Every pair of jeans I own have had grease spots "Go-Jo'd" out of them and I have two shin scars.
This may have been mentioned already, Im still in the middle of reading this thread. When I purched our Airstream with a HAHA, the tech actually told me to use Go-Jo instead of grease on the stinger bar for lubrication. It seems to work OK. It still hurts like hell, but doesn't stain.
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"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet" - Roger Miller
"Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs" - Roger Waters Hubba - 2006 2500HD DMax............Bubba - 2007 30' Classic w/ Hensley
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This may have been mentioned already, Im still in the middle of reading this thread. When I purched our Airstream with a HAHA, the tech actually told me to use Go-Jo instead of grease on the stinger bar for lubrication. It seems to work OK. It still hurts like hell, but doesn't stain.
For the past 6 months I have placed a red grease rag over the stinger when I leave it in and my jeans are a lot cleaner. Still have the pain, but not the stain. And the red rag makes it more noticeable to others who may walk by so they can avoid it.
If I move the TV to go get fuel, etc, I wrap a short bungee around the rag and hook the ends through the clip pin holes. Works like a charm.
__________________ Razorback
Sid and Becky 2005 Classic 30 "Twinkie II" Hensley Arrow 2008 Bighorn 4X4 Dodge 2500 Cummins
WBCCI Member At Large #2786
Yes, 2air is, as usual, correct in his point: grease is good. The blog entry speaks for itself but I'll add a few things to further the conspiracy:
1) I've been using a mini grease gun, to keep the load of equipment in my bumper compartment to a minimum. But it takes 40-50 pumps of that silly little tool to fill the grease chambers every 500 miles, which is part of why I wasn't doing it as much as I should have initially. I'm switching to a "big boy" grease gun.
2) I have noticed (long ago in my misspent haha youth) that lack of frequent greasing can cause wierd tracking issues. GREASE GREASE GREASE as 2air rightly recommends.
3) I've already replaced my zerks twice due to having worn off the nubs and will be removing and replacing the current ones to check them as part of this repair. I carry a spare set because you can't just pick them up anywhere -- not a hardware store item. They do wear out in normal use, so expect it.
4) About 20 minutes before this failure, we crossed over a VERY rough train track. I was caught off guard by a severe bump at about 20 MPH and my wife who was following reported that the wheels of the trailer actually left the ground! This may have overstressed the bracket, leading to the failure only a few miles later. So I can't state the cause of this failure conclusively. It may be a complex set of issues.
5) Non- haha owners take note: this U-bracket and bar arrangement is used on other brands of hitches -- and I was told by a dealer that the bracket is a common failure point on those hitches as well. It's not an issue exclusive to Hensley.
Thanks for the update Rich. I was just out at our trailer this morning going over everything as we're about to venture on a 3 week trip out to the Grand Canyon area. (A 5,000 mile round trip)
I've insured my haha has been properly greased, checked the torque on the nuts securing the hitch brackets, checked tire pressures and checked those lug nuts too.
I too keep a grease gun and plan on picking up additional refills as I'm down to one extra.
My wife and I will be posting a blog of our trip and will post a link to it in a new thread.
I talked to some more knowledgeable folks about this and they said that if the part failed due to metal fatigue, I'd see a rust line where the metal has been breaking for some time. In the photo above, you can see a clear rust line on both of the broken sides of the U-bracket, as well as sharp shiny steel where it finally broke.
You can see the same metal fatigue rust line in the second photo, which shows the remains of the bottom part of the bracket. Also note distortion in the plate from the last bits of metal bending before they broke.
The last photo (above) shows the other U-bracket. At first glance it appears OK. It's very hard to see in this photo, but the upper corner has a distinct crack in it. It was already in the process of failing! This crack is so subtle that you would not notice it in a casual inspection. You really have to look closely.
I will be replacing both U-brackets annually from now on.
Thank you very much for taking the time to post this information. I just purchased a haha in June, and will be keeping an eye on those U brackets. Do you have any idea how many miles were on those brackets before they broke?
Thanks again
Dale
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"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet" - Roger Miller
"Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs" - Roger Waters Hubba - 2006 2500HD DMax............Bubba - 2007 30' Classic w/ Hensley
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Still have the pain, but not the stain. And the red rag makes it more noticeable to others who may walk by so they can avoid it.
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