I wonder if any other formites have any issues, such as rusting, with the towball once (as recommended) the powder coating is removed before using it for towing.

 

Also, is the housing that the retractable towball is positioned in, when not in use, a source of problems, such as rust or build up of dirt? 

It's been a while, but did have to scrub older towballs clean once in a while to remove the rust, before re-greasing. Yeap, I am one of those who love a greased ball ... 😜

Many pants and hands I got greased over time, but oh well, part of the job. If the rust is minimal, scotchbrite is enough. Obviously keeping the ball greased lowers the chance of rust, but from time to time it should be cleaned up, as grease tends to attract dirt which is abrasive as well.

So, clean the ball to a shine, the grease again. Sounds like a sex education commercial lol

If the towball did not come with a protection - mine in the Superb did not - any cheap rubber cap is sufficient, cost is minimal, and does not bother when it is stowed.

 

As for the mechanism, the Superb is the first retractable I own, all my others are or were fixed. I move the mechanism in and out once every few weeks, especially now in the ugly weather, and just spray it liberally with WD40.

Ah, to grease or not to grease! There's so much debate around this.  To the best of my knowledge (and it's not great to be honest) it depends on the type of hitch you have.  Some absolutely require greasing, while others absolutely do not.

 

Here's a taste https://foldingcamperworld.com/should-i-grease-my-towball/

 

All I can say from experience is that everyone I know who tows, about a dozen or so horsey folk (and these tend to be horse trailers,) don't grease.  But that may be out of their ignorance, given that some of them seem to have not a great clue about towing weights, etc..  I guess the best source of knowledge would be direct from the manufacturers of the trailer/caravan. 

 

I like the idea of regular WD40-ing the retractable towball.  I was a bit surprised when we collected the Karoq and checked out the mechanism to not see some sort of hatch cover as it's an obvious muck collecting pocket. although this would interfere with the easy operation of the electric mechanism and require another step in the operation process. 

Edited 20 February, 20251 yr by Ooopnorth

I apologize for the brevity - after all it was an "oldish" post - and I clarify after reading the useful link, stabilizer hitches are not allowed at my latitudes. For these it makes sense not to grease, since they work in a particular way, similar to my bike-carrier (Italian-made), and also my junk-carrier (UK made) do not recomment a greased ball for the same reason, and in that case, I tend to wipe clean so the clamps have greater grip on the ball.

 

But for all other purposes, both for my small >750kg and the larger car-hauling twin axle, I do use grease.

Just on the basis of protection against wear and rust is sufficient. These are expensive things to replace, and extremely dangerous if they were to fail.

Yes, greasing stuff might sound antiquated, but it is part of the normal prevention of friction wear between metals. 

With me, at the question why they don' do it, most answer they do not want to have dirty pants ....

 

About the "hole", I was thinking to make a plastic cover with some velcro, it is enough out of sight so it would not be ugly, and it can be easily popped out when needed. While would not be a totally enclosed result, I guess would be enough to minimize dirt ingress in the tow-hole (lke the way this sounds!).

I tend to regularly spray everything that gets in the way of the elements ... I guess I am also antiquated myself 😜

 

1 hour ago, leolito said:

I apologize for the brevity - after all it was an "oldish" post - and I clarify after reading the useful link, stabilizer hitches are not allowed at my latitudes. For these it makes sense not to grease, since they work in a particular way, similar to my bike-carrier (Italian-made), and also my junk-carrier (UK made) do not recomment a greased ball for the same reason, and in that case, I tend to wipe clean so the clamps have greater grip on the ball.

 

But for all other purposes, both for my small >750kg and the larger car-hauling twin axle, I do use grease.

Just on the basis of protection against wear and rust is sufficient. These are expensive things to replace, and extremely dangerous if they were to fail.

Yes, greasing stuff might sound antiquated, but it is part of the normal prevention of friction wear between metals. 

With me, at the question why they don' do it, most answer they do not want to have dirty pants ....

 

About the "hole", I was thinking to make a plastic cover with some velcro, it is enough out of sight so it would not be ugly, and it can be easily popped out when needed. While would not be a totally enclosed result, I guess would be enough to minimize dirt ingress in the tow-hole (lke the way this sounds!).

I tend to regularly spray everything that gets in the way of the elements ... I guess I am also antiquated myself 😜

 

Yes, I've increasingly physically acquired lots of creaks and clunks, especially when stepping out of bed first thing in the morning .  I like the idea of a velcro type cover, and I'm wondering if also some soft plastic wrapped gently 'stuffed' into the space might discourage some detritus accumulation, but also be sufficiently malleable to not impede the movement of the towball should one forget to remove it when pressing the release button. 

ah ah ....creaks and clunks are sign not only of a problem with the age of the frame, but its mileage as well 🤪

 

I think any soft wrapping will make a mess there ...in any case I do not have an electronic, only the lever to pull down the ball, or release its lock. So a hand always get dirty might as well take an extra moment and lose the cover ...