To grease or not to grease, that is the question.

iana · Guru

To grease or not to grease, that is the question.

the ginger nomad · Senior Member

A very small amount of moly grease, cleaned off and replaced every few weeks when travelling..
ball replaced every year regardless of distance travelled

blaze · Guru

no grease for me, maybe the odd spray with a silicon spray. my balls don't squeak

cheers
blaze

JayDee · Guru

My Coromal dealer, told me that if I want the best results I have to replace my balls every year.

At the cost of approx $15 it is a low cost insurance against any issues.

Last year when replacing the ball, I decided to also screw the old ball nut on top of the new nut for extra security.

I do not use any grease etc.

Jay&Dee

rgren2 · Guru

Dry lube or a candle rubbed over it works well. Previously, someone said they used disposable plastic shopping bags on the ball. I have a DO35 and give it a silicone spray when I remember.

dogbox · Guru

rgren2 wrote:

Dry lube or a candle rubbed over it works well. Previously, someone said they used disposable plastic shopping bags on the ball. I have a DO35 and give it a silicone spray when I remember.

x2

Mariner30 · Senior Member

Forty yrs ago l used to work in the Jolimont rail sheds, the fitters there all said putting grease on train bogies...metal to metal...was the fastest way to cause wear, Dust would get in the grease and turn into 'emery paper'

KJB · Guru

I used 50mm Balls on 2 trucks towing loaded Plant Trailers every work day for approx. 25 years and cannot remember ever having to replace one because of wear.

Hetho · Senior Member

Ditto with Mariner30.

I`m an ex fitter and "No Grease".

Regards.

Hetho.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

If it squeaks or rattles ? Theres other issues .. I grease all the fittings, moving parts though .

Knight · Senior Member

No lubricant on ALKO stability control system towball please.

However, it does pay to wipe the connections regularly with a dry rag to remove dust accumulated, and eliminate annoying squeaking noises when turning.

Cupie · Guru

Knight wrote:
No lubricant on ALKO stability control system towball please.

However, it does pay to wipe the connections regularly with a dry rag to remove dust accumulated, and eliminate annoying squeaking noises when turning.

Just beat me to this remark.

I towed a van with a friction hitch for a friend recently & had to get a ball with a squared base & the corresponding base plate to stop it unwinding the ball. Also had to be certain that the ball was completely dry & free of any sort of lubrication. BTW, it was a pommy van, about 20ft long but light & had over ride breaks that worked extremely well.

Since getting caught with a 'screaming' hitch when coming down a range in northern NSW, fixed with a few smears of grease, I always ensure that all of my hitch rubbing surfaces are lubricated.

(I suppose it would be going off topic to ask if leaf springs should be lubricated or just left in their rusty condition .. so I won't ask)

Why do the balls need to be replaced frequently? I never have & still use the one that came with the van/hitch in 1999.

Mamil · Senior Member

Cupie & Knight, yes I've got one of those Alko anti-sway hitches, and they need a special ball that isn't chromed, and a plate on the hitch tongue to stop it rotating and loosening itself. They also have to be kept totally grease free. Unfortunately, even the dealers don't seem to know this, and when I took it in for a check they moved it around with their usual tractor which has a towball dripping in grease, so I had to scrub the towball and the anti-friction pads in the hitch with brake cleaner afterwards!!

And I agree with your experience Cupie, the light Euro vans seem to tow very well with a combination of these anti-sway hitches, mechanical override brakes, and light ballweights (mine is only 100kg or a little over 6% of my ATM).

IMG_20190804_140703 (600x800).jpg

-- Edited by Mamil on Sunday 4th of August 2019 04:39:19 PM

Chris61 · Senior Member

No shiny grease for me, metal on metal needs grease between it. My shackle pins have grease nipples and my hitch pin gets grease to prevent wear

Greg 1 · Guru

I'm in favour of a light smear of grease, but that is just personal preference. I know others that never grease their hitches and in all honesty, I don't think there is much in it.

Olive Oil · Senior Member

We use Shell Nautilus marine grease on ours, it resists the elements as it does on our boat trailer as well.

Bagmaker · Senior Member

heavy plastic shopping bag.
Place over ball, attach trailer, trim to personal preference.

