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Old 01-10-2015, 06:25 PM   #1
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Grease your Ball for wear and tear?

I am a Ball Greaser. Wheel bearing grease works for me.

I had a friend who said it was not necessary. It was dirty. It served no purpose other than watching an adult making a mess of the only Ball on the trailer. This is the same guy that opened his garage door with the remote... forgot to release the door locking mechanism and I helped HIM to cobble it together so they could leave on their camping trip.

His "clean method". He said he uses "wax paper".

I looked over Threads to find if someone knew how to handle a Trailer's Ball and Hitch. None. So I open this for discussion.

What works best? Slapping on a good amount of wheel bearing grease or a wax paper job on your Ball Work? Even if wax paper is the preferred method... I have four or five years of Ball Grease to use up. My wife said it was outside her "inside the trailer work". "You figure out what to do with your ball problem, not me."



You can stick to your cookie wax paper roll and I will put on the rubber glove and slap some grease on the Ball and not have to hear the squeak, squeak, squeak when trying to sneak away early in the morning from the RV Park.
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Old 01-10-2015, 06:31 PM   #2
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I had a good tongue-in-cheek response, but my better judgement won out.....

Just one word...... grease.
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Old 01-10-2015, 06:38 PM   #3
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I solved the grease problem for me. I got an Andersen hitch, the ball turns with the trailer. I do realize that not everybody can use the Andersen with their particular set up of tow vehicle and trailer, but it has worked very nicely for me the last two years.
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Old 01-10-2015, 06:46 PM   #4
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ProPride just gets grease on WD bar sockets zerk fittings. Ball does not move all that much. Wheel bearing grease on the ball at assembly seems to be all it needs so far.


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Old 01-10-2015, 06:56 PM   #5
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Hey Ray,
Ran into a fellow camper at Black Canyon last summer. He was dripping melted candle wax on his. Trailer ball that is.
Tim
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:07 PM   #6
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Turn your head and cough, maybe?
I leave mine lubricant free. It also serves as a path to ground on the TV in addition to the grounding wire. Grease can electrically insulate or impede that function. I have ruined more than on pair of pants on a greasy hitch too.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:08 PM   #7
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Ditto on the wheel bearing grease...
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:11 PM   #8
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I grease my balls, and then keep a cover over it when not in use. I usually wipe it down, and apply new grease before each trip. The thought of raw steel on steel just sounds like a bad idea to me, but I know many people who tow trailers all day with out any.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:11 PM   #9
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Small, light, trailers the wax paper works pretty good, not so good on heavier ones. I use grease. I just turn the can upside down and smear on the ball, attach hitch and rock and roll.

Aaron
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:12 PM   #10
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I use engine assembly lube. It is a little easier to use than grease, comes in a bottle with a twist open/close applicator, contains moly, and I also use it on the Reese trunions. It's also a little easier to clean up.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:18 PM   #11
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When I bought my trailer the OP, who was a very experienced Airstreamer with regular trips to Mexico and Alaska between trips to the International every year - so a LOT of miles under his belt, told me to put a square of plastic on it. Thick garden plastic, slightly thicker than a freezer zip lock. So I did that, and we've been happy for ten years. Then we ran out of plastic finally, so I did some research online and found a lot of people saying they never bother to grease at all! Well, what a sucker I've been! So to heck with it, we've joined the greaseless crowd. Our ball is clean, and we check it for looseness at each hookup, I haven't heard it being any creakier than the rest of the hitch. I'm ok with it.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:36 PM   #12
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Have a Hensley so no need to. I do add grease through the zerk fittings though. I do use Reese Teflon Hitch Ball Lube on the ball for my boat trailer. A little dab'll do ya.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:40 PM   #13
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There's a technical reason to use some lube on your ball. If you use no lube at all, it's possible for the hitch to lock onto the ball tightly enough to loosen the nut, resulting in disassembly of the hitch ball from the stinger while underway.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:56 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CA Streamer View Post
Have a Hensley so no need to. I do add grease through the zerk fittings though. I do use Reese Teflon Hitch Ball Lube on the ball for my boat trailer. A little dab'll do ya.

With the HA we grease the ball at assembly. NLGI Grade Two, as per recommendation.

For others, what does Airstream and what does the hitch manufacturer say?
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:59 PM   #15
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I don't lubricate mine to save the ball, I lubricate to save the coupler.
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:09 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover View Post
With the HA we grease the ball at assembly.
Yep. Was going to say that but figured it was a given.
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:14 PM   #17
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Quote:
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I don't lubricate mine to save the ball, I lubricate to save the coupler.
x2.
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:15 PM   #18
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Quote:
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For others, what does Airstream and what does the hitch manufacturer say?
The fact that Reese sells hitch ball grease might tell you something. . .

White Grease Hitch Ball Lube Reese Accessories and Parts 58117
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:19 PM   #19
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My owners manual from Equal-izer said to put a light coat of grease on the ball, so I do.
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Old 01-10-2015, 09:04 PM   #20
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I grease the ball with wheel bearing grease ,all it takes is a little dab ,it also stops rust . a simple ball cover on the ball stops the grease from getting on your pants.

Don
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