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I noticed some wear on my hitch head when hooking it up the other day.not sure if this is normal or not. What struck me as odd was that the metal in the head is actually deformed where the top of the trunion rides in the head.
Is this normal or excessive for one year's worth of use?
I'll be honest, I haven't been greasing this area. I live on gravel and i was afraid the grease would attract dust and do more harm than good. I did grease them this time with some spray grease which seems to clean up easy, but I'm wondering if that is good enough.
The bottom doesn't look deformed but you cam see some wear. The bars look pretty good without discernible wear, just "shined up"
Thoughts?
I always greased mine. I use whatever i have in the grease gun. Usually a red chassis grease. You could spread the grease where the parts contact then wipe off any extra after hooking it up.
Nothing is forever...everything wears. Do you pull the hitch after you have the RV home? I would surely grease it. That bottom photo doesn't look good.
Well, metal on metal contact under fairly high force-loads without lubrication. I would expect to to wear away some material. A little grease should help a bit but it's a spot that transfers all the torque from the spring bars into the truck, plus any momentary loads from bumps in the road etc, so it's under a pretty big load, and it's twisting around every corner.
Overall, a little dab or grease, and don't worry too much.
yes, I pull the hitch after I'm parked. when at the campground I pull it and stow it in the camper out of sight.
my only reservation with greasing it has been that i'll have to wipe the grease completely off of everything every time I use it. that is to say when I get where I'm going it will be covered in dust from the drive out, and when I get home it will be covered from the drive home. so i'll have this nasty greasy rag I've got to deal with 4 times at every trip.
maybe that's the way it is and I need to just plan for it and deal with it, but that's why I've been leaving it dry.
it is looking more and more like I need to "just deal with it" and keep it greased. I agree, the pics don't look good, which is why I posted the question - it is concerning. looks like it is prematurely wearing.
the way the metal is distorted it almost looks like I'm putting too much force on the head, but I'm using the 1200 lbs bars for a tongue weight that is just bit over the 800lbs mark when I last measured. (I should try and measure it again, or take it to the scales).
that would work for storing it, but I'm still going to have the problem when I unhook/rehook at the destination and at home.
if only they could make a grease that didn't attract dust!
I'm thinking I might take a old bath towel and cut it up into smaller squares and keep them in a tub by the hitch. that way I can have a supply of grease rags I can just throw away rather than trying to keep a greasy rag to use for the next time. it doesn't take much to wipe it clean, but it was always the problem of "what do you do with the greasy rag, and if I throw it away what will I use next time"
I've always wiped them clean with a rag because of the dust, just not with grease.
I keep a "hook up bag" with my hitch - nitrile gloves, a roll of shop grade paper towels and a can of general purpose grease. Lube it up at the beginning of each trip, wipe it all down at the end, throw out the gloves and paper towel.
One year's worth of use, but about how many miles or how much use is that? If just casual use, grease or no grease, that much wear would make me wonder.
One year's worth of use, but about how many miles or how much use is that? If just casual use, grease or no grease, that much wear would make me wonder.
Steve
I probably have a couple dozen hook-up's on it in that year.
we camped about 6 times, and every time we leave we are in a hurry or the kids are not going to tolerate the wait for me to dump, so I haul it home with the holding takes full and take it to the park close to home to use the dump station. so there is at least 12 hook-up's with camping. then there were a few more to do other random stuff.
I doubt there is 500 miles on the hitch, though, a fair bit of maneuvering, in those miles.
Question:
I pull a 33 ft. 8,000lb. double slide TT with a Toyota Sequoia. I purchased a 1200lb Straightline from you in 2007 and it has about 30k miles on it. The receiver for the trunions has worn quite oval. The trunion pin ends are worn but not terrible. The cams and friction parts just show what I would call normal wear. My concern is if the receiver socket wears too thin, breaks and the trunion bar goes flying. Are there any guidelines for thickness of the receiver? Thanks!
asked by: Jeff K
Expert Reply:
I spoke with my contact at Cequent, the manufacturer, and he stated that there is no specification on the thickness of the socket. We talked about the wear on your RP66074 WD system and he stated that 30k miles was quite a lot and some wear was to be expected. This wear could be made worse if the system is not properly and routinely cleaned and lubricated.
It seems to me that if you are even remotely concerned about the system failing in any way, then it is probably time for some replacement parts. We offer the Replacement Trunnion and Pin, # 58097, if you think the wear on them is bad enough. You would need a total of two.
But the bigger issue seems to be the head. To replace it, you will need the Replacement Weight Distribution Trunnion Style Head, # RP58167. If you replace these parts and keep the system cleaned and lubricated, it will solve the problem. Make sure you clean and replace the grease frequently. What happens is dirt and road grime get into the system and it acts like sand, slowly grinding away at the components. If you need grease, I recommend Trailer Hitch Grease, # L10337. I have also included the instructions for RP66074 below.
You will need to double check that the vehicle, hitch, and all the components you use to tow, are rated for towing a 33 foot, 8,000 pound trailer.
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