Grease on 3PH pins, good or bad idea?

[JerryG]

When they are new and sticky, I spray them down but after that I have always left them dry. When I worked at a dealership we never greased them or had any customer that I knew of ask about having them greased. Never did see any come in that had grease there either. Almost all types of lube will attract dirt and wear the balls and sockets out.
EDIT: I thought it said balls but it said pins. But, anyway I have never greased them either.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'll use a spray lithium grease. Once it dries, it provides a little bit of rust prevention.

 

[GaryE]

I use a spray on grease every time I change attachments / BH. But I wash the old grease and dirt off first with Brake Parts Cleaner, then let it dry before reapplying the new cote of grease. Not sure it really makes a difference, but it does make me feel better!


Gary

 

[tallyho8]

I have a can of spray silicone I use on mine. I don't know how good a job it does but it doesn't seem to attract a dirt buildup.

 

[Z-Michigan]

That hitch ball comment was interesting, zzvy. I started greasing mine to get rid of the GRROOOAAAANNNs when I went around a corner or, especially, up and over a steep hump. Never noticed any difference in stability.
Bob

Ditto. We use moly wheel bearing grease on the gooseneck 2 5/16" hitch ball for our horse trailer. Keeps it quiet, smooth, and free of rust. Stability is flawless. Before we started greasing it it was kinda noisy. I just think about how much force can be on that ball and wonder how fast it would wear without lubrication.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I have all my implement pins dry. What a mess if they were all lubed up. I would have to say that I can not remember ever seeing implement pins lubed. My guess would be if they were supposed to be greased that they would come with zerk fittings in the implements. There most likely is a reason that they don't, just not sure what that reason is other than it would be really messy.

 

[YanmarFever]

I have a can of spray silicone I use on mine. I don't know how good a job it does but it doesn't seem to attract a dirt buildup.

Tallyho8, I think you hit the pin on the head.

spray on silicone attracks no dirt cause it wont stick to it, I have been using it for years on the advice of an old farmer.

He said NEVER use grease !

 

[DieselPower]

Personally I don't like grease because it attracts so much dirt. I use a Moly dry film lubricant. It provides a good solid film lubrication that does not attract dust and dirt.

 

[Flywheel]

I use wd-40 on it, a bit lighter than grease. Only thing you NEVER want to grease is a trailer hitch ball, and I see it all the time. Friction in the hitch is a major stabilizing factor, just like the extra hitch friction brake, you don't want to lubricate it.

I disagree.

This is the first I've heard of this. In fact. if you have trailer stability issues, then you have trailer / load problems.

Grease the ball and minimize wear on the ball and hitch. Also, keep the locking assembly lubed for easier attachement and less wear.

We also grease the GN ball for the groan issues as well as wear. There can be a lot of weight on a ball - you dont wan thtis to be a dry joint.

No if you have WD hitch and sway control - you DO NOT want to lubricate the sway control friction assembly...

 

[Flywheel]

Oh yea - I use motor oil to lube the 3pt balls - easy to do and WAY BETTER than having a dry assembly - which will be metal on metal - don;t worry too much about the dirt - the tolerances are not that tight.