Do you grease your balls?

But what if it leaving it dry pulls the chrome off your balls? Then you can't polish them.

Always use grease, clean it off once in while and re grease.

I remember reading somewhere that if you don't grease it the two can gall together enough to cause control problems. Mine squeaks when it needs grease and I clean if off and re grease, both the ball and the hitch.
Can't imagine trailing across America at 75 mph with A DRY HITCH, THAT'S ASKING FOR TROUBLE,IMO. I have made a bunch of trips out west and go 5000+ miles before unhitching my trailer, it can't go that long metal to metal without wearing out and possibly coming off the ball!!

I've done a bunch of trailing, your nut's if your on our highways with a dry hitch and a danger to the rest of us.

Always use grease, clean it off once in while and re grease.

I remember reading somewhere that if you don't grease it the two can gall together enough to cause control problems. Mine squeaks when it needs grease and I clean if off and re grease, both the ball and the hitch.
Can't imagine trailing across America at 75 mph with A DRY HITCH, THAT'S ASKING FOR TROUBLE,IMO. I have made a bunch of trips out west and go 5000+ miles before unhitching my trailer, it can't go that long metal to metal without wearing out and possibly coming off the ball!!

I've done a bunch of trailing, your nut's if your on our highways with a dry hitch and a danger to the rest of us.


ive run dry before and seen where it had started to grind against the ball. understand grease collects dirt but clean and regrease. you repack your wheel bearings dont you? how hard is it to smear grease on a trailer ball? grease and be safe !! tube of grease $5

Well, darned, I put over 150,000 miles on my truck and trailer when I was hauling cars and another 30,000 all those years racing, I never put a drop of grease on the ball. Same ball (I'm a cheap bum) and the trailer coupler was the same one as well. I did have to change the coupler one time after I let someone borrow my trailer and he bent the tongue and coupler. Didn't notice any wear on the coupler, and the chrome was still good on the ball. It was probably the quality of the chrome on the ball that "saved" me.

I just hate to think of all those "unsafe" miles I logged on my truck and trailer without greasing the ball.
However, given the current quality of available parts around these days, I would probably grease the ball if I was going to do much towing now. Gene

I grease mine. That way when people bark their shins on my hitch the grease helps stop the bleeding. Don't know why they can't see a hitch sticking out!

We have some goose neck trailers at work and we started using them dry by mistake(just didn't think about it) when they were new. It didn't take long for them to have metal shavings in the bed. It was amazing how much more quite they were once we greased them. We have a grease gun in the warehouse and just give them a squirt when we think about it now, no problems.

I stopped when I was about 16, since then I've subbed the job out.

I hire a staff of properly trained professionals to care for my balls...

Ohhh...at first I thought you were referring to my balls, because I only have one trailer ball! Anyway, of my three balls, I only deliberately put grease on one of them...the other two tend to get all greasy when, nevermind!

for the first time in internet history, this thread is perfectly fine without pictures.

Amen to that, but you just gave everyone that scary idea!
YIKES!!! Time to set the nasty photo censorship dial to maximum!

...Does K-Y count...

Yes that'll work, sure better than nothing.

A little Polygrip can be used to tighten up loose ball couplers.

WOW gives new meaning when my wife tow's and AC-DC is playing -she's got the biggest balls of all!

I usually put a very thin layer of grease on the ball so it does not squeak while turning at low speeds. For some reason the lava rock dust out here is like chalk and makes brakes, etc. squeak like crazy at times. Otherwise I don't think the parts mating together are moving fast enough, far enough, often enough to wear themselves out unless under an unusually high load.

The weapons lubricant
BreakFree
is non dust attracting and
high film strength lubricant
that adheres well to metal.

Would this lubes properties settle the argument?

Its not too expensive considering how little you need and how long it lasts.