Can a newbie figure out how to install the Hensley? Should I buy and have a dealer install it? Are there any discounts available? Or is it 3,000.00 period?ThanksDennis
hi millva'...
SURE a newbie can figure it out,
check out the multiple owner installs here which include photos of the process...
mine was originally installed by the dealer (at no charge) and i watched...
i've since removed it twice and re installed it.
no problemo!
the owners manual which includes the installation guide in linked waaaaay back on page one of this thread....
and available for download from haha land...
pricing
actually there have been 'free shipping' discounts and
'before the price increase discounts' and
even 90 days no question asked returns instead of the usual 60 days...
the makers also sell 'reconditioned units' from time2time...
with the FULL lifetime warranty.
this usually results in 500$ or more off current list...
they've also been known to toss in extras like parts kits...
and every buyers gets a box of hats and videos/cds to hand out and some decals...
gotta REALLY love or-ange to wear the hats...
there are also occasionally units up 4sale on ebay or yahoo...
about 1/2 price but shipping is a BIG cost....
while it does take a while to read this entire thread, ask any question and some 'user' with help ya...
cheers
2air'
__________________ all of the true things that i am about to tell you are shameless lies. l.b.johnson
we are here on earth to fart around. don't let anybody tell you any different. k.v.
I've got another interesting side effect of improper Hensley set-up to report. Those of you who have followed my blog might recall all the wear we discovered last January 18, 2007 and fixed during a routine maintenance stop.
One of the problems was stretched holes where the strut bars pin into the hitch head. Those stickers on the Hensley strut bars that say, "Make sure strut bars are FIRM" are there for a lot of good reasons. As a prior poster (hookedonclassic) discovered, if the bars aren't tight and even, you'll get pushed sideways when you hit the brakes. We had this problem for a few months before I realized what was going on. That's what stretched the holes pictured in the blog entry above.
Well, today I went to do my annual "lube the hitch ball" routine. It was starting to get squeaky on me. The easiest technique I've found for this is to leave the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle, loosen the weight distribution bars completely, loosen the strut bars evenly (and count the exact number of turns you loosen them!), pop the ball coupler, and then use the hitch jack to raise the A-frame off the ball. The tow vehicle will hold the hitch head and ball in place.
Look what I found. The leading edge of the trailer's A-frame on the curbside has been crushed. I think this probably happened when the Hensley strut bars were not tight last year. That allowed the head to wiggle just a little, and under braking stress it was able to deform the steel of the trailer's A-frame.
I don't think this represents a current problem, since the Hensley hitch head is held in place by proper adjustment of the strut bars (rather than this part of the frame). This is more of a visual warning: make sure your strut bars are firm so that the head can't move, and properly adjusted so that the trailer will brake perfectly straight on level ground.
Okay, ya'll, I've had a Hensley on my vintage kin SILVER STREAK that Dave Tidmore and crew installed for me at Roger William's Airstream a few days after I purchased both truck and trailer. We've put probably 5,000-miles on it since May and I now have a little time to start the rest of the process of perfecting the tow vehicle and trailer for roadworthiness.
I've posted elsewhere my "feelings" about this hitch. It's a no-brainer, IMO. But my rig is not otherwise ideal. Not yet.
I grew up in a family that towed (Streamlines and Silver Streaks), and I have been a professional truck driver. I've usually owned old cars (just let go my '71 Chrysler daily driver). "I've learned and learned", as one old truck driver said one day, "and I still haven't seen it all"; a statement I agree with in my more temperate moments.
So I'd like to enlist your help in tracking down, through this thread, some if not all of the "roadworthiness" issues (balance, distribution of weight, etc) that can be encountered per my rig. Perhaps this will be of help to others. I have had to go to a lot of threads in this forum (and others) to find info on rigging properly (I am going to use A/S guidelines even though I do NOT have independent suspension on my trailer; please ask for any clarifications). I'd rather use this forum than others out there with no further comment.
No, I do not have a camera I can post pictures with at this time.
We'll be leaving Dallas in a few days bound for Corpus Christi (again) and I'll have the time to do some Cat Scale weighing, and rig measurements.
Your help is requested.
