The trailer hitch ball is one of the hitch’s components designed to last a long time. It would be subjected to the harshest treatments, so they’re built to stand the test of time.
However, with proper care, they might give the best performance for as long as you expect. Please pay attention to the neck and diameter of the ball and maintain all other aspects of the hitch ball to ensure it lasts long.
Do Trailer Hitch Balls Wear Out?
While the trailer hitch ball is designed to be highly durable and lasts a long time, the trailer hitch ball will eventually wear out. Several things could make the trailer hitch ball wear out prematurely.
For example, misusing the hitch ball or putting excessive pressure on the hitch ball could cause it to break, wear out faster and need a replacement.
Regardless, your trailer hitch ball is almost impossible to wear out and might even last you longer than other durable vehicle parts.
How Do You Maintain a Ball Hitch?
While the trailer ball hitch is durable, it requires constant maintenance to ensure that it lasts through your vehicle’s lifespan.
With proper care, you won’t have to worry about hearing a squeaking noise from the trailer or truck pulling the tow vehicle. If you’ve heard this before, it could be due to a worn-out hitch ball.
You should inspect the hitch ball if you notice these squeaking noises and fix it as soon as possible to prevent incidents that could cause more problems for you and the vehicle you’re towing.
The ball hitch is designed to serve as the connector between the trailer and the tow vehicle. This part is most prone to wear and tear, but it is also one of the most durable parts of the trailer hitch.
However, it will eventually wear down with road debris, harsh driving conditions, and extreme weather bashing against this part.
Preventive maintenance will ensure that the ball hitch maintains optimum performance and eliminates the chances of accidents and malfunctions. To protect the ball hitch, you use any of these four tips.
1. Use a Tennis Ball to Cover the Ball Hitch
Even in storage, harsh weather conditions could pose a problem for your trailer hitch ball.
It leads to rust and corrosion, which will reduce the performance of the hitch ball when in use and shorten its lifespan.
It would help if you kept the trailer hitch ball covered to ensure this doesn’t happen. You can use a tennis ball to protect the trailer ball hitch adequately. To do this, you will need first to clean the hitch ball.
After that, apply some tremendous or lubricant to reduce the action of friction when covering and uncovering the ball hitch.
The best way to use the lubricant to prevent friction and rust is to apply it to the hitch ball. Ambient moisture.
When done, cut an area from a new tennis ball that will size up the trailer ball hitch.
Ensure that the tennis ball is not soaked in water or moisture, as this could find its way onto the ball hitch.
Another thing to take note of is the kind of lubricant you use. It would be best if you went for a dry oil to avoid messy lubrication.
2. Use a Bucket or Bag to Cover your trailer Ball Hitch
If you cannot get a tennis ball, you could always go for a bag or buck to prevent your trailer ball hitch from unnecessary wear and tear.
You can use it to cover the ball hitch whenever it is not in use. When using a bucket or a bag, ensure that it is clean and moisture-free.
The bag or bucket should be dust-proof and waterproof to ensure that moisture and dirt don’t accumulate on the ball hitch.
3. Use a dry Lubricant on the Ball Hitch
Lubricating the ball hitch should be common knowledge. Even if you’re not exposing the ball hitch to moisture, it is still essential to ensure it is well-lubricated.
The continual motion of the trailer hitch ball will create friction at the connection point. It is one of the primary reasons why the hitch ball wears out quickly. Unfortunately, when it comes to lubricating the hitch ball, using the wrong lubricant can adversely affect it.
Therefore, it would be best to focus only on a dry lubricant option when going for a lubricant.
It is the most reliable option for creating a protective coat to prevent dirt and moisture that could cause the hitch ball to rust while in use.
However, with a dry lubricant, the application process is more straightforward. In addition, unlike grease, dry lubricants are less messy to apply.
4. Grease your Trailer Ball Hitch
If you’re not up for a dry lubricant, you can go for grease. Using grease for lubrication is the most common option for protecting the trailer hitch ball against ambient moisture and friction.
It also increases the ball hitch’s rust resistance, ensuring you can use it for just about the vehicle’s lifespan.
When it comes to greasing the ball hitch, there is no better time to do so than every spin and summer.
If you’ve lubricated the ball hitch in the past, you must clear out the old grease and apply a fresh one for maximum protection.
Other Ways to Maintain the Ball Hitch
Below, we’ve outlined some tips on maintaining the ball hitch while in use.
Height alignment before towing
Another way to maintain the ball hitch is to ensure the proper height alignment before towing. Whenever you’re about to tow a vehicle, you must check and ensure that the trailer or vehicle is in a level position.
It is an important step that could boost the longevity of the hitch ball and the hitch itself.
Alignment while towing
Ensure that the trailer or vehicle being towed is in alignment before and after, also check and confirm that the trailer’s axle is aligned with your vehicle axle while driving.
Avoid exceeding the limits of the towing system
Exceeding the limits of your towing system can be done by accident, especially when you have no idea your receiver size. To prevent this, you can take a tape measure and the receiver.
The size of the receiver should tell you what class the receiver belongs and remember that class II receivers and class II receivers have the exact dimensions.
However, they have different weight ratings. If you have a class I receiver, you will notice that class II accessories won’t fit.