Hitch ball grease

[h8go4s]

I've been using ordinary grease on the hitch ball, but it's messy. I'm guessing there's no solution; anything is going to collect dirt and turn black but thought I'd ask if anyone has a better lube.

Ron.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I've never greased mine. Why do you need the grease?

[broken_line]

save wear and tear on the ball... its not needed but nothing worng with doing it..

[Bigsmitty]

Its bad enough smacking my knee on my ball hitch. Let alone getting grease all over my pants.

Never gonna grease my balls.

[Lindyrig81]

there really is no need to grease your ball, a 2" ball pulling a 20ft boat all day and all night will last for years and years, so will the coupler.. I HAVE seen worn balls, but they have all been on commercial/contractor trucks that tow bobcats non-stop.. Chances are the trailer is more likely to come apart than the ball breaking... Just check everytime to make sure that the keeper is up tight against the bottom part of the ball, (just stick a finger under the coupler and feel if its "snug")

Plus a ball is what 10-20 bucks every 20 years?? Beats sloppin grease all over everywhere and everything..

[DTro]

Pretty sure the last ball I bought was 6.99, so at that price it's kind of disposable. I spent more for lunch today.

Sorry, it really doesn't answer your "better lube" question. Seems to me that consensus has been that anything you put on there will make it worse because it collects dirt.

[Tom7227]

Never gonna grease my balls.

Dude, never say never - there may be whole new vistas for you if you give it a try.

[dirtking]

h8go4s - love the name (assuming were talking about the 4 legged kind)

I'm in the club of not greasing. I do spray WD40 on the threads every time I change - after a year on the hitch the rust sure does take hold - are you refering to greasing the threads or the ball?

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

No need to grease da ball.

[pulsar_nx]

yup, grease gets the pants messy.

[delmuts]

I do grease the ball, but only in the fall when it gets stored for the winter.( to help prevent rust) In the spring i wipe it off.

[Surface Tension]

No need to grease the ball. Grease the threads and spray a lube on the hitches lift arm, and coupler.

[cold one sd]

They do make a special grease for hitch balls. I just use ordinary grease and I always keep it greased. When I am going to pull something I clean the old grease off of the ball and give it a fresh coat. I don't worry about the hitch ball wearing out, but I don't want the hitch on the trailer to get worn. I keep a cover on the ball when it isn't being used. In winter I use 30 weight engine oil to lube the ball which works well for me. I guess I just believe that any time you put two metal objects rubbing together there will be some wear and grease will prevent this. I guess I must have thought that my father knew what he was doing when he greased his hitches.

[Tom7227]

I guess I must have thought that my father knew what he was doing when he greased his hitches.

Dad didn't live at a time when things are expected to break and few care about doing preventative maintenance. It probably would have cost him a lot more real time and real money than things do these days as well.

[BoxMN]

What you should do is hit the receiver and insert with some WD40 or grease now and then, especially before and after winter. I have seen the inserts rusted in never to come out again Mainly for people who never take theirs out, but I rarely take mine out in my truck, usually only to lube it up, just in case

[Hookey]

Exposed grease is a dirt collector.

I have a few sizes of receivers and think it best to keep the balls clean. No grease and no dirt on the balls keeps the couplers clean. A clean coupling probably reduces wear better than a slightly dirty greased coupling. I would avoid the use of grease unless you clean the ball and coupler before each use. Or plan on going a great distance.

[Neighbor_guy]

I prefer powder... ......

Realy though... The only time I ever put some sort of "lube" between the trailer and the truck is in the winter when the road is greasy or there is freezing rain. Then it is just a little 5-20. In the summer I leave everything high and dry. As was said before, it is just something else to catch dirt and grime.

[Hookey]

On a similar note.

About three years ago I purchased a stainless steel receiver and ball. I also picked up a six inch 'farmer' hitch pin from Tractor Supply.

Stainless is not cheap but three years later I can say I do think it was worth the investment. I have not jacked around with cleaning brushes and WD-40 nor have I suffered a skinned knuckle since. I have not had rust issues nor problems installing the hitch pin since the purchase. It is the cat's meow.

I do make certain to remove the hitch when not using it to avoid theft but I am too lazy to bother with a bung hole cover on the receiver, still I have not had rust issues or problems installing the hitch pin since the purchase.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

I have used my stainless hitch ball for the past 7 yeats - not one issue!

[Fredd]

greaseless balls around here though some grease on the threads may help down the road if you ever have to remove the nut