According to Andy/Inland RV I'll need:
1. Length of Trailer
2. Tongue Weight
3. TV Wheelbase
4. TV Spring Capacity
Also,
A. Truck Scale
B. Straight Edge (and level)
C. Tape Measure
1983 34' SILVER STREAK 3411 Supreme
As of 8/8/07 weight was 7,360# (tongue weight not measured)
This weight represents a current load that is changing monthly as we travel (not retired, deciding future jobs, where to live and the like. Plus, visiting our son as much as possible before he is shipped out by the USMC), so I expect to see a change on Thursday when I re-weigh. My future weight is unlikely to be higher than this.
When purchased, the trailer was nearly dead-on the factory weight of 6,820#.
TOW VEHICLE
2004 DODGE RAM SLT Cummins TurboDiesel, 2WD, 3.73 Anti-Spin, NV-5600 6-speed, QuadCab, 8' bed. 8,620#, hitched, fueled, usual load otherwise. A separate weigh will be made this time.
TRUCK SCALE TICKET
(full fuel, one pax, topper, bed with good load)
Steer: 4,240
Drive: 3,760
Gross: 8,000#
I will be taking static measurements of the vehicles the day of the weighing set once at a CAT Scale; trailer beltline, wheelwells of both vehicles, etc. Hitched and unhitched.
I will also be splitting the tandem axle on the scale in as level a manner as possible, as I believe I have a significant rear-ward bias due to the floorplan of this trailer.
ORIGINAL WEIGH TICKET: (with oem Reese hitch; truck with no load)
Day of purchase
SECOND WEIGH TICKET: W/D bars at max
(TV with full fuel, usual bed load and passengers. TT with full fresh water, empty waste tanks, empty propane [two 40# bottles]).
that's what i did and much of the feedback ((unrelated to the haha)) was very helpful.
i have other cat-scale-weigh-in info to post on my rig and will do it there soon.
i don't agree entirely with the "list" suggested by that west coast repair guy but again a weigh in and set up is open to varied approaches and views.
in addition IF david T did your install, he likely would have taken all the relevant measurements (except scale weights) during set up.
my view is the haha users guide is more focused on the haha aspects only.
some of the haha specific issues are:
-stinger drop
-number of holes showing on lower jacks
-strut hole position
-spring bar rating (there are ONLY 3)
-tongue weight (with/without the haha)
-axle loads (steering, drive, trailer) measured AT EACH MARK on the screw jacks and completely un-tensioned...
-i also obtained axle loads with EACH revolution of the screw jacks (but i'm obsessive on data) which i've not posted to spare others...
and while some of us will suffer sorting only the data, pictures really do help.
so again take a look at the cat scale thread; others have good 'weigh in' threads also...
and consider getting the full attention you deserve with your own thread...
then bring the haha issues here.
and this is JUST a suggestion, ultimately do whatever you like!
cheers
2air'
it does look like you've done well with the 'vintage kindred' threads so perhaps a title like....
'silver streak in the balance' or 'what does a streaker weight?' or 'it ain't heavy it's my streaker' would focus the experts on your non haha needs...
__________________ all of the true things that i am about to tell you are shameless lies. l.b.johnson
we are here on earth to fart around. don't let anybody tell you any different. k.v.
(I'd cut that big booger down to size, but edit time has passed)
Alright, I'll split it up to keep the "purity quotient" high. I was inspired by your posts in several threads other than this one and thought that a separate, new, thread might be taken as dismissive of this great thread. The H/A isn't at issue, but properly adjusting it is (and Tidmore may or may not have; that's why I'm asking for help in this). So, it's transferred to the suggested, linked, thread now.
The differences, as to towing, as smaller than may appear. Both trailer brands are aerodynamic (mine less so), and the only real difference is in ground clearance and suspension type. Thus my choice in following A/S guidelines first.
FWIW I think "that West Coast repair guy" is essentially correct. I may not be able to modify my truck depending on work load, but if I do I'll simply remove the overload leaf, add TIMBREN overloads when not towing, and add larger front and new rear anti-roll bars. Going to lighter weight w/d bars may not be for others, but I'll be trying them. Thus the second part of my decision to post in this thread. That WCR-guy pointed out to me in his posts what I am experiencing, that I am, for W/D, "over-hitched". Modifying vehicles is also not new to me.
