i just purchased a 33' gooseneck and went from tx to ny and back to tx, when i got back i unhooked the trailer and noticed that the ball on my truck had small chucks of metal missing all around it. it almost looked like the ball was corroding away? Trailer pulled fine no slake in it, sits level on truck... the hitch i have is a curt flip over setup.. any suggestions appreciated.. thanks

 

Did you grease the ball?

 

yeah, Did you grease it? could you hear it squeking when you turned or anything?

 

same here, my first thought was grease. did you look up in the coupler to see if there was anything stuck in there, possible slag from a weld from factory or anything?

 

If it is what I think it is, that flip-over hitch may very well be the culprit.

Does it have jaws that open, like a bear-trap, and a flat strap that flips over the closed jaws??

If so, cut that mess off and weld on a standard hitch.

Also, had you used the ball on any other trailers for a long time before this trailer was pulled??

It could be a defective/el-cheapo ball.

I know better now; but, I hauled big gooseneck loads for many, many miles, with nary a dab of grease on the ball, and never noticed any issues from using a dry ball.

I learned later that it is not so much the ball that wears, but the socket inside the trailer neck; so, now, I diligently grease the inside of the socket every time I hook up.

On only one trip, I don't think not greasing the ball would cause the problem you are describing.

On a trailer that long, it is very possible that you have a THREE inch hitch, and are pulling it with a 2-5/16 ball.

Also, like someone already said, look at the hitch for burrs, slag, etc.

 

the ball had just a little bit of grease on it. yes the ball is what you described, flap opens and then i pull the ball out and close the flap back on it. I havent thoroughly inspected it cause of all the bad weather down here but i have ran my hand around it and didnt feel anything. When i picked the trailer up they knew what size ball i had 2 5/16 so thats what size it should be on the trailer, but ill check. thanks for the input...

 

I was not describing the ball, but the hitch/coupler on the trailer itself.

Sorry for the confusion.

Although, the ball you describe sounds a little too Mickey Mouse to suit me, too many moving parts.

I like them solid and immovable.