Lucy's Hensley Bites the Dust

[kingfisher24]

i ordered a reconditioned replacement for my 18 yr old unit
it arrived yesterday….

now have to swap it out…..

i don't need a problem with a hitch if it can be avoided…..

[moosetags]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

i ordered a reconditioned replacement for my 18 yr old unit
it arrived yesterday….

now have to swap it out…..

i don't need a problem with a hitch if it can be avoided…..

The swap-out of the Hensleys was fairly easy. Doing it at a campground 3,000 miles from home did add a little drama as neighbors stopped by to ask what in the world we were doing.

Brian

[kingfisher24]

was it necessary to replace the strut assemblies???

or does the big orange thing just fit back to them one it is hung on the ball??

i thought, and i have not tried yet as airstream is at camper clinic for service,that one could just replace the head and spring bars in my case since the struts are already bolted at the correct spots…


any thoughts

thanks

[moosetags]

No, it was not necessary to replace the strut assemblies. I just removed the pins at both ends and laid them on the ground.

The easiest was to reinstall or swap out a Hensley is with the tow vehicle. With the tow vehicle hooked to the Hensley, remove the struts and spring bars. Using the tongue jack on the Airstream, lift the Airstream off of the ball. Move the connected Hensley to a place that you want it. Open the swing over locks and slide it off of the hitch bar. Put the new Hensley on the hitch bar and lock it in place. Back it under the ball coupler on the Airstream and let it down on the ball. reinstall the struts and spring bars.

Brian

[Union Hill]

What is required to back the trailer when using the Hensley hitch? Is it more difficult and require new techniques? Does anything have to be detached (as in some friction sway bars)?

I am close to purchassing a Hensely but am a novice in pulling a trailer and in backing into campground spaces.

Many thanks, Union Hill

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by Union Hill

What is required to back the trailer when using the Hensley hitch? Is it more difficult and require new techniques? Does anything have to be detached (as in some friction sway bars)?

The beauty of the Hensley is that nothing needs to be removed when backing up and all the towing bits stay on the trailer. However you need to grease on regular basis (every 500 mile). Backing up is easy and the hitch allows for easier hookups compared to a conventional hitch.

However, be warned that these hitches can break. Mine just broke and I nearly lost the whole rig. It was a 7 yr old hitch and the bottom plate completely ripped apart, causing the upper struts to rip out and breaking one them. The hitch has a weak point and Hensley refuses to fix this issue. If you purchase one new or reconditioned they will warranty it for life, but mine nearly ended after it broke. I ended up stranded on the road and had to get back so I purchased an Eaz Lift hitch from Campers World. However they did such a poor job of setting it up that the setup was dangerous. I ended up taking the whole rig to CanAm in London and they set it up properly and it tows almost as good as the Hensley. But now I am back to hooking up a conventional hitch. Hopefully I can get used to again.

Good luck with your decision.

[idroba]

Originally Posted by gator.bigfoot

The beauty of the Hensley is that nothing needs to be removed when backing up and all the towing bits stay on the trailer. However you need to grease on regular basis (every 500 mile). Backing up is easy and the hitch allows for easier hookups compared to a conventional hitch.

This is not a place for another hitch war, but I would point out that most hitches require nothing special be done to back up. I have been towing with WD hitches for 35 years now and about 200,000 miles, and non of them required you do anything special to back up, Reese, Draw Tight, Andersen, and I am sure many others. Only recently has this question even come up. Is there some WD hitch which requires special action prior to backing? I am not aware of any, but certainly don't know all hitches. So, I don't think the Hensley or the Pro Pride is anything special in this regard.

From what I have read here on the Forums people do have issues with hitching up a Hensley or a PP. Something about getting things lined up properly. Again, I have never used one but can say that I have never had any special issues in hitching up with any conventional WD hitch. My Andersen is the simplest one of all.

Once again, this is not a hitch war place and I do not want to start another one, only pointing out that backing is not a problem with virtually all WD hitches that I have any familiarity with.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by idroba

This is not a place for another hitch war, but I would point out that most hitches require nothing special be done to back up. I have been towing with WD hitches for 35 years now and about 200,000 miles, and non of them required you do anything special to back up, Reese, Draw Tight, Andersen, and I am sure many others. Only recently has this question even come up. Is there some WD hitch which requires special action prior to backing? I am not aware of any, but certainly don't know all hitches. So, I don't think the Hensley or the Pro Pride is anything special in this regard.

In some situations, the friction sway controls can be damaged or cause problems when backing up. The Reese's owner's manual mentions certain situations (i.e., near jackknife) where you can have problems and you should remove the sway bar in those. Unfortunately, that sometimes gets translated into "remove before backing up" - or even worse, on this page, under products referenced, it says "Does Not Allow Backing Up," which is clearly wrong, so I don't blame people for being confused.

That said, I've only ever removed my friction sway once or twice when backing. 99.9% of the time it's not an issue.

[perryg114]

This is why I carry a conventional draw bar and 2-5/16 ball for emergencies. It will get you home or to a repair place in a pinch.

Perry

Originally Posted by idroba

This is not a place for another hitch war, but I would point out that most hitches require nothing special be done to back up. I have been towing with WD hitches for 35 years now and about 200,000 miles, and non of them required you do anything special to back up, Reese, Draw Tight, Andersen, and I am sure many others. Only recently has this question even come up. Is there some WD hitch which requires special action prior to backing? I am not aware of any, but certainly don't know all hitches. So, I don't think the Hensley or the Pro Pride is anything special in this regard.

From what I have read here on the Forums people do have issues with hitching up a Hensley or a PP. Something about getting things lined up properly. Again, I have never used one but can say that I have never had any special issues in hitching up with any conventional WD hitch. My Andersen is the simplest one of all.

Once again, this is not a hitch war place and I do not want to start another one, only pointing out that backing is not a problem with virtually all WD hitches that I have any familiarity with.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by perryg114

This is why I carry a conventional draw bar and 2-5/16 ball for emergencies. It will get you home or to a repair place in a pinch.

Perry

Excellent idea!

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by Skater

In some situations, the friction sway controls can be damaged or cause problems when backing up. The Reese's owner's manual mentions certain situations (i.e., near jackknife) where you can have problems and you should remove the sway bar in those. Unfortunately, that sometimes gets translated into "remove before backing up" - or even worse, on this page, under products referenced, it says "Does Not Allow Backing Up," which is clearly wrong, so I don't blame people for being confused.

That said, I've only ever removed my friction sway once or twice when backing. 99.9% of the time it's not an issue.

I personally have never had a problem leaving the sway control on the vehicle. I have talked with several people who have told me that they have broken a ball on the sway control. I have also been told by others that I should remove it completely. When backing into super tight places where the trailer is jack knifed I remove it, but when backing out of a gas station I usually don't. Sometimes I will just loosen it. Currently I am using 2 sway bars, since one was not enough. That is one disadvantage from the projection point hitches.

Every hitch has it's advantages and disadvantages. The bigger your trailer the more important things like weight distribution and sway control are. I tow with what I am comfortable with and I am sure that everyone else does as well.