My impression of this thread was that it was to be comprehensive. The "issue" of my trailer brand is off bubble, it likely will matter little if that was a concern.
As to obssesive on info, well, throw it on out there. There's more of us than you think, friend, and we'll read it and digest it. I certainly don't have the experience with this hitch that you have, however similar our rigs may be (and I still can't get over how heavy the new Airstreams are), even though I'm a good one-ton lighter in weight.
The drop of the stinger (Hensley's term?) is, at present, 2". I "believe" that this is not right. 3" would be better, and I may well try the 4" drop stinger. I am currently slightly nose-high, and the rear axle of the tandem is heavier by 3-400# than the front. My rule-of-thumb preference has always been to be, if there is a choice, slightly nose down if level is not available.
But, first things, first. Measurements. I'm parked in a thoroughly un-level spot these past two months. I know Cat Scales to be beautifully level and will make my measurements there (trailer hitch height) once unbuckled.
Yes, the 750# bars are within view. Maybe some 550# Draw-Tites if they'll fit. I think mine are the 1400#, and, no, I get virtually no deflection from zero to max tightening. And, something else noticed (that I've not seen mentioned), my jack struts have the paint worn off across the front from the upper barrel wearing it off the lower. The jacks angle once the rig is buckled up.
Yes, I get your point about the sway and w/d being "separate". I am trying to survey the whole rigging, thus my request for help in this and the other thread as I expect to make changes and wish to leave no stone unturned.
2Air, you posted several H/A questions to answer as to set-up. On the other thread there is an analysis being done, and I'll bring it back here to address.
After all the measurements and weights for the initial analysis made for the above-referenced thread (see link: "Cat Scale"), I did not measure the W/D bar deflection. It is minimal at most.
The other thing of note is that, as I have mentioned, the trailer is tail heavy, on the order of 400-600# to the rear axle of the tandem. And, with a 2" drop, the trailer is slightly nose high (actually, I'm dragging tail).
The weird thing I realized today is that I have never, when parked, seen the hitch in an aligned position. It is ALWAYS slightly off. The starboard jack is always upright, the port jack is always angled forward. The head is, from center, always more than .5" to 1.5" to starboard.
I have had the axle/trailer alignment done at a big truck shop (and the tires, bearings, shocks are brand-new, the brakes are close to new; no temp problems noted at hubs [infrared readings]).
The tires read 5F hotter on the rear regularly (and, last night, underinflated by 10% there was a 10F difference).
As I go down the road I can easily see down the port (drivers) side, but not the starboard side. The trailer does not track as it did prior to service, but I wonder that I shouldn't have it checked again.
I know I am tail-heavy and a bit nose-high. I wonder that I am not pulling to the side in going down the road [?]. I won't move from the spot I'm in for another two weeks (we're down on the Texas Coastal Bend, Corpus Christi now, and then to Rockport before Thanksgiving).
I was used to this problem (on occasion) in big trucks and was pleased with myself for catching it on this rig. I am planning to remove some of the "heavier" items from the TT "trunk" (really, it is a "boot"), and to move some items out of the interior also to the truck bed to reduce weight by a few hundred pounds.
2Air, Abe and others,
We had a HaHa installed on our new 25 CCD about 2 months ago based on this thread. I want to thank all for your views on the merits of the HA and the tips on hitching. I got a set of magnetic rods and it's really a joy how easy it is to hitch up. The first time it took me an hour but now we are getting hitched within 15-20 minutes. I can even do it alone. Thanks a lot fellahs!! Gene
2Air, Abe and others,
The first time it took me an hour but now we are getting hitched within 15-20 minutes. I can even do it alone. Thanks a lot fellahs!! Gene
Gene: My exact experience also. 1.25 hours first time and I was about ready to call it quits but didn't. Got the hitching rods and can make it usually first time will a couple checkpoints.
__________________
Rich
2006 Classic 34 Front Lounge
2004 GMC Duramax CC SB
Hensley Arrow
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2air
KARMA to ya on those "hitch'n sticks" also.
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