Fastway e2 wdh?

[Fox hunt]

If you grease the ball wouldn't you have a greasy ball with any hitch? I don't grease the bars or chains.

[jxoco]

Last time we were out, at the end of uncoupling, I didn't want to get dirty from the ball of the hitch. I grabbed one of the plastic bags from the bags of ice out of the back of the track and put it on the ball like a shower cap with either end of the bag pulled down thru the d shaped holes that the torsion bars ride in.
5 months later it is still over the ball protecting me from getting dirty.
Hasn't blown off.

[J Mac]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Andersen has no grease nor bars, just 2 lightweight chains.

That may be true but you must be aware of the fact that several people on this site have had their troubles with the Andersen Hitch. Worn out parts, replacement parts etc. at a greater cost than the simple Escape Trailer issue that so far seems to work well.

[float5]

We try to wipe off the ball with a shop towel as soon as we unhitch, and then put the cover.

Our Pro Series WDH is not greasy where our hands go but it has grease where we oil it at trunnion points. We put those ends into paper bags.

I wish there were a cover for the adjustable hitch so that we didn't have to remove it for going anywhere. So when backing, if hitting a vehicle, there would be something soft there to keep from damaging it.

[Rossue]

By simple Escape issue you mean the Pro Series? If we do get another one that is likely it, having owned it before. Lot less $$ than the Fastway. And I'm the guy who said you usually get what you pay for when talking a year and half ago in respect to the cost of th Andersen. I believe I did say there are exceptions and that was one for us.

[gbaglo]

If you read your Toyota manual, I suspect you will find a note saying NOT to leave the coupler installed when not towing.
I think the reason is the amount of damage that can be done if it gets hit.
I now remove mine, although for years, I left it in place to warn the guy parking behind not to hit my spare tire which is mounted on the rear hatch.

[Losangeles]

maybe this?

WeatherTech BumpStep® Hitch Mounted Bumper Protection | WeatherTech.com

[gbaglo]

Maybe. Protects the bumper, but I wonder if it protects the hitch receiver and mounting points?
Saw one similar, but all chrome, and more than I was willing to pay.
I'll never really know how many people parking by ear hit my WDH.

[thoer]

My favorite thing about a back up camera is being able to see that hitch when backing up and when hooking up. I get lazy and leave it on if we're leaving the trailer in the site while we go off somewhere. I supposed I should pull it off......

[float5]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

If you read your Toyota manual, I suspect you will find a note saying NOT to leave the coupler installed when not towing.
I think the reason is the amount of damage that can be done if it gets hit.
I now remove mine, although for years, I left it in place to warn the guy parking behind not to hit my spare tire which is mounted on the rear hatch.

I was referring to the ball mount. I wish it could be left for one-night stops. The coupler, yes, they would say that kind of weight should not be on your TV.

[float5]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

maybe this?

WeatherTech BumpStep® Hitch Mounted Bumper Protection | WeatherTech.com

This goes into the receiver and is to protect the bumper.
I am referring to having an item that somehow attaches to our adjustable ball mount and protects from damage by it.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

If you read your Toyota manual, I suspect you will find a note saying NOT to leave the coupler installed when not towing.
I think the reason is the amount of damage that can be done if it gets hit.

I assume you mean ball mount, or WDH head, rather than coupler. I expect that most - perhaps all - manufacturers would say the same.

The hitch bypasses the energy-absorbing components of the bumper system so a sufficiently severe collision risks damage to the vehicle structure. In many cases, the receiver structure bypasses the portion of the vehicle structure which is designed to deform in a collision, increasing the severity of injury to the vehicle's occupants if rear-ended hard enough.

The hassle of heaving a massive WDH head in and out of the receiver is one reason that I have no interest in unnecessarily using WD. I do take the ball mount out between towing trips, and even within the trip if driving around significantly with the trailer left in camp.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Who says an old dog can learn?

I had a clever response, going something like this:

Maybe the old dog just needs to learn to use an Andersen Greaseless Hardball.

Unfortunately, and inexplicably, it is available only in 1-7/8"... not the 2" needed for an Escape. There are larger diameters but they are available only for the Rapid Hitch, not for a standard ball mount. Also, it wouldn't be suitable for use with Andersen's own No-Sway WD hitch.

[gbaglo]

Yup. Brain freeze. Ball mount.
And your explanation is my understanding also.
Minor bumps concern me as to the receiver mount points.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I had a clever response, going something like this:

Maybe the old dog just needs to learn to use an Andersen Greaseless Hardball.

How does that lubricate the coupler? Somebody from Andersen drop by with some 30-in-One oil every few weeks?

[J Mac]

Originally Posted by Rossue

By simple Escape issue you mean the Pro Series? If we do get another one that is likely it, having owned it before. Lot less $$ than the Fastway. And I'm the guy who said you usually get what you pay for when talking a year and half ago in respect to the cost of th Andersen. I believe I did say there are exceptions and that was one for us.

Yup, that's the WDI I was referring to, the Pro Series.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

How does that lubricate the coupler? Somebody from Andersen drop by with some 30-in-One oil every few weeks?

The nylon cap of the Andersen Greaseless Hardball allows the ball to slide in the coupler without the need for lubrication, like PFTE (e.g. Teflon™) in a frying pan avoiding the need for cooking oil. Similarly, fifth-wheel hitches are often (especially in RVs) used with a polymer disk (or "lube plate") to avoid the need for grease between the hitch plate and pin box, made of polyethylene or nylon or perhaps even Teflon™.

[gbaglo]

I get that the ball is 'lubricated' but that doesn't do anything for the moving parts in the coupler.
And, speaking of stuff not working, why does this site think the word coupler is misspelled?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I get that the ball is 'lubricated' but that doesn't do anything for the moving parts in the coupler.

While there are moving parts in a coupler, they don't move while towing and need little if any lubrication. The grease in there is usually for the contact between the ball and the coupler's socket. If moving parts in the coupler are the only lubrication concern, there's no need for grease on the ball, and a bit of spray lube (I wouldn't use WD-40 or 3-In-One oil) could be spritzed into the mechanism, perhaps once at the beginning of each trip - I don't think that would make a noticeable mess on the ball.

Where the bars of a conventional WD system seat in the head the force is much higher, and this sort of light lubrication is likely inadequate.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

And, speaking of stuff not working, why does this site think the word coupler is misspelled?

I don't think it's this site - spell checking is more likely done by your browser - but in any case some dictionaries used by spell-checkers do not include the word "coupler". On my computer, in Chrome, I chose the "Add to dictionary" item in the context menu for the "coupler" when it was flagged as a miss-spelling, so it is no longer flagged as an error.