the ultimate haha users guide...

2airishuman · 10-18-2006, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vajeep

I have two nasty scars on my shins that might match yours... I also have the Enkay mud flaps, so as soon as I get the wheels chocked, I lock the stinger with attached Enkays to the Hensley.Abe

hi abe, we will need to compare scars some day...remember the scene in jaws when they do that....

occasionally i leave the stinger with flaps in the haha too, but then i use a really long noodle to cover both mudflap arms...

other wise i trip over them too!

regards
2air'

2airishuman · 10-18-2006, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookedonclassic

Practice has made a world of difference for me too. I no longer have to think twice about unhooking. Have you modified your TV suspension yet? I'm still thinking about it. See you next spring at Midwest Rally, I hope.

hi hooked'...yep we can swap ford stories at the midwest rally

practice really does help early on with the haha.
i had trouble getting unhitched.
IF there is any tension/torque in the hitch box it is possible to drag the trailer even without a pin...

i haven't done the mor-ryde suspension mod yet...spring perhaps.
really i like how my truck rides hooked up.
the mod would improve unhitched ride and soften vibration into the trailer though...

i did however switch from the 1000lb w/d bars to 1400lb w/d bars and it's much better this way.

i will post soon about the w/d bar issue; selection, care and so on...

they now offer 750 lb bars for the haha, a nice thing for folks with less tongue weight..

cheers
2air'

2airishuman · 10-18-2006, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leipper

.One thing I didn't get around to doing at the I'Rally was taking a survey of hitch types. That would generate some interesting numbers.

hi bryan...

i did start counting hahas at the int. rally.

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

as i recall the old european fellow across from me who was towing a 31 with a caddy sts...had one too.

his receiver and setup was fabricated by can-am....and he always towed witha caddy.

he traveled from ontario to salem without issues...

as porkypig here says...."expensive? sure. and i'm worth every penny!"

the secondary market is very good for these hahas....they sell much quicker than used a/streams....

and the fact that buyers of used hahas have the option of a lifetime warranty from the maker is remarkable.

cheers
2air'

BigAl · 10-18-2006, 07:07 PM

Hi Joe,
Painting can't be a priority for you! Seems to me you had the paint way back in June at the Morraine View rally. I was hoping to see a silver Hensley by now. Great posts by the way. I was going to get those fluorescent rods but figured looking at them would blind me so I just use the "force" and seem to nail it the first time every time.
Al

2airishuman · 10-18-2006, 07:13 PM

ok ya exposed me big al....

when i go camping i get very very lazy...

now i'm gonna bring the paint next year too!

cheers
2air'

razorback · 10-18-2006, 07:39 PM

The issue of what to do with the hitch bar when I am unhooked perplexes me also. Every pair of jeans I own have had grease spots "Go-Jo'd" out of them and I have two shin scars. My wife thinks I am a very slow learner and doesn't mind reminding me of that each time I forget. To help remember it's there when I am parked and will be doodling around the tv, I just put the tailgate down. The extra steps to walk around the tailgate keeps me past the hitch. I had thought about something to pad it with, but didn't want something else to carry around and deal with. So far its worked pretty well for me.

I have figured out how to adjust the receiver to odd angles, but the one scenario that still gives me trouble, unhooking or hooking, is when the nose of the tv is sloped way down and the AS is level. Sometimes there is too much angle to hitch easily.

Other than these two issues, it performs like a dream when towing. It would be hard for me to imagine towing without it. Especially for the shorter turning radius to get out of or park in tight places.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 10-18-2006, 10:39 PM

Hi, I don't want to put a stick in your spokes;

well maybe I do! I remember some of the bragging rights on the Ha Ha was that fantastic powder coat paint job.

What's up?

Bob

2airishuman · 10-18-2006, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

I remember some of the bragging rights on the Ha Ha was that fantastic powder coat paint job.

What's up? Bob

hi bob..

first i've nothing to brag about. didn't design it, fabricate it or distribute it. i just purchased one....

perhaps at some point they were powdercoated. this sure looks like paint 2 me.

it's orange, it fades/oxidizes quickly, most of the other parts are black paint.

the best painted bits are the spring bars and they come from drawtite....

every tool that touches the haha is metal, so metal on metal is bound to chip the paint. that doesn't effect the amazing and unique function however.
now does that read like braggin?

i've considered coating mine with liquid rubber. or spraying it with glue and covering it in sequins, or macaroni or rhinestones, or beer bottle caps...

yea that's it rhinestones and bottle caps...forget the paint.

no wait ostrich skin, no gator skin...oh wait gold foil....

cheers
2air'

**moosetags** · 10-19-2006, 05:10 AM

If I am unhooked from the Airstream for longer than just overnight, I store my hitch bar in the Hensley. I simply put the hitch bar back in the Hensley and lock it in with the latches. I also put a small padlock in one of the lock pin holes to deter theft. I then put Fred and Ethel (our two plastic Flamingos) right in front of the Hensley to keep people (me) from walking into the hitch bar.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 10-19-2006, 10:07 PM

Hi, I guess, if you really look at these hitches its function over looks. I thought about getting my spring bars copper plated or aluminized like they do exhaust manifolds. My tastes aren't as extravigant as 2air's; Rhinestones, snake skins, gold leaf, or diamond studs. Or I can just use a $3.00 can of black spray paint once a year.

Bob

ROBERTSUNRUS · 10-19-2006, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

If I am unhooked from the Airstream for longer than just overnight, I store my hitch bar in the Hensley. I simply put the hitch bar back in the Hensley and lock it in with the latches. I also put a small padlock in one of the lock pin holes to deter theft. I then put Fred and Ethel (our two plastic Flamingos) right in front of the Hensley to keep people (me) from walking into the hitch bar.

Hi, Idea for new thread! How many people have pink flamingos and what did you name them?

Bob

Mark Wiltrakis · 10-20-2006, 09:14 AM

Yikes!! I have a pair of plastic flamingos, and they have also answered to Fred and Ethel for the past 5 years.

2air' - where'd you find those rigid fluorescent hitch-up rods? Mine (for the Hensley) are telescoping metal sections that have become very un-straight over time. A pair of rigid rods would make angle correction a whole lot easier.

As a shin saver, I pull the hitch bar, wrap it in a black plastic garbage bag, and keep it in the back bed of the pick up after I unhitch the trailer. The obvious minus to this approach is the weight of this chunk of metal.

Mark

vajeep · 10-20-2006, 09:24 AM

Mark,
Here is a link for the "Hitchen rods"
My friend ZoominC6 gave me my set and it makes hooking up to the Hensley a snap!!
http://qwks.com/Hitchin-Rods-p-2.html

Abe

Mark Wiltrakis · 10-20-2006, 09:32 AM

Abe -

Thank you!! There's a dealer less than 10 miles from here.

Mark