the ultimate haha users guide...

[tin sista]

Thanks 2air and Abe for the thread/links to the rods.

Wow, now I think I can do a better job of backing up so I can be ready for next year's women's rally! I'm putting those on my holiday wish list for sure. I think hubby will be happy to spring for them if he thinks it will improve my backing/hitching skills The photos earlier in the thread were really helpful too.

We had to repaint our hitch too, looks really nice when its finished!

[Leipper]

stopped when i got to 55 in just the red section. there were a lot of them...

This brings in another variable. They were extremely rare over in another (my) corner at less than 1 or 2 per row. So there are some socio-economic factors whose clarification might lead to a better understanding of some of those other behaviors you noted at the I'Rally.

And mentioning Can Am - that's dangerous in these forums. Did you know there is an entire underground (background) conversation going on related to their type of rigging efforts?

Same phenomena - different topics. Reasonable people can't be reasonable in public without getting burned. That inhibts the conversation and the learning and the participation. Or reality gets burned so everyone in the mutual support group can feel good. Social dynamics can be an interesting study. Also interesting that confrontation of dysfunctional behavior is subject to taboo as well.

[Brow324]

Just finished installing my HAHA and am making adjustments....I'm not sure how tight to adjust the jacks/spring bars - the manual says they cannot be over tightened but the 1-2-3 markers are still below the bottom of the frame brackets by about 2 inches prior to the 1 mark aligning with the bottom of the spring bracket. book says to adjust to #2 for starters but it's pretty tight already. I guess my question is: what is the alignment marker for the 1-2-3 marks to align up to? Is it the bottom of the bracket, frame, top of frame? etc.
thanks and if this has already been addressed I couldn't find it so I appreciate any input out there.

[2airishuman]

hi brow 324 and thanks for posting...

the markers on the lower section are 'aligned' with the larger tube section.

in other words as the jacks are tightened, use the bottom of the larger tube (barrel) as a guide for 'even' for each side....

mine are currently set so the next to last mark is just inside the barrel...

is that your question? if so i'll post some photos of this soon...

now as for how much to screw the jack up...

what spring bars? 1000lbs?

do you know your actual tongue weight?

with your listed 3/4 ton gm and a 27 front bed the 1000lb should be plenty....

ultimately your goal is to return mass to the tv front axle, while decreasing tv rear axle load...

really the best way to determine how tight the spring bars must be, involves going to a cat scale and getting axle weights at various spring bar tensions....

one can also make a reasonable approximation by measuring tv wheel well heights before and after hitching, trying to create similar 'drops' at the front and back...

also the goal is a level trailer....so assuming you've got the correct drop on your stinger, the trailer can be measured for levelness front to back as well.

it this isn't clear ask more...

cheers
2air'

[2airishuman]

on page 20 of your owners manual (on line in post #7 here)

are pictures of the jacks...

left pic shows jacks fully down and the bars have zero tension...

right pic shows jacks tightened using the bottom of the 'barrel' as the reference point, which is what i've suggested.

they number the marks from bottom to top, so #1 is tigher that #3 right?

as the jacks are tightened marks 4,3,2 and 1 are drawn up inside the barrel...

is that clearer?

the not that jacks cannot be over tightened simply means that the spring bars and bushings and supports will not 'fail' if tightened maximally...

doesn't mean YOU should pull them all the way up...

that adjustment is determined just like any hitch with spring bars....


as i've already noted...scales or tape measure to 'level'...

however a nice feature of the haha is the infinite settings for the spring bars...we aren't limited to 'links' or increments of tension...

cheers
2air'

brow324...

there are many threads here on tensioning spring bars and lots of opinions on how to do it and to what degree of tension...

here is a link to my experience doing this at a scale...

http://www.airforums.com/forum...rs-17984.html?

the first post includes how my axle weights changed as 'marks' on the haha were pulled into the barrels...

but i may have numbered them the opposite of the haha manual...

