Fact :::: Hensley hitches are expensive, very expensive when compared to other hitches
Fact :::: Hensley hitches perform as advertised
Fact :::: I would never tow with anything else
pieman
I tow a 5200lb Overlander with a Suburban 1500, hitched together with a Reese Dual Cam HP.
I am not happy with the hitch at all at this time.
I have a tongue weight of under 600lbs, perhaps 650 with a full water tank.
I will try WD bars this season made for this light weight, as my current bars are 750lb bars. If the hitch does not perform better with closely matched bars, then I will ditch it.
I tow a 5200lb Overlander with a Suburban 1500, hitched together with a Reese Dual Cam HP.
I am not happy with the hitch at all at this time.
I have a tongue weight of under 600lbs, perhaps 650 with a full water tank.
I will try WD bars this season made for this light weight, as my current bars are 750lb bars. If the hitch does not perform better with closely matched bars, then I will ditch it.
Is that the same setup you had on your Trade Wind?
The lighter weight bars will have no effect on how well the Twin cams perform. The only reason to go to the heavier weight bars if you are trying to max out the weight transfer and go through some really bad ditches than might permanently bend the bars. How much weight do you think you are transferring to level out your tow vehicle? I doubt to would be more than 350 pounds. You should be able to measure the amount of defection in the bar when the rig is setting on level pavement. The actual bend should be less than 2 inches.
Hi, you may not need a Ha Ha, but if that is what will give you peace of mind, I think you should buy it. If for any reason you feel more comfortable with a Ha Ha than you would with anything else, if your mind tells you, you're not going to be safe without it, you won't be. Hensley Arrow is a very good hitch and I think anyone who has a trailer longer than 25 feet or people who, in their mind, won't feel safe without one, absolutely should buy one. That in it's self will make it safer for all involved.
Before you spend money on a set of bars post a pic of your setup.
Here some pictures. The last picture shows my trailer/suburban combination fully loaded for a 2 week trip, plus 800lbs of equipment in the back of the Suburban.
Still, even with this increased tongue weight, and the extra link in the chain that it took to level the combination, the Reese HP did not perform very well.
There was definite sway when being passed by trucks and buses.
I also notice a fair amount of wear on the cams. The area where the bars ride is worn beyond 1/8in already.
on edit: the first two pictures were taken while installing the cams, the adjusters are still loose.
The lighter weight bars will have no effect on how well the Twin cams perform. The only reason to go to the heavier weight bars if you are trying to max out the weight transfer and go through some really bad ditches than might permanently bend the bars. How much weight do you think you are transferring to level out your tow vehicle? I doubt to would be more than 350 pounds. You should be able to measure the amount of defection in the bar when the rig is setting on level pavement. The actual bend should be less than 2 inches.
The bend is less than 2in, especially with the Suburban only lightly loaded. Many (inlcuding Reese) say that the spring bars should be closely matched to the actual weight to be distributed. I would think that includes weight in the very back of the tow vehicle as well, not just tongue weight.
The lighter weight bars will have no effect on how well the Twin cams perform.
you sure about that?
seems to me, the anti-sway properties come from the "flex" in the bars, which cause them to have sort of a "spring" action fore and aft. If the bar is too stiff, the bar won't bend in response to sway movement, and the cam end of the bar will just pop out of the saddle...and you wind up with no anti-sway.
in any case, something ain't right. "doesn't work well" isn't the typical description of the dual-cam. Mine has always been rock-solid...and on a similarly sized trailer/tow vehicle, too.
The weight of the bars and the deflection in the bars determine the amount of distributed weight in a static condition. This goes back to my comments above when setting up your system.
Once the system is set and while traveling the load imparted to the cam and saddle on the bars by the deflection in the bars is what in used to reduces sway. As the trailer attempts to sway out of alinement with the truck the saddles on the bars are forced to ride up on the cams. One bar will ride off the cam towards the back of the cam and the other ride off the bar towards the front of the cam. This riding up off the cams creates additional load on the bars. The energy needed to cause the additional deflection in the bars is used dampen sway. Each time the trailer is presented with forces that would cause a swaying motion that oscillation is reduced by the force necessary to cause the bars to ride up off the cams. If a force, truck passing to close, does cause the bars to ride up off the cams each time during an oscillation that the bars return onto the cams and up again in the other direction they are reducing the amplitude of the oscillation until the rig is again traveling straight down the road.
What many drivers do when they feel the trailer starting to sway is try to steer against the sway rather than just hold steady and let the sway control system do it's job. In almost all casses this corrective steering INCREASES the sway.
If your trailer is forced into an oscillation you are better off to lightly accelerate while applying the trailer brakes using the manual switch on the brake controller. The application of these to counter acting forces will pull the rig straight.
Here some pictures. The last picture shows my trailer/suburban combination fully loaded for a 2 week trip, plus 800lbs of equipment in the back of the Suburban.
Still, even with this increased tongue weight, and the extra link in the chain that it took to level the combination, the Reese HP did not perform very well.
There was definite sway when being passed by trucks and buses.
I also notice a fair amount of wear on the cams. The area where the bars ride is worn beyond 1/8in already.
on edit: the first two pictures were taken while installing the cams, the adjusters are still loose.
Ok here's what I see, you have 6 links on the chains, you're not supposed to exceed 5, your rig is level so that's great!
I would try tilting your hitch foward until you can get 5 links on.
You should have a little pressure when you raise the cams/chain with the bar not a ton of pressure.
I called Reese and got this info from them.
I have driven my rig now 8,000 miles and I could take my hands off the wheel (not that I would) when any size semi passes, be it with me at 60-75mph, with them buzzing by at 90.
The hitch you have works well, just adjust it better use the 5 link rule.
PS: I could tell better if the pic was taken at hitch height like if you sat on the ground and snapped it.
__________________
Bob
'77 Sovereign Intl 31' CB '07 GMC 4x4 2500HD EC 8.1 Allision six | Bedrug | Softopper | Airbags
WBCCI Time's a-changing Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
I just did a blow up of one of your pics it shows the small plate that you set the angle it is at max tilt backwards, that may be all you need to try is to tilt it forward and get it to work as I said with 5 links.
The weight dist bars are 1,000lbs, do you know the real tongue weight of your trailer?
When you know that, you can call Reese and get their opinion on weather those bars are too stiff, IMO they are fine.
__________________
Bob
'77 Sovereign Intl 31' CB '07 GMC 4x4 2500HD EC 8.1 Allision six | Bedrug | Softopper | Airbags
WBCCI Time's a-changing Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
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Hi, you may not need a Ha Ha, but if that is what will give you peace of mind, I think you should buy it. If for any reason you feel more comfortable with a Ha Ha than you would with anything else, if your mind tells you, you're not going to be safe without it, you won't be. Hensley Arrow is a very good hitch and I think anyone who has a trailer longer than 25 feet or people who, in their mind, won't feel safe without one, absolutely should buy one. That in it's self will make it safer for all involved.
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