatever lube is being used then wear would be at a minimum. When going into storage or over winter it might be a good idea to coat them with something.

Metal-on-metal wear would seem to be more severe in any case so everyone will have to decide on their own.

Hopefully, this doesn't escalate into a "What Kind of Oil?" type of thread. Just do what makes you happy. There are bigger things to be concerned about.

Thanks for the practical input

gg

 

[SandburRanch]

The way I see it there is a coating of dust/dirt on the balls if we don't lube. There is a coating of dust/dirt on the balls if we lube. So what it boils down to is; do we want dry dirt or lubricated dirt. As mentioned, your call.

 

[20 20]

I don't put anything on them because I don't want them greasy when handling or when rubbing next to them with my clothes. Seems like the grease gets all over then.

But no objections to anyone greasing theirs up

:thumbsup: that I can understand.

Gwdixon, I was just wondering, I would say a light oiling of the balls would NOT wear them as some may seem to think. I have been around farms and machinery all my life. I have came across machines that the balls were so rusted we'd have to use a hammer{beat the ____ out of them} to get them to move. I would imagine if at the very least a coating of oil{or grease} would have probably prevented this. If the 3pt is being used a lot it probably wouldn't matter??? Oh and hey what type of oil do you use :laughing:

 

[gwdixon]

:thumbsup: that I can understand.

Gwdixon, I was just wondering, I would say a light oiling of the balls would NOT wear them as some may seem to think. I have been around farms and machinery all my life. I have came across machines that the balls were so rusted we'd have to use a hammer{beat the ____ out of them} to get them to move. I would imagine if at the very least a coating of oil{or grease} would have probably prevented this. If the 3pt is being used a lot it probably wouldn't matter??? Oh and hey what type of oil do you use :laughing:

Cute:thumbsup:. I may have mentioned it on this thread but Fluid Film is a lanolin based wax-type lube that seems to work well and prevents rust long term. It doesn't seem to pick up as much grit as grease once it dries.

Fluid Film? | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor

 

[20 20]

I still need o get some of the fluid film, when I'm out I never see it so I don't think about it. When I do remember I'm no where near any place that has it.

 

[Redneck in training]

Might want to put some spacers on the pins to keep it from sliding side to side, definitely easier to put the carryall on, but otherwise no problem that I can see. Ferguson used to specify no lube on the ball sockets for the reasons you mentioned, some sort of dry lubricant like silicon, teflon, graphite, or moly (dri-slide) that didn't attract dirt, I would think, is probably ok.

I would skip on graphite. Graphite is hygroscopic and will promote rust even when dry. My choice would be molly.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Thanks for the responses! I was thinking maybe WD-40 for the balls, since it pretty much goes away when it dries and because of that is pretty useless as a lubricant, but in this case might be just the ticket. I don't think the three-point has been used for a long time, so once they get moving maybe they'll be good to go.

spray graphite aerosol. Drys in place, hangs on for awhile, easily renewable, doesnt attract dust.
larry