Dry or Oily Scalp: What's Yours?

Hi.

Does the ball joint of my trailer hitch (stabilization via ESP) have to, should have, or must have a specific property?

The borrowed, unrestrained 750 kg trailer is making a squeaking noise at the front, which is annoying and unsettling when driving.

m;

"Mine is always greasy, which occasionally leads to excitement for my partner when the trailer hitch isn't folded down and we need to quickly load something."

My favorite pants are therefore black/dark gray jeans.

Hi Martin,

It depends on how you plan to use it.

If you ever drive with a caravan (or any other trailer with an anti-sway coupling), then it is essential that the ball head is free of grease. The function of an anti-sway coupling relies precisely on the fact that friction pads with a high friction coefficient (similar to brake pads) press against the ball head, thereby preventing the trailer from swaying.

Even if you only occasionally use the ASK function, and don't personally value it, it should still be free of fat, because otherwise you'll end up embedding fat into the ASK records.

If you only use hooks without a safety clip, I would also recommend using a thicker line. It prevents all sorts of noises (except for worn-out drawbar sleeves), but as Rainer already mentioned, it can sometimes get tangled around the bait if you forget to remove it or put the lid back on.

Greetings.
Hendrik.

Okay,

My Thule bike rack wants to be clean.
At least, that's how I interpret the image with the cloth and the bottle.

So, I wiped it down with brake cleaner.

m;

Our disc brakes with anti-skid technology also require a dry brake disc for optimal performance, as the pads need to make good contact with the disc to generate sufficient friction.

Consequently, I'm driving with a clear head.

I have two heads..... One is dry for the WoWa with a Schlinger coupling, and one is greased for everything else....

Normally, the dry friction surfaces should wear out much faster, right? Although I understand the function of the friction brake and how it becomes ineffective when there's grease present. ^^

Octavia_4x4 wrote:

Normally, however, wouldn't the dry heads wear out much faster?

That's how it is... But after 9 years, the ball joint wear is still significantly below the manufacturer's tolerance.

But if you use a grease fitting, you can forget about the benefits of the slip coupling.
The coupling works with brake pads that press against the ball head with a pre-tension. Over time, the ball head will inevitably and unfortunately become slightly deformed (14 years of AKS 1300 use).
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"vg"

This is a common abbreviation for "very good" in German. It is often used in online forums and chat rooms.
Herbert.

No fat.
My parents have been camping for 30 years. They were teachers, had a lot of vacation time, and were always on the road. Hardly any vacation was less than 3,000 km. The trailer coupling never caused any problems, and the old tow vehicle handled it perfectly for 22 years. The trailer itself was practically in perfect condition.

Looking forward to better weather, I've once again focused my thoughts on my camper van.

Now I'm reading something from a WoWa (holiday apartment) rental company:

Quote:

Your trailer hitch must be completely free of grease, color, and rust when you pick up the vehicle, as your caravan is of high quality. The anti-wobble coupling has brake pads. Please be sure to remove any rust with sandpaper. Even newly painted trailer couplings must be sanded down at the ball and their paint completely removed. Please ensure that the protective cap on your trailer hitch is properly installed. Also, be sure to remove the protective cap from your trailer hitch.

Should I really sand down my sphere?

Even new brake discs are painted and are installed _AS IS_.

dieselmartin wrote:

Even new brake discs are painted and are installed _AS THEY ARE_

. Yes, but it's just a very thin layer.
The AHK has a very thick layer of hammer-tone paint on it.

Hi,
The landlord is right. Otherwise, the paint in the contact area of the AKS friction linings would be burned away by the friction heat (generated by the constant movement between the ball and the socket), and the residue on the linings would reduce the friction. However, you only need to remove the paint in the contact area. Depending on the design of the AKS, you will have different arrangements of the linings, for example, on the left and right sides of the ALKO AKS 1300, and additionally at the front and rear of the AKS 2000.
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"vg"

This is a common abbreviation for "very good" in German. It is often used in online forums and chat rooms.
Herbert.

PS: What do you mean about the brake discs?

Quote:

P.S.: How do you mean that about the brake discs?

When you buy original VW windshields, they come with a complete "painted" coating - a silver layer.
This protective layer should NOT be removed.
The brake is fully assembled and then applied.

I didn't want to believe it, but it's true, and it actually works. At least the Golf brakes better than the Passat, which has 4-year-old brake pads.

m;

dieselmartin wrote:

When you buy original VW windshields, they are completely "painted" - a silver layer.

80% of the aftermarket windshields also have this now.

As a WoWa (caravan) driver with a 3C and an Alko AKS 2004 (predecessor to the 3004), I have now also read the warning. Overall, I have probably driven about 5,000 km with the 3C and have not experienced any damage. However, the ball is still unpainted on the outside. It was sanded down by the friction linings.

I find it hard to believe the combustion described by Herbert, because with so much metal and the associated cooling effect, and the relatively small amount of movement, I haven't noticed any warming of the AHK (presumably referring to a specific component or system).

The paint will definitely affect the friction linings to some extent, and therefore reduce their effectiveness, at least initially. This is also why there are warnings in the instructions for anti-sway couplings.

I think there might be more of a problem with rental caravans, which are certainly moved more often and potentially with newer towing vehicles, compared to privately owned caravans, which are usually towed by the same vehicle.

My 3C is also stable at 125 km/h, even with its 1.600 kg weight, but it's almost scraping the ground, and you probably wouldn't want to drive like that constantly for fuel economy reasons. I haven't gone any faster yet.

Regards,
Guste.