couldn't get coupler off the ball

[qqq]

I just returned from a trip to leave my AS in a mountain campsite.
I raised the "thing" on the coupler and lowered the power tongue jack, and it wanted to lift the truck too...after trying over and over without luck, I had to remove the ball assembly from the truck. (I have no weight device, only the ball & coupler)
Now that it is in my hand , it goes on and off the coupler without problem
I wouldn't like this to happen again (pain in the axle)
Any suggestions?

Hart

[overlander64]

Greetings Hart!

I suspect that there may have been some pressue causing interference resulting in your difficulty. If the parking site is sloped (or if the tow vehicle doesn't fit on the same surface such as trailer in drive and tow vehicle partly on street), it is possible for the trailer to be placing either forward pressure on the ball or it might be pulling on the ball depending on whether the slope is toward or away from the tow vehicle. I had this problem with my overlander periodically when parking it on the RV pad beside my house before I learned to securely block the trailer wheels, and then momentarily "blip" reverse in the tow vehicle to release pressure on the ball (the end of the driveway has a modest downhill slope. Since starting this practice, I have never had a problem getting the ball to release from the coupler.

Kevin

[Rog0525]

Like many other RVers I wasn't aware that the ball needs to be lubed before I sifted through the threads. Given the amount of friction on the ball, proper lube makes sense.

Rog

[Pahaska]

Originally posted by Rog0525
Like many other RVers I wasn't aware that the ball needs to be lubed before I sifted through the threads. Given the amount of friction on the ball, proper lube makes sense.

Rog

Teflon lube works great, but it turns black in use and you don't want to get it on your clothes. I usually just use a squirt of wheel bearing grease from my grease gun.

You also want to lubricate the weight distributing bars where they swivel at the same time.

[jcanavera]

Rog,
One thing to consider is once you start lubing, you also must keep it clean. Sometimes you end up with higher abrasion levels due to grit and dirt mixed in with the lube.

Jack

[qqq]

Thanks Kevin & Rog, there was pressure on the ball as I never block the wheels ...& I never thought of lubing the ball
The grease I used to repack my bearings was lithium based and black, is that normal?

Hart

[85MH325]

Originally posted by qqq
The grease I used to repack my bearings was lithium based and black, is that normal?

Hart

Hi, Hart.

Reese actually sells it's own lubricant at RV stores. I bought a small bottle ($8.00... outrageous!) only because it is convenient to leave stored under my LP tank cover. It is really nothing more than wheel bearing grease, and any wheel bearing grease will do for this application. Also, any grease will turn black after a while in this application because of dirt and grit that sticks in it. As Jack said, keep it clean, and relube it with new lube regularly and it will do fine.

Roger

[garry]

Overlander64 is correct even on a level surface if the tow veh puts any pressure on the ball you can't disconnect.
I park on a level serface but still chock the wheels and then shift to N to releive the pressure.
Greese will stop the wear and tear but won't releive the pressure on the ball.

Garry

[Rog0525]

Please correct me if I'm wrong here but grease is grease much like parts is parts, no? wouldn't WD4o be ok for the ball?

[garry]

Opps !!!
Shift to netrual and then back to park.
Didn't mean to imply you disconnect with the Tow V in netural.

Garry

[jcanavera]

Originally posted by Rog0525
Please correct me if I'm wrong here but grease is grease much like parts is parts, no? wouldn't WD4o be ok for the ball?

Quite honestly my dealer's service manager told me that usually most components he sees are so filthy with dirt and grit that running without lube is sometimes a better alternative.

Jack

[apple 1]

Reese offers 2 or 3 different lubes for the hitch ball. I have used Reese On the Ball lube for the last 34 years. Comes in a small squeez bottle and is about 140w oil. One or two drops on the ball each time you hook up and also lube your trunions on your load bars one drop on each end. Also if you look at a Reese head you will see a hole over the trunion, this is to lube the upper trunion each day with out unhooking. I add a drop of oil each morning on both the upper and lower trunion when I don't unhook. You should also clean the ball and bars before each hook up as the oil or grease gets dirt in it. Of course you can use wheel bearing grease but I perfer the Ball Lube as you don't get your hands dirty when aplying the lubricant to the ball. The small bottle last about 5 or 6 years.

[Stefrobrts]

I'm so glad you guys started this thread, because last night we went to unhook the Caravel, and it wouldn't come off the ball. I might have paniced a little, but since I'd just read this here, I just had my hubby hop back in the truck and put it in reverse for a sec, and it came right off.

We don't grease the ball, we lay a square of 4 mil plastic sheet over it. The previous owner showed me that was how he had been doing it for years. It's nice and neat, no greasy mess, no picking up dirt to grind up under the coupler, and when it starts getting worn I toss it and put on another one. Easy and clean

[85MH325]

Originally posted by Rog0525
Please correct me if I'm wrong here but grease is grease much like parts is parts, no? wouldn't WD4o be ok for the ball?

WD40 is a light lubricant that is fine for stuck nuts, and light-duty lubrication needs, but wouldn't do much better than water on your hitch ball, wheel bearings, or other heavy-duty applications.

Quite honestly, I don't worry about wear on the hitch ball, or even much on the WD bars/hitch head. They're all easily replaceable. It's internal wear on the coupler that is my concern, and replacing that involves cutting and welding.

Roger