Anderson WD Hitch Tow Ball Wear

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I picked up an E23 in July and pulled it home on a six week trip that was around 1500 miles in total miles. The tow ball appears (to me) to be excessively worn from such a short tow. It appears to me that the plating was improperly applied to the tow ball but wondering if anybody has other thoughts about why this would happen and if I should be concerned with a tow ball that looks like this.

My WD hitch is an Andersen. I have used Weigh-Safe and Equalizer in the past and have never seen this type of wear to the tow ball. Any thoughts?
 

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That doesn't look good / 'right' at all.

I'd be sharing that pic with Andersen and seeking feedback from them.
Yes, I did that and they told me it was nothing to worry about. Thought I would ask here since that didn’t make sense to me.
 
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I’d reach back out them that’s not normal
Yeah, while maybe "nothing to worry about" from a safety standpoint, it's certainly not aesthetically acceptable (prematurely rusty ball) and likely has long-term wear implications. Does the inside of your hitch on the trailer exhibit excessive wear in the corresponding contact area?

Now I'm really curious to see if other users of that hitch post similar experience.

@Rockhead , do you use this hitch system?
 
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I'm a mechanical engineer and I have experience with mechanical stuff - including trailers and hitches, and my initial thought is - I would be more concerned if it DIDN'T wear, even with "only" 1500 miles. Think about what's going on back there - these metal parts don't fit or mesh together like machined bearings - they're stamped and cast parts with nominal dimensions - not machined surfaces. They're not hardened surfaces either, just plated with chrome - don't compare it to the care and attention needed by the wheel bearings. The hitch ball and mating tongue have high friction forces, banging together, sliding around each other, and if the grease, which I'm sure has worn off after hundreds of miles, even if it was applied, along with additional road dust and grit, has worn down to almost nothing. We used to call this the "final machining process" when the "high spots" wear off and the parts fit together better by themselves, after which the amount of wear will decrease to almost nothing. If you're worried about aesthetics, just keep the ball covered with something when it's not hitched to the trailer - and don't look up into the mating part. All that said, a thin coat of heavy grease is always helpful when you get the chance.
 
In my years of towing, I have never seen that kind of wear on a hitch ball. For it to happen in the first 1500 miles is even more concerning, at least to me.
 
All that said, a thin coat of heavy grease is always helpful when you get the chance.
Unlike an Equalizer, Weigh-Safe or similar WD Hitch, the Andersen specifically states that no grease should be applied to the tow ball. The tow ball assembly is supposed to rotate with a friction cone inside the rest of the hitch assembly. That is why I am concerned with the wear.
 
I too have the Andersen and I too sent them a photo very similar to yours. They responded it was normal and nothing to be concerned with. Yep, you're right, no grease is to be used.
 
My old chrome plated hitch ball looks a lot like that (not Anderson) with probably about that much use with our utility trailer, lots of short local trips and one 600 mile trip.

I always use it dry but I rub a very thin film of grease on it to keep it from rusting. I don't think it's a big deal, just wipe the grease of it before towing if you are worried about it. When it does get rusty a little bit of steel wool and a bit more grease and you will be good.
 
My Andersen ball is starting to look a bit skanky and only has a few 100 miles on it. I really should clean the cup on the trailer side, as I used to use a moderate application of heavy grease with my old tow ball/bar.. instead of putting the grease on the ball, I'd stuff it up under the trailer side cup, using disposable gloves to smear it around, and when I switched to the Andersen, I didn't clean it out.
 
The 23 must take a 2 5/16" ball. There's no getting this wrong a 2 5/16" ball won't fit into a 2" coupler. The other way around sure.

At 6000 pounds GVWR that's pushing the limit for a 2" ball.
 

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