[2airishuman]

hi brow324 and others with new hahas...

imo the color chosen for the haha isn't one of it's strong points....

it's orange for those that hadn't noticed....

and fades/oxidizes fast....

here's a pic of mine after just 4 months...

so if you've got a new one, i'd suggest spraying it with a couple of coats of auto clearcoat...

and as quickly as possible...

it will still be orange but at least this will keep it shiny and brite!

cheers
2air'

[2airishuman]

ok that last post was a setup for this one....

hey bigal are ya listening! i finally got her painted....

finally got around to improving the haha...

with paint...

hitch was faded badly and chipped in several places...

so after removing it and cleaning all the bits the haha was transformed...

almost any color would be better than orange but how about something that goes with the a/s?

the factory sells touchup paint in spray cans for the tongue and lower segments...

the a/s paint seems pretty durable, has a nice gloss and goes on easily...

another advantage to using a/s paint it will be easier to touch up, as needed.

i've forgotten the exact names but metallic gray antracyte and flat gray come to mind...

first mask of the labels...ESPECIALLY THE SERIAL NUMBER!

upper main section is metallic and lower section/springbar jacks are flat gray...

my spring bars were already metallic so the contrast is subtle buy nice...

here is the new look...and really how it should be stock. i checked with the haha home office and they assured me painting it would not void the warranty or alter its function...

how do you like it? it looks so much better 2me...

cheers
2air'

cheers
2air'

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, 2air. Your paint job looks great. Nice job. The previous post #62 the Ha Ha looks pink, not faded orange. Or do I need to adjust my computer?

Bob

[2airishuman]

pink!

now that's a color i would have kept!

for reference look here...

http://www.hensleymfg.com/

is that orange enough for ya?

they like the trademark color so much,
a cover is now offered in the same muted tone...

cheers
2air'

bob, i've also noticed that if one 'clicks' on a picture and opens it in a new window the colors are better as is brightness and resolution...

[moosetags]

I really like your paint job, but a HAHA is "supposed " to be orange. It's kinda like a Coco-Cola can is "supposed" to be red, and the Ford Oval is "supposed" to be blue.

[Brow324]

Thanks 2air;
I should have figured that out...duh...but for some reason my brain couldn't put that 2 + 2 together and come up with 4 after the installtion
was completed. Sometimes it's the little things that are the most difficult to figure out....gray hair has to have something to do with that. So, yes, makes perfect sense....The 1-2-3 markers correspond to the upper tube cover/sleeve. BTW: got the HAHA installed easily...read the manual a few times first which made it a breeze. Took some weight off the hitch and adjustment was much easier. HAHA spring bar adjustment is not entirely unlike regular chain notch adjusting, just a different adjustment device. But to answer some of your questions: Tongue weight is 720 on our Safari. I've got one ton suspension on the TV so it hardly notices the weight. With the assitance of the rep at Hensley we chose a 6" drop which worked perfectly. The HAHA set up made for a nice, level tow angle. I also put a new Prodigy under the dash, replacing my 11 yr old time adjustment unit. So I think we're in business now! That paint job is the way to go....always wondered why HA used orange...other than to make it stand out in a crowd....it's just paint though and the black looks much more appropriate for a down to business hitch like this.
Thanks for all your input.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

[quote=2airishuman]pink!

now that's a color i would have kept!

for reference look here...

http://www.hensleymfg.com/

is that orange enough for ya?

they like the trademark color so much,
a cover is now offered in the same muted tone...

cheers
2air'

Hi, 2air. I just went to the Ha Ha site and was, at first, almost blinded by the bright green backround. Then the bright orange hitch and orange hitch cover popped in. Definitly orange. But when I enlarged your pink picture, it was still pink. Am I the only one who sees pink?

Bob

[moosetags]

What Hensley needs to offer is some type of carrying/storage case for the hitch bar. That also could be orange.

What the hitch bar really needs is a carrying handle on top. Weighing 30# and grease on both ends, the Hensley hitch bar is a challenge to handle.

[Pappy]

I don't grease the bar on the Hensley am I suppose to?
Other than a little silicone spray on the wedge portion to faciliate hooking up from time to time.

Pappy