Craig1 · Guru

Alko also say no grease required for their standard 50mm Caravan Coupling. Just keep the ball and inside the hitch clean and correctly adjusted on the ' adjusting nut".

Mariner30 · Senior Member

Mariner30 wrote:
Forty yrs ago l used to work in the Jolimont rail sheds, the fitters there all said putting grease on train bogies...metal to metal...was the fastest way to cause wear, Dust would get in the grease and turn into 'emery paper'

After posting this l sat down and had a think about the subject with a refreshing cordial

Then remembered the turntables on the semis l drove all had a good covering of grease on them,

So, who knows really,

I don't use grease on our vehicles towballs,

StewG · Senior Member

We were advised by the caravan service man when picking up our DO35 hitch caravan that the pin should not be greased. It seemed odd to me but I see no sign of wear, squeaks, etc after 30,000 km. I just keep the hitch and pin clear of dust and dirt when I think of it. The hitch barrel has grease nipples and they get a top-up now and then.

Craig1 · Guru

G'day Graham (mariner), Then in maybe 1980? they invented the teflon pad for turntables. That sure saved a lot of grease and dirty clothes back then. Don't know if they still are used today though.

Mariner30 · Senior Member

Craig1, I retired 6 yrs ago, The large company l worked for didn't use them, Can't say why, Cheers

suengreg · Veteran Member

X2

iana · Guru

I use a tennis ball over the ball when not in use, that prevents the grease picking up dirt and hence the grinding paste. That Shell Nautilus grease is good stuff, we used it in a winery for all bearings, we had a machine that had special high speed bearings, and I had to send off the specs of that grease to SKF before I could use it, the answer came back positive. As far as I know they stopped selling it in grease cartridges.

rgren2 · Guru

How much movement is there on a towball? They are not getting nearly as much as a bearing, which is what they are being compared to. If you are getting a rattle, there is a problem with adjustment.

iana · Guru

With 260kg weight on it, you betcha its a bearing, with vertical and horizontal thrust. Those bearing you are thinking of would also have a compatible bearing surface, e.g. bronze, white metal Teflon, etc. This bearing is steel against steel.

Craig1 · Guru

Talking to my daughter this morning who works for a transport Co, depending on equipment age & design, they use grease, teflon plates and cooking oil. Biggest downside to teflon is if an unskilled or lazy operator doesnt line it all up correctly, there goes $200-300 just like that. And not much good for a bbq liner either. I will try to find out which oil as it seems a lot less messy than grease.

denmonkey · Senior Member

Funnily enough, I just stuck a new ball on mine and didn't grease it. Unhitching at home in the same spot as usual, saw it almost get stuck, it just didn't want to let go.
So much that it's lifted the rear of the car a little, when it finally let go, the van part stayed at the same level on the jockey, the car dropped back down onto its suspension bringing the rear spare wheel downward...... problem was, my thumb was still in there

it's a bit of a funny colour now but it's still working biggrin

Granted I've not ran a ungreased ball before and it's the only thing I can think which was different. I'll be going back to greasing again. just a smear.

chances are it had nothing to do with it, but it will make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

cheers Brett

Cupie · Guru

denmonkey wrote:
Funnily enough, I just stuck a new ball on mine and didn't grease it. Unhitching at home in the same spot as usual, saw it almost get stuck, it just didn't want to let go.
So much that it's lifted the rear of the car a little, when it finally let go, the van part stayed at the same level on the jockey, the car dropped back down onto its suspension bringing the rear spare wheel downward...... problem was, my thumb was still in there
it's a bit of a funny colour now but it's still working

Granted I've not ran a ungreased ball before and it's the only thing I can think which was different. I'll be going back to greasing again. just a smear.
chances are it had nothing to do with it, but it will make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

cheers Brett

Brett It is quite common for my greased ball to stick (especially when I have reversed it onto a ramp) & I have to stand/jump on the rear step of the Patrol to dislodge it.

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 8th of August 2019 02:39:41 PM

Craig1 · Guru

Transport Co have ditched the cooking oil and now use Lannox, a spray on lanolin based product. A maybe handy less messy tip, but take care as no scientific proof available.