I have a confession to make. Since buying our latest towing vehicle 2 years ago, our Hensley has pointed down (towards the stinger) when fully hitched with spring bars set correctly. Set correctly means that the bars point up towards the trailer. This is not because the stinger has the wrong drop, but because the towing vehicle's factory receiver is anything but level when the vehicle is completely level. Please don't ask for pictures because I have none and cannot easily go out and hitch up.
Why did I wait so long for this confession? Is it because I knew that the reaction here would be negative? Partly yes, but the real answer is that in two years of towing, nothing has happened or gone wrong. The Hensley has no visible ill effects, towing is still superb, and the receiver is undamaged. Perhaps having only a 19' Bambi with a relatively low tongue weight is the reason we have noticed nothing.
In any case, I am posting this not to get advice, but simply to provide information. Changing the factory Class IV receiver is not an option in case someone wants to suggest that .
I have a confession to make. Since buying our latest towing vehicle 2 years ago, our Hensley has pointed down (towards the stinger) when fully hitched with spring bars set correctly. Set correctly means that the bars point up towards the trailer. This is not because the stinger has the wrong drop, but because the towing vehicle's factory receiver is anything but level when the vehicle is completely level. Please don't ask for pictures because I have none and cannot easily go out and hitch up.
Why did I wait so long for this confession? Is it because I knew that the reaction here would be negative? Partly yes, but the real answer is that in two years of towing, nothing has happened or gone wrong. The Hensley has no visible ill effects, towing is still superb, and the receiver is undamaged. Perhaps having only a 19' Bambi with a relatively low tongue weight is the reason we have noticed nothing.
In any case, I am posting this not to get advice, but simply to provide information. Changing the factory Class IV receiver is not an option in case someone wants to suggest that .
Tim, with a 19' Bambi you won't have any problems. With heavier trailers it can be a problem due to the bearings and links taking too much load when the main head is pointed downward.
My new hitch has an adjustable hitch bar that allows for "tilt" to make it parallel to the ground. That takes care of the downard pointing main unit. It also makes for better weight distribution.
I have a confession to make....
...Why did I wait so long for this confession? Is it because I knew that the reaction here would be negative?...
...In any case, I am posting this not to get advice, but simply to provide information....
please say 5 hail wally's while hold a string of rosary rivets...
ok, u r forgiven.
it may not have anything to do with the receiver...
negative reaction? not here in haha land where the goal is to help each other....
besides, many of us have this issue. scroll back to post #210 or look any many of the side view photos in our thread...
One other point that can cause this droopy head syndrome....
When unhooked, loosen your strut bars and then extend your spring bar jacks completely so the spring bars are pushing the main head upward.
Once you have done this, tighten your strut bars to finger tight and then use the sleeve to make another quarter turn.
Some of the droopy head syndrome is caused by tightening the strut bars too much while the spring bar jacks are wound up a bit. This pushes the nose down.
By the way, this also causes hooking and unhooking headaches.
Let me clarify a little. The Hensley does not point down because of improperly tightening the spring bars nor is it the "normal" slight downward tilt. The drop of the stinger is approximately correct because when hitched up and with the spring bars properly tightened, the trailer is level. Hitching up is not a problem. We just do the usual stinger-Hensley alignment and everything works as with the former tow vehicle.
The source of the hitch tilt is clear. The rectangular tube or socket of the receiver points down towards the front of the tow vehicle. So much so that the stinger alone shows considerable tilt when inserted into the receiver. The fit of the socket is slightly loose, but not enough to cause the hitch's tilt.
The only solution for the tilted Hensley would be to have a “droop-snooted” stinger. Seeing as how we have had no trouble, trying to have one fabricated is not going to happen.
The purpose of reporting this was our feeling that the HaHa Users Guide should contain all. We are a little surprised, but most pleased, that the tilt has not affected functionality in any way we can determine. A couple of "hail Wallys" probably wouldn't hurt.
Let me clarify a little. The Hensley does not point down because of improperly tightening the spring bars nor is it the "normal" slight downward tilt. The drop of the stinger is approximately correct because when hitched up and with the spring bars properly tightened, the trailer is level. Hitching up is not a problem. We just do the usual stinger-Hensley alignment and everything works as with the former tow vehicle.
The source of the hitch tilt is clear. The rectangular tube or socket of the receiver points down towards the front of the tow vehicle. So much so that the stinger alone shows considerable tilt when inserted into the receiver. The fit of the socket is slightly loose, but not enough to cause the hitch's tilt.
The only solution for the tilted Hensley would be to have a “droop-snooted” stinger. Seeing as how we have had no trouble, trying to have one fabricated is not going to happen.
The purpose of reporting this was our feeling that the HaHa Users Guide should contain all. We are a little surprised, but most pleased, that the tilt has not affected functionality in any way we can determine. A couple of "hail Wallys" probably wouldn't hurt.
Tim, I understood that was what was happening with your receiver but I didn't mention it. It was ME who wasn't clear. Sorry about that! There are a lot of receivers out there like yours. That's why the new design has an adjustable bar. The hitch bar can be tilted to be parallel with the ground like it should be.
While my adjustable hitch bar won't fit in an Arrow, who's to say that some innovative company isn't manufacturing one specifically for the Arrow customers?
..................While my adjustable hitch bar won't fit in an Arrow, who's to say that some innovative company isn't manufacturing one specifically for the Arrow customers?
No problem. I'm not sure anyone will be able to do it though because the patent has already been submitted, and is pending, for an adjustable bar being used with a convergent linkage hitch. But, there are companies out there that just ignore patents anyway. Not very ethical, but it is done.
I recently posted, for the first time, in the new members section and received a lot of very good information which will help us in our upcoming purchase of an Airstream travel trailer.
Now I am starting to look at getting our tow vehicle ready for the task of towing. I've read many, though certainly not all, of the posts in the hitches section of this site and pretty much have decided that a Hensley Arrow (haha) is the way to go, although when I saw the price I almost dropped my beer.
When I was a kid my family had a travel trailer, and once, when rolling down the highway, out of the blue, we had a sway episode that nearly pitched us all into the ditch. My mom freaked out so bad that my dad had no choice but to sell the travel trailer. Even had the Hensley hitch been available at the time it would not have erased the memory of the near-death experience and my mom would have had nothing to do with travel trailers again. I don't want that to happen to me. Besides, travelling should be a pleasant experience, and if there is a product engineered to reduce or eliminate one of the most common and dangerous negatives to towing a travel trailer, then in my mind it is worth the added expense. Besides, I don't currently have a hitch which I've invested money in and will have to worry about taking a loss when I try to sell it. Just pay the money once and forget about it.
I currently have two vehicles which will be able to tow our upcoming travel trailer which will weigh in somewhere between GVW 7000 - 8000 lbs , a K2500 Suburban, and a E 250 Ford Econoline van. The class IV receivers are approximately the same height, so a different tow bar shouldn't be necessary.
Here is my question: Can I, in principle, easily switch between tow vehicles using the same haha set-up, or do I need to duplicate some of the hardware? Also, will there be any adjustment needed to change the location of the 'virtual pivot point' to accommodate the differences between the rear-axle-to-hitch measurements of the two vehicles? Are such adjustments even possible, or is it 'one size fits all' in that regard?
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