Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

[Expidia]

I used to like leaving the drawbar and ball on my car all the time which protected my bumper from the jerks while parking that back up without looking until they bounce of your bumper!

That ball and drawbar does a sweet job on their plastic bumpers when they do this parking method and protects my bumper too
But I just put another hitch on my Wife's car as a back up in case my tow car is in the shop for a repair. Can't afford to miss a boating weekend! need back up!

But the downside of leaving it on was even though I probably greased it when I put it in after 2 years it was pretty stuck on. I kept spraying it with PB Buster and whacked it around with a sledge and finally got it out using a big 4 foot long slide hammer. Didn't want to use a tree and a chain for fear of damaging the drive train (or the tree).

So since I have to always have to take my Wife's drawbar off after I use her car to tow the boat or she will bang her leg on it like I always do when I leave mine on

What would be a good grease to keep on it? I take mine off for my bike rack sometimes too.
I'm thinking a clearer silicone grease because marine grease is going to get all over stuff and clothes. I keep a tube of an amber colored Silcone on the boat that I got from a NAPA store.

I plan to wipe it down with silicone, put it into a plastic bag and then store it in the trunk in this $10 nylon hitch bag I bought a few years ago.

Think a Silcone grease is the cleanest way to go on the drawbar? I just spray Silcone on the ball part so it does not squeak while driving.

Any other suggestions?

 

[dingbat]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

If you dont leave it in why put any grease at all on it?

 

[Mikeyboy]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Agreed. If your not leaving it in I wouldn't grease it at all.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Spray the inside of the receiver if want to grease something. It is out in the elements all the time. WD40 or any silcone spray will do just fine.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

I coat mine in antiseize, but I wouldn't do it if I planned on pulling it out everytime I used it.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Only time I even considered lube was when I bought my load equalizing hitch from U haul and they had this special Molybdemum (spelling) based grease that you put on the ball to slick it up beins you are putting all this pressure on the turning connection with the load equalizing bars. Have used it ever sense.

Mark

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Only time I even considered lube was when I bought my load equalizing hitch from U haul and they had this special Molybdemum (spelling) based grease that you put on the ball to slick it up beins you are putting all this pressure on the turning connection with the load equalizing bars. Have used it ever sense.

Mark

He is talking about greasing the receiver not the ball.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

I like white lithium grease.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

I have two Saab 9-5's. I plan on leaving mine in to protect my bumper. But when I switch to my bike rack it replaces the drawbar and the bike rack drawer bar goes in. I'll try the white lithium. The Moly stuff that I remember was black.

It's my Wife's Saab that I can't leave it in. I'll use the white lithium on that one too. I spent an hour cleaning out the rust and pitting in mine by sanding and using the pink Navel jelly and even though the draw bar always in it still rusts inside. That's why it was such a bear getting it out after 2 years, So I need to keep grease in both receiver tubes to prevent rusting. I'm sure salt works it's way in there over the winter.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

He is talking about greasing the receiver not the ball.

Oh, sorry. I don't grease the receiver, no need to. Course if I boated in salt water then I might have to and I would use the same grease I use for everything else here on the farm except my OB engine.....GL 2 Red (extreme service). On the OB I use the Merc lube or the green stuff (marine grade).

Mark

 

[dingbat]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

So I need to keep grease in both receiver tubes to prevent rusting. I'm sure salt works it's way in there over the winter.

You would be surprised how well a little rust proofing paint works at preventing rust.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

I just put on the receiver rubber cap on the back. Mine is also open toward the front so I put a rubber plug type in that end as well. The receiver goes in but does not knock out the front plug (about $4) and the back plug is attached to a ring around the end so it just flips up (about $10).
I never grease the receiver but I will put a spray of oil occasionally to keep rust at bay. The grease collects dust and becomes a mess.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Re: rust paint. Ya, I thought of that I need to spray the outside of the hitch with rust oleum anyway. as soon as you slide the receiver in you strip off the some of the paint again on the inside!

 

[Expidia]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Ya, this is what I found on how messy grease can be. I noticed a third car we have a hitch on (my daughter's subaru) has a front opening. that would have been easy to get my stuck drawbar out if my hitch had that. I think i'll use a rubber plug on her front opening.

I used to use those rear rubber covers on the back but they are like $7 when I can find them and they get stolen very quickly.

They should make draw bars in SS so they don't rust and then no need for messy grease!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

They should make draw bars in SS so they don't rust and then no need for messy grease!

They do but you still get corrosion issues. Mine is all aluminum and they stick worse than the steel ones if you don't apply some antiseize or grease

 

[Mikeyboy]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

The problem with the aluminum ones is dissimilar metals corrode each other and since the hitch is steel you've got problems. Expidia white lithium is great but be careful if using it on the one that will reside in your wife's trunk. It makes a huge mess and I don't think she will be very happy with white grease all over the trunk. I would keep it in a plastic bag inside the other bag to make sure the trunk stays clean.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

I used to like leaving the drawbar and ball on my car all the time which protected my bumper from the jerks while parking that back up without looking until they bounce of your bumper!

FWIW that's illegal in Illinois, maybe not in NY, your mileage may vary, check local listings, prices and participation may vary, offer void in Rhode Island, postage and handling extra, no CODs.

Anyway, I used silicone spray on mine and not only did it quiet the squeaking it didn't make a ginormous mess like grease! I don't leave mine in tho...

 

[Expidia]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

You would be surprised how well a little rust proofing paint works at preventing rust.

Old post but I never commented. Yes, rust proofing paint like Rustoleum works but in this case even if I could get a coat of paint all around the inside of the receiver tube it would peel right off each time I pulled out and pushed in the drawbar.

It's a tight fit on one vehicle and not as bad on the other, Both Saab 9-5's with same model hitches too. The best solution I've found so far is to keep a thin coating of grease, like silicone inside the receiver tube. The tight one doesn't get stuck anymore. The two new drawbars I bought to replace the silver ones one of which locked up pretty good inside that tight tube are now black. I guess the silver ones gave U-Haul a lot of headaches from customer complaints. I just have to be real careful once I pull one out as to what I do with it next or I'll stain stuff. I put them in a plastic bag and then into a padded hitch bag and then store each in the trunk.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

Coat the inside of the receiver tube with OMC/Bombardier triple guard grease, it is a very thick water proof grease that works great.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Best grease for drawbar (ball)?

I coat mine in antiseize, but I wouldn't do it if I planned on pulling it out everytime I used it.

A++ Messy but works way better than anything else