Tow ball

[GrahamDerby]

Hi all
Checking my tow ball the other day i noticed it was pitted and looking a bit worse for wear. I went to Indispention and got a new one . The entire unit was sprayed black, i asked the salesman about removing the paint from the ball and he said there was no need to. Its for a Alko hitch and i have always had a paint free ball in the past. I tried to get the paint off with celulose thinners but it had no effect. The question is , do i leave the paint on, or get it off somehow, help please.

Graham

 

[Ancientcaravanner]

I always understood the ball had to be paint free for an alko stabilizer hitch. They all seem to come painted - I had to emery mine clean.

AC

 

[Lutz]

That's right. They are painted in order to protect them against corrosion. However, the ball itself should then be paint free before first usage so that the brake pads are not contaminated.

 

[Damian]

For any van with a hitch damper the towball MUST be totally cleaned of protective paint or other finish to a bright bare metal finish or th efriction pads will become contaminated and be unable to provide the damping which they are designed to do.

Emery paper to remove the paint, then brake cleaner to remove any contamination.

 

[RegandPat]

On my tow ball I put a sheet of kitchen roll over the ball then my nice posh plastic crome cover over it.
When going to tow van I just give it a quick clean with break spray.
On my first under powered car I had new tow bar fitted and it was black, it took a lot of work to clean up. it was easer to change the car.
Reg

 

[TheTravellingRooster]

Hi Reg and to you all. The notion of a "Nice shiny ball cover" is all well & good until some sticky figured irk comes along and lays claim to it. I have for years now (after loosing several shiny metal & plastic ones) resorted to fixing them on a piece of cycle brake cable with nuts & bolts and electrical ring connectors through the top ( drill a fine hole,pass the cable through and crimp the connector on)and another at the other end fastened to the 12N/12S fixing plate using the dedicated nut/bolts. That way they don't get left behind or easily pinched. They can/do hang safely secured on the car when towing.
I use a piece of fine linen/cotton soaked in Canadian Turps cut into a 50mm/2" circle and overlaid with a piece of Cling Film and twisted to "cap it", then put the ball cover on and push down until it is seated/bottomed out. That keeps the ball relatively free of up-drafted road grime. I always have a small screw-top bottle in the car with Canadian Turps in it and a clean lint free cloth fastened around it with a elastic band (courtesy of a postman with dropsy),these go into a seal-able sandwich bag.

 

[Lutz]

'Canadian Turps' is a destllied resin which will itself already contaminate the surface. If you are going to go to such lengths and then brake cleaning fluid is a better bet.

 

[GrahamDerby]

Thanks all. I have now taken the black paint off. Took some moving but in the end nitromorse did the job, didnt fancy scratching a new ball with emery paper. Nice and shinney now.
Cheers
Graham

 

[TheTravellingRooster]

Hi Lutz. Interesting point;however, I believe that I have read on an Alko info page that Turpentine or Brake Cleaning Fluid was acceptable.
Being as Canadian Turpentine is a more pure product than basic Turpentine that is/has been my reasoning behind using it.
I had been warned off brake cleaning fluid because of the implications associated with using it.
What I had failed to mention in my post was that the Canadian Turpentine is then neutralised with a wipe of Methylated Spirits.
This applies to both the ball & the inside/pads of the hitch-head.

 

[Damian]

Why carry turpentine AND meths, when a squirt of brake fluid does the job much better, much quicker and totally evaporates?????