greasin that hitch

[Taifun7]

We towed quite a few times during the racing season however we never greased the receiver end that would slide in the hitch. With that said, we also removed the receiver when we returned home and parked the trailer. It's not asking that much to remove it , is it?

 

[Marshall]

It proves they weren't paying attention....

It it is a pita to cars when you are parking with that sticking out and ram it into the guy behind you, 3/4 tons are up high
I never used grease, but I would not have it for any length of time. Spray silicon would help, and it dries so would not hold dirt.
A good wack with a sludge hammer should free it up.

I seen some one chain it to a tree to try to pull it out, I left as the tree was winning , and I did not trust the rusty chain in use. It it had came out I did not want to be anywhere close.

 

[markabby]

i should wear my reading glasses when visiting this forum...i thought the thread was "greasing that bi**h". and i thought wtf??

 

[18CrewDually]

I want to see an example of a hitch and reciever that wore out from grease that had trapped dust/ dirt. Where's the proof? Sounds like just a theory to me.
Rust scale on the other hand I've seen take away material.

 

[Neomoritate]

Don't ever leave any accessory in your receiver when not in use. It is dangerous, for a variety of reasons, all of which you are legally liable for. The reason the step was corroded in place, is that it was left in the receiver to rust. Grease will be messy, and not a practical solution.
Get a wire brush for your drill, go over the whole receiver, inside and out. once the rust and old paint are gone, repaint with Rustoleum. Do the same for your rusty accessories Store receiver accessories under the seat in your truck, and you won't have this problem in the future.

 

[js12278]

Fluid Film on all hitch components

 

[18CrewDually]

Fluid Film on all ***** components

Exactly

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Personally, I use the Krown rust control and lubricant spray in my hitch ball/receiver.

I keep mine in at all times regardless of me towing or not. Yes... I get it, it's sometimes considered not etiquette, or necessarily allowed by local governance... Do I give AF... not at all!

However, this is my "bumper protector", and I use the "tri-ball & hook" combo piece with the extended length (in black chrome so it looks good on my truck...lol).

You'd be surprised at how many times over the years this has come in handy due to the f_ c..u - K _ ta//rd_- er...*y of drivers out there be it in the drive-thru or parking in a lot, say Wally's... where they come right at ya and smack the back end!

I had an instance a year or so ago when dim..wit at Tim's drove right into the back of my truck...

My hitch went right into his grill and A/C condenser.... I had a scratch on my ball... he had a couple thousand dollars damage... I told him he could go through insurance (private property or not!) or just eat it and I was good to leave.... He chose not to report it to insurance and left with a hole in his grill and an A/C system that was damaged... due to his ignorance....

Had I not had my hitch in place.... my colour matched rear bumper would have been hit and that would have indeed been an insurance claim

 

[Aggie12]

For a square receiver hitch, if you don't want gunk buildup, spray some silicone on it - it's a dry lube. Like others here, I remove it when I'm not using it actively.

For my goose-neck ball, I use a light coat of lithium-rich bearing grease which I regularly wipe off and apply fresh, before hooking up the trailer.

For the tractor and implements, if it has a grease zirk, it gets lithium-rich grease (seems to coat better).

If you're greasing something that collects dirt and isn't sealed against it, I agree with the comments about retention, grinding, and premature wear.

Pressure washers are your friend.

 

[Spree]

I never grease my receiver or ball, no problem here. I also remove it and stow it in the floor compartment when I'm done to keep the thieves away.

 

[Lsujker]

Not sure why this thread intrigues me so much. This has not been a problem in my 25 years of towing. I do move the hitch around a lot owning multiple trucks and one aluminum hitch. Maybe that’s it. Alternate to aluminum … maybe it’s a yankee problem. No salt here.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

I want to see an example of a hitch and reciever that wore out from grease that had trapped dust/ dirt. Where's the proof? Sounds like just a theory to me.
Rust scale on the other hand I've seen take away material.

I'm with you. i don't grease mine but I do hit it with a shot of WD-40 when I remove to coat the bare metal that the hitch may have left behind and certainly hit it with a shot before I put it in for ease. The ball gets a little dab of whatever grease/heavy oil is around and spread with my finger. When I disconnect, a quick wipe with a rag and its good to go. Having a hitch/receiver is another maintenance item we just have to deal with. Don't be like my buddy who leaves his in there its whole life and sells his truck with it on it because it has rust-welded itself to the mount. Needless to say, imagine the ball-busting that needs to be done to switch receivers if you need to change for another trailer.

 

[N0NAMETOGIVE]

Some cities have a Rule about hitches, if someone hurts their leg on a Hitch Receiver & it is not hooked up to a trailer ......

I've been pulled over for having a hitch on a company truck, while not towing in California.

 

[18CrewDually]

I've been pulled over for having a hitch on a company truck, while not towing in California.

PA has a law on the books to, that when not in use it must be removed.

 

[Rlaf75]

I never put anything on the ball. I never had a problem

 

[7091ram]

Slip plate the hitch and spray it inside the receiver as well. I spray it on my lawn mower deck as well and the grass doesn't stick to it. You can get spray can or regular cans of it and brush it on I use the gallon can and get a narrow paint roller and put it on that way.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Not sure why this thread intrigues me so much. This has not been a problem in my 25 years of towing.

Yea, I don't get it either. My hitch stays on all the time. I was pulling a log yesterday and it wasn't rusted on. I looked at it because of this thread. It's been on there 7 years and the pin and everything looks good. I haven't gotten a ticket, not has any moron tried to sue me for bumping their shin on it.

And yet, here I am again.....

 

[Sherman Bird]

Another vote for don't lube. Better to remove periodically and wash it out. Leaving hitch assembled makes it a maintenance item just like changing oil and rotating tires.

I've never (and still don't) leave my hitch in the receiver. I keep a heavy plastic bag in the vehicle and put the hitch and clevis pin in that. I put a plastic end cap in the hole for neatness.
I have acquaintances who think that leaving their hitch in reduces the likeliness of getting rear-ended. I do not know how accurate that is, but my shins tell me to stow mine!

 

[dsherman26]

I only grease the ball. I also don't leave my hitch in when I'm not using it since I once had to help someone remove one that had become stuck with road grit and rust. I also have found it the hard way with my shin before . While the hitch might offer your rear end some additional protection as in CanuckRam's case, my former brother-in-law had an unfortunate incident where some careless driver didn't see his trailer hitch while it was parked and they ran into it in the parking lot. His truck was fine, but careless driver had a hole in their bumper cover. He comes back to find that careless driver called the police on him, trying to get him cited for the damage from the trailer hitch they missed seeing. Even the cop found it hilarious and had a hard time explaining to careless driver that if you run into part of a parked, stationary vehicle, that's all on you. Careless driver was cited, but still a headache for BIL having to deal with irate careless driver.

 

[62Blazer]

I want to see an example of a hitch and reciever that wore out from grease that had trapped dust/ dirt. Where's the proof? Sounds like just a theory to me.
Rust scale on the other hand I've seen take away material.

Same here! There should be no more than just a tiny bit of vibration going on there. Not like the hitch is sliding back and forth a couple inches or something.