Grease the ball hitch?

Ks.Kev

Well-known member
Just wondering, do I put some kind of lubrication on my ball hitch for towing the NT travel trailer?
And if I should, Which I think it does need.....what kind of lube?
Thanks all!
 

Silverado23

Iowa Chapter Leaders
Just wondering, do I put some kind of lubrication on my ball hitch for towing the NT travel trailer?
And if I should, Which I think it does need.....what kind of lube?
Thanks all!

Yes, the ball will last longer and noise will be drastically reduced. I use a synthetic grease called super lube. It readily washes out of clothing among other things
http://www.super-lube.com/
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
I grease the pin on the 5th-wheel and the hitch, but when we had our bumper-pull trailers I just gave the ball and the inside of the trailer coupler a good blast of WD-40 before dropping the trailer on the ball.

That's really all you need to do . . .
 

MP_CS

Well-known member
I grease the pin on the 5th-wheel and the hitch, but when we had our bumper-pull trailers I just gave the ball and the inside of the trailer coupler a good blast of WD-40 before dropping the trailer on the ball.

That's really all you need to do . . .

Agreed.. Greasing the ball is only going to provide very negligible wear resistance and really all its going to to is get all over everything when you're not hitched up. I tow ball hitch trailers all the time, have for years and have never once noticed any undue wear that greasing would have saved.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
The only grease I was advised to use on my old bumper pull hitch by the trailer hitch shop (Lampert's Hitch) in Denver was where the torsion bars are inserted into the drop-down.

NewTruckHitchInAZ.jpg
 

MP_CS

Well-known member
The way i see it is if it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside go ahead and grease it. I have pulled bumper pulls for years, thousands of miles and have never greased one and never will.
 

MP_CS

Well-known member
So you do not think that ball joints and tie rod ends on the front of a vehicle need grease, it is just two metal parts rubbing together? Why grease them they will not wear out. Chris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu9NmR3ql44

Matter of fact i do grease my tre's and ball joints, but have never and will never grease my ball hitches.. If someone wants to and have grease all over their clothes, truckbed, toolboxes, and pretty much anywhere else that it touches thats their business.
 

marcortez

Member
If you happen to use a chrome plated ball and after a few uses, the chrome is wearing off, there is some wear going on.

Plus the hitch will slide on and off the ball much easier with some sort of lube on it.
Ever have to stand on the hitch or bumper, jumping up and down to get the ball loose?.....grease it.
 

Manzan

Well-known member
I must be doing something wrong--I have greased ball hitches for over 30 years and still don't have grease all over everything.
 

donr827

Well-known member
When I had a bumper pull I always put a light coat of grease on the ball. Made it much easier to disconnect and less friction when turning. JMO
Don
 

Domi

Well-known member
We grease ours with wheel bearing grease (small tubes from Wal-Mart) before each hook up. Keep a container of cheap baby wipes in the nose compartment and wipe the ball when we unhitch and my finger after we grease. Keeps everything from getting messy. We use a thin layer of grease, just enough to coat the ball.

Biggest reason we do it is that it unhitches MUCH easier with the grease. We were having troubles getting the ball to release and greasing has solved that issue for us. It just slides right apart as the nose is lifted off. I was having to try and jump up and down on the hitch at one point in the spring to get it to release.

Good luck and enjoy your NT.

John
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
We were having troubles getting the ball to release and greasing has solved that issue for us.

I was having to try and jump up and down on the hitch at one point in the spring to get it to release.

In all the years I've been pulling trailers (almost 40 years) . . . I've never once had to do that with my own trailers and WD40 on the ball and inside the trailer's hitch.

Of course, now with a 5th-wheeler, I do grease the pin on the trailer and the workings inside the hitch, but that is a much different beast.
 
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