Lube your trailer balls?

[billfires]

Just wondering if I should be lubing my trailer balls? I see fine rust colored particles when I disconnect the trailers. Thanks for your thoughts, Bill C

 

[Birdhunter1]

I guess you could but I never have.

 

[CurlyDave]

I always lube mine.

I got a can of spray-on white grease. Every time I unhitch, I clean the ball with a paper towel and spray some new grease on. Try to let it dry (set up?) for at least a few hours before I re-hitch the trailer.

 

[LeadPoison]

I hear Gold Bond Medicated Powder works well.

 

[David_G]

I use a spray can of motorbike chain oil for mine.

 

[6or7dazeaweek]

Yup, got mine at Walmart. It's put out by REESE...comes in a 4oz blue & white container and called "REESE teflon hitch ball lube". Can't rmemeber the price..been a few years but a little goes a longway.

Jon

 

[Farmwithjunk]

A little dab of wheel bearing grease does the trick for me.

 

[Newblue]

Yes, with red grease and I also grease the pintle hook on the Duece and a half and the loop on the ten ton trailer.

 

[Highbeam]

Greasy balls are a very common issue. I've even heard of folks placing a piece of wax paper over the ball before setting the hitch down. I see two extremes, the bone dry ball with the usual rough spots wearing deeper into the dry socket as it turns like a mill. The other extreme is the greasy ball that is covered in gritty grease since all the dirt sticks to it making a fine abrasive compound to wear the socket sooner. This dirty greasy ball is a mess all the time and always gets on your leg.

The best solution is to apply grease to your clean ball and socket before hitching and then clean the ball off when you unhitch. Don't forget though that the hitch is greased too and could collect dirt so the overly cautious operator would clean both ball and socket after each tow.

I only clean the ball and regrease with fresh bearing grease. When running a dry ball I find that grit is generated from metal wearing off of either ball or socket. Also, the bullydog style hitch works by clamping onto the ball and I believe it needs to have lube to slip.

 

[slaveToHorses]

I use bearing grease. I just put one of those vinyl slip on covers on it to keep it from getting dirty. I use it way too often to clean it up and regrease everytime! I clean out the trailer sockets every so often or if they drop in the dirt. Anything lighter than grease seems like a waste of time to me.

Remember to torque your balls regularly (boy that's sounds bad doesn't it!). I had a nut come loose the other day and the ball bounced out. The drift boat did the watusi behind me until I could get it slowed down (the winch caught on my bumper fortunately).