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Tow vehicle towball lube?


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I lube my towball...usually alone Whistling.gif

Lubing your ball should always be done in a discrete manner, however, I find the friction of a well corroded ball to be advantageous when pulling.

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I don't thing the ball really wears out, but the coupler can take a beating from a rough ball.

Also, I have had a ball come loose before, and suspect it was from the extra friction of an un-lubed ball. Really not an area you want extra friction - it is moving constantly.

For those that don't lube.. why wouldn't you lube it? You lube every other item that has metal to metal contact Dontknow.gif

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haha.. this post is funny...

i grease my trailer ball just so it's easier to get the coupler on and off the ball. When it gets all rusty it just gets sticky and is harder to get on and off the trailer ball.

happy greasin' balls!

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I don't thing the ball really wears out, but the coupler can take a beating from a rough ball.

Also, I have had a ball come loose before, and suspect it was from the extra friction of an un-lubed ball. Really not an area you want extra friction - it is moving constantly.

For those that don't lube.. why wouldn't you lube it? You lube every other item that has metal to metal contact Dontknow.gif

I haven't found that I need it (IE, no squeaking, no problem removing hitch from ball, no signs of excessive ball wear) and it just makes a mess. If I leave the receiver in the hitch, there is no doubt someone will brush their leg on it very soon. I drive an SUV and put my work stuff in the back every day. I'll hit it for sure, now I have grease on my pants. If I remove the receiver I can't throw it in on the carpet because it has grease all over it. So I throw it in the garage, and the grease just begs for every piece of dirt, grass, and cobweb to stick in it. In general, just asking for trouble to make a mess somewhere. But that's just me I guess. I assume you've never encountered any of this?

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I've heard some of the most creative excuses imaginable, this is great. I knew I would get some of these great responses when I posted this Biggrin.gif

"cobwebs from the garage" I can't take it anymore :lol:

Edited by 06vlx
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I've heard some of the most creative excuses imaginable, this is great. I knew I would get some of these great responses when I posted this Biggrin.gif

"cobwebs from the garage" I can't take it anymore :lol:

But you've yet to come up with any excuse for doing it. You lube your balls, I won't, and we'll both be happy.

Oh, except that if it's good enough for truckers then it's good enough for you. I've yet to see an inboard trailer with 5th wheel option.

Edited by vette-ski
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I don't lube my ball at all. I don't understand the need to. I also don't put a tennis ball on the tow ball when not in use, I don't understand that either. Once I'm done towing, I wipe down the ball with a paper towel and put it in the truck.

Well you really don't tow enough to worry about it... Tease.gif

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...You lube your balls, I won't, and we'll both be happy.

Shocking.gif

Correct me if I'm wrong 06vlx but weren't you originally referring to putting grease on the neck of the ball mount that inserts into the receiver hitch? :unsure:

You perv's just couldn't resist talking about lubing your balls... Fingerwag.gif

:lol:

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I tow 3 different trailers at various times. And lube the coupler on all 3, which obviously gets grease all over the ball on the truck too. I don't care to handle it or store it for reasons Vette-ski mentioned, so I leave the stinger locked in the receiver & just cover the ball when it's not being used & stay away from it when it's on the truck. It has not been that big a deal on the last 3 trucks I've owned.

Two of my trailer couplers would be a royal PITA to replace. The coupler on the Extreme trailer doesn't look cheap. And the one on the ATV trailer is welded in place. I have seen the couplers wear out, typically after a few years of regular use.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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...You lube your balls, I won't, and we'll both be happy.

Shocking.gif

Correct me if I'm wrong 06vlx but weren't you originally referring to putting grease on the neck of the ball mount that inserts into the receiver hitch? :unsure:

You perv's just couldn't resist talking about lubing your balls... Fingerwag.gif

:lol:

I had no doubt that the thread would turn with this group. :lol:

Both the current trailer as well as the last one can be really difficult to get on the ball, it gets dry enough that there's too much friction to allow the coupler to slide over the top of the ball & it will hang up at that point at the top. A little shot of lube on both the ball & in the coupler before trying usually makes it go on much, much easier. I'd rather do that then sit there & fight with it.

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After the tow ball was roughed up w/ scars, we now use some lithium grease on top. So argue it up but it won't change what I do... :) The truck isn’t a daily driver and the hitch never comes off so its ready for the quick hookup. Thumbup.gif

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I had no doubt that the thread would turn with this group. :lol:

A little shot of lube on both the ball & in the coupler before trying usually makes it go on much, much easier. I'd rather do that then sit there & fight with it.

Ummm......nevermind.

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I had no doubt that the thread would turn with this group. :lol:

A little shot of lube on both the ball & in the coupler before trying usually makes it go on much, much easier. I'd rather do that then sit there & fight with it.

Ummm......nevermind.

ROFL.gif

This reminds me of the muffler bearings thread only dirtier. :)

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I've heard some of the most creative excuses imaginable, this is great. I knew I would get some of these great responses when I posted this Biggrin.gif

"cobwebs from the garage" I can't take it anymore :lol:

But you've yet to come up with any excuse for doing it. You lube your balls, I won't, and we'll both be happy.

Oh, except that if it's good enough for truckers then it's good enough for you. I've yet to see an inboard trailer with 5th wheel option.

I'll lube mine and you won't because of the cobwebs in you garage Biggrin.gif

Oh and you don't want to get your slacks dirty either. Vetski if you couldn't figure it out the friction point of a 5th wheels is the same as what's going on in the trailer hitch and trailer ball, I just thought I'd clear that up for you. They lube it so there isn't the metal to metal grinding eventually causing something to wear out (in my case the trailer hitch) same concept. I'm off to lube my balls.

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I always keep my ball lubed because it ensures that a nice coat of dirt will stick to it. That way I'm carefull not to rub my pant leg against it and get my pants dirty. If its clean and not lubed I will forget its there and smack my shin on it!!!

And I never take the hitch out of the reciever because nothing says don't tailgate me like a nice hole in the radiator.

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I always keep my ball lubed because it ensures that a nice coat of dirt will stick to it. That way I'm carefull not to rub my pant leg against it and get my pants dirty. If its clean and not lubed I will forget its there and smack my shin on it!!!

And I never take the hitch out of the reciever because nothing says don't tailgate me like a nice hole in the radiator.

Plus1.gif

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I always keep my ball lubed because it ensures that a nice coat of dirt will stick to it. That way I'm carefull not to rub my pant leg against it and get my pants dirty. If its clean and not lubed I will forget its there and smack my shin on it!!!

And I never take the hitch out of the reciever because nothing says don't tailgate me like a nice hole in the radiator.

Plus1.gif

That and the hitch in the receiver makes a nice parking stopper if you park backed up to a concrete wall. Just don't go too fast when backing up. :)

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And I never take the hitch out of the reciever because nothing says don't tailgate me like a nice hole in the radiator.

Ain't that the truth. Years ago I was driving a full size Bronco with the stinger sticking out the receiver & the spare tire on the rack. Some guy in a Nissan Pathfinder rear ended me at a light. I pulled forward to move out of traffic & ripped his front bumper & grill off the truck, and revealed a nice big gash in his radiator. He had like $4k in damage & I had about $600 where the tire rack dinged the tailgate. I never had it fixed. And he didn't drive home on his own.

Thumbup.gif

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