Hensley Hitch Bar

[ASKy]

This is my first post as I have just recently joined the forum. My Wife and I inherited a 34' Excella from my wife's grandparents and have spent the last three summers traveling while off from work. Up until this point we have used the 1997 Ford F-250 that her grandparents used as our TV. We recently purchased a 2008 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD to replace that as our TV. Does anyone have any experience upgrading TV While using a Hensley Hitch system? The Hensley has been on the trailer since her grandparents purchased it in 1996 and I am just not sure what kind of adjustments or new parts I will need to make our new TV work. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks!

[A W Warn]

Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
The part on the trailer will most likely not need any adjustment. The part that is connected to the truck might have to be.
It is necessary for the trailer to be as level as possible while being towed. Therefore, you might have to adjust the height of the hitch receiver/stinger. There are a variety of stinger offsets.
First thing is measure the unloaded height of the hitch in the old vehicle to compare to the new. If they are the same it should be good. If not, you will need the correct stinger to make the trailer level as possible. In any case, do not have the trailer tongue low because this will make the front trailer axle carry more weight, creating lighter load on the rear axle. Some people have reported terrible handling (sway) with low tongue on multi axle trailers. Slightly high tongue is ok.

ps:
If you use the search function you should find post that include discussions about setup.
There are also some very good threads on maintenance (corroded bearings/worn parts) that will be helpful to you.

ps2:
options and information:
https://www.hensleymfg.com/about/hitch-bar-exchange/
https://www.propridehitch.com/propri...ble-hitch-bar/

[ROBERT CROSS]

Have you hitched up yet with your rig?
Load as close as you can for camping, and see if your level with the stinger you have. You may be close with what you already have.
Take some pic's and post them.
We had to go from a 4 inch drop on our 95 Suburban to a 6 inch drop on our 2006.


The receiver on our 2500 'Burb is 21" from the top of the opening to the ground.

BTW.....low not high.

Snip...etrailer.
"If you are unable to achieve level even with an adjustable ball mount, it is better for the trailer to be slightly nose down so long as the tongue weight capacity of the hitch and vehicle is not exceeded. If a trailer is nose up too much, the tongue weight is low enough that the trailer may begin to sway."

Bob
🇺🇸

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

<<Snip>>
BTW.....low not high.

snip...etrailer.
"If you are unable to achieve level even with an adjustable ball mount, it is better for the trailer to be slightly nose down so long as the tongue weight capacity of the hitch and vehicle is not exceeded. If a trailer is nose up too much, the tongue weight is low enough that the trailer may begin to sway."

Bob
����

There is some information provided by Dexter that seems to conflict with the above statements.
Low end of the trailer, shifting weight off of axles, and polar inertia (tendency to sway) are discussed in the Dexter Applications Manual.
http://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/defau...).pdf?sfvrsn=2

[ROBERT CROSS]

Do they contradict themselves?....

Polar Inertia
"The property that can cause a trailer to swing from side to side during operation. One of the causes of this phenomenon can be demonstrated with the following example:
A large travel trailer has the kitchen located at the
rear of the coach. The owner has loaded supplies
and personal belongings in the rear of the unit. Side forces such as high winds or the bow wave from a passing vehicle may start the swaying. As the rear end swings to the right, the trailer pivots on its running gear and the front end swings to the left, causing the rear end of the tow vehicle to be pulled left. If the driver overcompensates by steering left, the front of the trailer will be forced right which reverses the direction of the trailers' rear end. Too much mass at the ends of the trailer will accentuate the swing of the vehicle and may set up the conditions for side to side sway that gets greater and greater as the driver attempts to get control of the vehicle."

Loading the rear does not raise the tongue?

Bob
🇺🇸

[J. Morgan]

If the trailer sits close to level hitched to your new truck with everything else remaining the same as you towed before everything will be as cool as it was with your old Ford.

The only part of the setup that may need to be changed is the stinger that goes between your tow vehicle hitch receiver and the Hensley hitch. These are available in 0”, 2”, 4”, and 6” offset increments by Hensley.

Still, in my experience, and I’ve played with it some, anywhere near level will work fine.

It’s not really complicated and if it towed well before it will tow well with your new truck.

[J. Morgan]

It may be that your new truck is sprung a little different than your old one so you might need to set your weight distribution jacks a little different.

If I were you I would start with them like you have them adjusted on the Ford and work toward the greatest stability by making small adjustments until handling and stability feels the best.

[SailorSam205]

If you do need to replace the stinger due to a height issue, I believe ProPride sells an adjustable stinger that is designed for the Hensley Arrow hitches. If you get the adjustable one, you will be able to adjust it to fit any TV or move the hitch to a different trailer.

Just FWIW, I think you have one of the two stablest and safest hitches available. Safe travels.

[ASKy]

Thank you all for the advice! I am going to get some measurements taken of the receivers on both trucks to see what the difference is in height and go from there. I have not had an opportunity to try and hook up with the new TV and wont for some time since we store the trailer a couple of hours away, but I can post pictures of the new setup when I get the chance. Here is an image of the old rig.