Tow ball greasing

Depends on tow ball and where you travel, on bitumen I grease any tow ball. If you travel on dirt, gravel and sand then I still grease but I have a sealed tow pin setup. If a ball under the same conditions then keeping the grit out of the grease might be an issue.

Although still dirty, I use a Moly Spray which dries to a lubricating film. Doesn't attract dust much at all. Also used on spring leaves, between leaves and where slipper pads of some springs require to be allowed to move.
If I have to use grease, Moly grease or Teflon grease.

For 3 decades now (yes I am grey) I have never greased a ball joint, or my current DO45.
Never any problem, not required IMO
When you grease them, 1) it attracts dust and sand which becomes a grinding paste, and 2) it makes a mess of everything it touches
Hope this helps

If it needed to be greased, wouldn't there be a grease nipple there?

Using grease will attract dirt and imagine what she will say when it gets on her white slacks!

My ark off-road ball hitch is greasable. It gets whatever grease I have in the Mini gun for doing the swingarms on the camper - multipurpose of some Description.
In sand or dust I’ll leave the hitch hooked up and pull the pin out of the receiver. Keeps everything clean and tidy.
I recall all the cut down tennis balls on the greased tow balls in the 70’s.

I use a silicon spray which sets dry , have heard of some others using a plastic bag between the coupling on a ball connection

I use a folded plastic bag to lube the tow ball.
No grease or stuff to get onto your clean pants.
That was ok but plakky bags are getting scarce these days.



Ron

Applying grease or other lubricants would create a grinding paste would it not ?
Whereas a dry ball would allow any grit, gravel, etc to simply fall away. to get better opinion Visit here.

I spray mine ball with silicon spray and spray inside the Hyland hitch. If it gets to dry it's a pain to pop off so keeping it moist makes the job easier. As for dirty shins, I just pop on a plastic cover when not in use or if I can't find what the hell I did with the cover, I always have the old half tennis ball in the box.

http://www.haymanreese.com.au/products/hitch-ball-lube

Looks like both and answer and a suggestion for the OP's questions?

Once again, the variety of answers just reinforces how the old farts in caravan parks just love to make things up
Metal on metal with wear the ball. Grease will attract dust and wear the ball. Solution, check the ball and replace when needed
But as always, Ask the suppliers. There is a reason they make tow ball lube

I've been towing heavy camp kitchens and toilet/shower trailers throughout the outback for 45 years behind 4WD buses and supply trucks.
Always used 50mm tow balls and never greased them. Never had a problem. I have always presumed that being round and smooth, (bit like the top of my head), any sand/dust that managed to get in there, will fall out, just as easily. Grease it and there it stays .
As RMD says, how many of us bother to keep the adjusting screw that a lot of tow hitches have, adjusted properly. I never had.

And while I'm here, I've always thought that this forum was supposed to be just a general chat area amongst the members. I don't think one needs to qualify their expertise before making a statement. Because if we do, I'll stand to the side.......I'm just a bus driver and I'm not qualified to do anything.
Just my two bobs worth.

This is a humorous thread and I wouldn't like to derail it with yet another 'feeling'... type answer.. hehe

So instead I would like to ask the folk who subscribe to the 'grinding paste' theory a question..

........I'm sick of buying grinding paste and would like a cheaper alternative, can you show me what I may expect when using caravan ball paste mix... sourced from an Australian caravan ball combo of course?

It does sound like the perfect kit to get rid of a few extra 'thou', in that tricky job.

Good on ya RMD, wait a mo' until I have stopped laughing.

The image of you that I have in mind, is probably not very complementary. hehe (lurking around old ball joints, on the prowl for just the right bit of..)
I've used a lot of lapping compound and the home made stuff that comes of a van ball joint wouldn't come any where near the quality needed to do any real work.(that's if you can even find any under the ball where excess is quickly squeezed out waiting for the ingress of the tricky road side dust)

...but you may have stumbled over some country containing just the right size grit and composition of carborundum, aluminum oxide, silica or silicon carbide, boron carbide, etc. mixed with the right type of carrier medium to get the job done. More power to you..

Yeah, I'm a sceptic, I think with reason as well.

Double layer of plastic bag does it for me. About 60,000 K on the current ball. What's the problem?

Iza

Has anyone taken the time to look at or feel how rough the ball cup is on new ball hitches . The light duty ones appear to be sand cast iron and the heavier duty version seems to be steel but still sand cast. Putting a new ball in a new coupling will damage one or the other , yes ??

If you want to start a 300-post long, forum war - ask whether towballs need to be greased.

All-metal-to-metal contact movement usually requires a lubricant of some type - but it depends on the level of movement.

Lots of movement of the contacting parts (such as ball joints, steering knuckles, rotating bushes running on pins, as in earthmoving and farming equipment) requires daily greasing. - unless they're sealed.

The grease coating on components fitted with a grease nipple, forms a crude seal on the area where it is being squeezed out.
Regular daily greasing keeps the dirt from entering the working surfaces and removes the old grease and contaminants to the outside, where it improves the crude seal.

Components such as towballs and hitches see little contact surface movement, except when turning sharp corners.
As most tow vehicles spend 90% of their time travelling in a fairly straight line, the movement between the surfaces of the towball and the hitch is very small.

You have to ask yourself this question: If the manufacturers of hitches and towballs believed these components need regular greasing - why is there no grease nipple on the tow hitch or towball?

Some over-ride hitches have grease nipples on the hitch sliding shaft. This is necessary because of the amount of movement incurred when braking action is happening, and because a smooth action is required to generate smooth braking action.

The simple solution to towball and tow hitch lubrication is to utilise a dry spray lube, the same as you use on door lock latches and strikers. This is all the lube that is needed for these components.

Disclaimer - My qualifications are an extensive level of experience in regularly greasing earthmovers and farm equipment, and some towing experience with a few vans, over about 3,000,000 kms, and about 53 years. [:-)

Cheers, Ron.