Hensley Hitch? - Page 6

Airstreamer67 · 02-02-2007, 01:26 PM

Woodedareas, regarding the torque wrench, if you are talking about an extension that fits between the socket and the wrench, then the torque is not affected. On the other hand, if you are talking about an extension that fits on the handle of the wrench, ie creating a "cheaer bar" type device, then the torque is affected and has to be adjusted downward depending upon how long the handle extension is.

warbler5 · 08-18-2007, 05:13 PM

Since you guys decided to dig this thread out of basement, I will give you an update on our Hensley, which we have had now for just shy of two years. I wouldn't trade it for anything! With that said, I have encountered a couple of times where re-connecting was a "challenge." One of those times, I ended up chewing up my nextdoor neighbor's lawn....when they got home, they had apology card with a promise to fix it and a bottle of wine awaiting them! ;-) Needless to say,we have gotten better about lining things up BEFORE disconnecting....and knowing the hitch better.

For those of you towing less than a 30' trailer, I am not surprised that you are happy with your hitches and cannot see what the big deal is about the Hensley. I doubt I would tow a 19' Bambi with a Hensley, but I would definitely consider it with anything over 25'. It turned my towing experince from "white knuckle time" way too often to a pleasurable experience!

Tim A. · 08-18-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warbler5

I doubt I would tow a 19' Bambi with a Hensley, but I would definitely consider it with anything over 25'. It turned my towing experince from "white knuckle time" way too often to a pleasurable experience!

We have used a Hensley on our 19' Bambi for about 5 years and couldn't be happier. Our two towing vehicles to date had (has) a relatively short wheelbase and the Hensley has contributed greatly to our sense of well-being. My point? A good setup is not just dependent on trailer length, but on the whole package.

warbler5 · 08-18-2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim A.

We have used a Hensley on our 19' Bambi for about 5 years and couldn't be happier. Our two towing vehicles to date had (has) a relatively short wheelbase and the Hensley has contributed greatly to our sense of well-being. My point? A good setup is not just dependent on trailer length, but on the whole package.

A good point, Tim! Actually, after making that statement about the 19' Bambi, I remembered that Tall Zack tows his 19' Bambi with a Nissan Titan....using a Hensley.

And, I believe that the wheelbase on our Yukon XL, in combination with the length and weight of our 30' Classic, contributed to our problems.

Cheers

ROBERT CROSS · 09-17-2007, 09:10 PM

Well I finally did it!!!
Ordered our new Arrow to-day. This thread was the final straw. Plan to install it my-self just to flatten the learning curve.

Got a nice big vacant parking lot to practice what I gather is the biggest difference between it and the old ball, the HITCH-up. One of my concerns though is the fact that the AS parking pad is slightly lower than the Burb when hitching up, probably about 8 to 10 inches. How much of a problem do you think this will be??

How do you secure this investment to the Stream, is there a heavy duty lock that will cover that vulnerable roll pin in the factory hitch release??
The customer assistance (Rick Sisk) has been sooper, they realize that our Stream'n season is allmost over here in the Northeast and agreed that my 60 day guarantee wont start til next Spring.

P.S. Any other recommendations are more than welcome!

Remember...It's hard to make a comeback, if you haven't been anywhere!!!

Tim A. · 09-19-2007, 11:11 AM

We use two combination padlocks (the type with great big numbers so I don't need to use my reading glasses to open them), one in place of the safety pin on one side of the roll clamp, the other through a drilled out hitch pin in the stinger. If you are really concerned about the removable nature of the roll clamp, you could use another lock on that side. We have set the combinations of our two locks to be the same.

Lufletch · 09-19-2007, 01:47 PM

Well worth it. Keeps the trailer trailing stright - even with the brakes locked up and in a sideways slide - I know from personal experience. No sway when 18 wheelers pass. best hitch I've ever used.

fred bartlet · 09-19-2007, 05:36 PM

For me, after a ditching with a standard hitch, a hensley was not an option. My previous light weight 26' to a 30'AS, I considered the investment of time and money well spent. Ater towing for three years, I'd never go back to the grind of fighting a TT without one.

Yes, the connection is a bit trying but after a while, it's just like anything else your wife makes you do and like it. A few extra minutes to connect but the ease of towing without the constant fighting is immeasurable. Just set it and forget it!!!

If you think that a $3K hitch isn't worth it, just look at the invesment one puts into a kid without knowing what the payback will be.

Get wise and get a great hitch.

PS If your going to install, know the configuration of you hitch & the receiver height. My dealer didn't realize that my AS had an undermount hitch and it required another kit to make it work right.