Hitch Ball Lubrication

[John Hilley]

I was watching Speed Channel before the race today and they had a short "towing Tips" sponsored by Advance Auto. They said to always grease the ball and they recommended putting a dielectric jel on the top of the ball to help with grounding. Since a dielectric is an insulator, this doesn't make much sense to me. What does every one use for a hitch ball lubricant?

[sknight]

Teflon based ball lube I got at Wally World. You don't want to try grounding through the ball since that's a moving not truly solid connection.

[BryanL]

First time I have heard of using a dielectric gell for ball grease - interesting idea. Connecting ground through hitch parts is an old idea. Modern systems tend to favor using a pin the umbilical as it makes for a much more certain connection with less resistance. I don't see any reason why a dielectric grease shouldn't make for good lube, though.

That gel is often used in electrical connections to 'fill in the gaps' and prevent water incursion and corrosion. The electrical connection depends upon the metal to metal connection in the electrical connection, not the gel.

As for lubing the ball, I know some old timers who never do more than clean it. A lube tends to attract crud and make a mess which can score the ball. A dry ball just doesn't wear that much in typical RV use. I have also seen some teflon balls sold to eliminate the need for lube as well. Like many of these RV technical issues, there are strong advocates for particular points of view. What you do is up to you. Good luck.