Towing Tips

1. Add a thin layer of a good quality grease to your hitch ball’s sphere. The grease will be a lubricant to allow the mating coupler to spin easily and minimize wear on the ball.
2. Without lubrication, the hitch ball will wear out prematurely and will need replaced far more often than a well greased hitch ball.
3. Grease on the ball also helps the trailer to “follow” the vehicle more easily because the coupler can rotate on the ball with less friction.

1. When a trailer is connected to a hitch ball, it is important that the trailer is being towed in a level position. This is achieved through various Ball Mount “Drops” or “Rises” which allow you to position the hitch ball at the proper height so when your trailer is coupled and loaded, it is level.
2. If the Trailer is not towed level, it will place undue stress (causing wear) on the hitch ball. In addition, an unlevel and improperly loaded (unbalanced) trailer can compromise your ability to maintain control of your trailer under heavy breaking scenarios.

3. Ensure proper alignment of trailer while towing

1. Trailers, like automobiles, need to be aligned so that they tow straight. The axle(s) of your trailer need to be parallel to your vehicles axle while driving. If the trailer’s axle(s) is not parallel to the vehicle’s axles, the trailer will inevitably be pulling and dragging toward one side or the other. In addition to this causing excessive tire wear and a compromised environment during heavy braking, this condition will also put added stress (and wear) on the hitch ball and contribute to a premature wearing out of the ball.

4. Conform to the capacity limits of the towing system

1. Hitch balls are one part of the towing system. It is imperative that all components (ball, ball mount, hitch, coupler, vehicle rating, etc) exceed the load applied to them with the trailer during towing. Overloading (pulling a trailer that is heavier than any one component’s rating) is extremely dangerous and can cause disconnection of the trailer from the vehicle. Consistently towing heavy loads can cause early wearing out of the ball even if the tow load is within the ball’s capacity. If you will be towing consistently close to the capacity of the hitch ball on a regular basis, consider upgrading your ball to a higher capacity ball.