Oil your hitch

showcrop

Well-known Member
The trailer hitch post made mr think that it is the time of year for us northerners to oil our receiver trailer hitches. If you leave a drawbar in the receiver in the winter they can get rusted in and be nearly impossible to remove.
 
Take it out if your not pulling a trailer! Some states require you to do that, a good law. I keep some grease on the ball and when it's out
of the receiver it's in an old pants leg. Whenever I have to throw away an old pair of work pants I cut the legs off at the knee, works great
for storing a greasy ball mount.
 
I use the Moly grease specially made for the purpose. Especially good when using a load equalizer hitch on bumper pulls.
 
I don't use my trailer in the winter so I pull the receiver and locking pin and put it in tool box. The pin and ball are greased all the time.
 
Still haven't found any law on any book yet that states you can't leave the shank installed on your truck. If anyone can produce chapter and paragraph on that, I'd really appreciate it. It would settle a lot of arguments.

I wouldn't put it past some politician having rapped his shin on a hitch ball at some point in his life, getting grease on his expensive politician suit, and deciding right then and there, "There Ought to be a Law Against That!" But, I haven't seen it.

Thanks for the reminder though. I have one coupler on a trailer that I only use in the winter that really could use a squirt or two of PB Blaster.
 
I just crack my knee on mine every time I walk by the back of the truck. It keeps the rust knocked loose.
 
Receiver hitches do cause extra damage in car crashes. For me, grease keeps a receiver loose better than oil.
 
(quoted from post at 08:10:36 11/17/17) Still haven't found any law on any book yet that states you can't leave the shank installed on your truck. If anyone can produce chapter and paragraph on that, I'd really appreciate it. It would settle a lot of arguments.

I wouldn't put it past some politician having rapped his shin on a hitch ball at some point in his life, getting grease on his expensive politician suit, and deciding right then and there, "There Ought to be a Law Against That!" But, I haven't seen it.

Thanks for the reminder though. I have one coupler on a trailer that I only use in the winter that really could use a squirt or two of PB Blaster.

That law is right below the one that says that straps are illegal for securing a tractor on a truck or trailer, LOL.
 
Illinois had a proposed bill, died in 2011 or 2012, not brought to vote. Illinois police will ticket for obstructing license plate IF hitch does in such a manner as to keep camera from taking pictures with full number, but that is part of 'obstructing license plate' law. Fancy plate holder with fat sides that block view or dangling loads will get tickets also. Couple odd threads about California Bumper laws, hitches that interfere with the bumper energy absorbing features might not be allowed on newest vehicles, ticket when inspected for general pollution, vehicle additions not tested by California. No federal laws explicitly, but it's one of those areas where federal law says state can do what they want as long as it doesn't interfere with interstate commerce codes- lumped in with the state trailer license plate and brake laws for farm and private use at weight levels. Wisconsin is optional license plate/title under 3000 pounds but I had 3 little trailers homemade with the title and home built tags, current license plate on one because I would take them into Illinois and Iowa. Trailer ball on Astro Van and Ford E250 are sort of permanent now- will need some PB Blaster and hot wrenching. There might be a recent law passed in some state like California or East Coast area in past legislative session explicitly saying hitches have to be removed from receiver when not towing- only other thread was hitches or hitch mounted fixed carriers extending into public way when parked on city streets- and that was city only ordinance regarding parking spaces marked for size of vehicles, type vehicles. SO, not yet or not known specific , explicit laws on hitches as such, couple possible under bumper equipment or license plate obstruction or parking lot/parking space use. Google gets 'more pay for information' add sites than direct info sometimes. RN
 
Great idea. I think I'll borrow that. The little plastic covers get as much grease on them and are worthless keeping grease off me. Wouldn't marine grease be better than oil or plain grease?
 
That is good idea, hopefully I will remember when out to do this.

One of my customers paints the ball and hitches different colors for different sizes, this was after someone put a 2 5/16 hitch on a 2" ball and went out on the road.
 
Google is your friend!

A tow hitch left on vehicle and not in use is violating the law ...
https://www.southbayriders.com ? Forums ? Resources ? Tickets
May 28, 2011 - 20 posts - ‎14 authors
Starting June 1st the CHP will be cracking down on people who have their tow hitches attached on their vehicles when they are not towing
 
I did that a while back. Its kind of like.....WHAM. What the heck was that?????? Then you know lol.
 
I recently wanted to remove the receiver on my mini van. IT was very stuck... well a couple days soaked with ATF/Diesel and hooked a chain on it to my Case DC. It came right out ! !
 
I used to leave one in without a lock. Disappeared in a parking lot while shopping.
Ok. I buy a lock and install another ball and insert.....ball disappears.
No more leaving it in and no more banging the shin either.

I lock my trailer chains to the truck too so that my trailer doesn't disappear. Different mix of folks around here now. Got to keep everything
under lock and key or lose it. PIA but what you gotta do.
 
My mother leaves the insert stuck in the hitch on her suburban, she has had a lot of people bump her and
leave marks on the bumper. She was over in Deland FL talking to someone and a guy pulls in with a ratty
pu and bump her then gets out and starts to curse her saying it's illegal to have that insert when your
not using it and it damaged the hood of his pu.LOL cops came no it's not illegal in FL
 
I did some work for a NYS trooper a couple years back. He told me that unless the hitch was covering the license plate that I could be left in. Similar to having a plastic cover over the plate making it unreadable.
Loren
 
For the past 2 or 3 years I ave been using Fluid Film for things like that. It don't seem to dry out and wil last a long time.
 
I used to work mobile RV repair in the Tucson, AZ area. Got a call from what we call a snowbird (politely, a winter visitor), couldn't get his coupler uncoupled. About a 4-year-old equalizer hitch, 2 5/16 double-bar EQ towing a 40 ft Airstream from Wisconsin, had never been greased. Half a can of WD-40 and a sledgehammer got him uncoupled, dunno if I got him educated or no.
 
An internet myth. This is right from iowa dot.

TRAILER HITCH REQUIREMENTS
The Iowa Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of Motor Vehicle Enforcement (MVE) is reporting an increase in questions related to safe and lawful trailer hitch attachment in Iowa. The majority of questions relate to whether you must remove the trailer hitch from your vehicle when a trailer is not attached. Iowa DOT's MVE Major Ned Lewis clarified that there is no Iowa law that requires a hitch be removed when a trailer is not in tow.
 
I pull mine out and toss it in the back of the pickup every time I’m done using it. I do it probably 20 times a year.
 
mines been on my truck for 17 years straight. I might have changed the pin once. I will check today to see if it's rusted in.
 
I had my trailer hitch ball in the reciever of my truck for 250,000 Non-Towing miles and had State troopers, Sherriff Deputies, and local Cops all walk by the back of my truck and said absolutely nothing about it being illegal.

Just an urban myth to get you old guys all stirred up about nothing!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top