Weld broke on Hensley

[Cally]

Went to hitch up this morning to head back to AZ. When I was greasing up the Hensley I noticed that the weld around the W/D bar connection was cracked. Further inspection shows about a 4" crack (can see through it). Will be spending at least another day in Rapid City to get it welded. Lucky I found it before I left, but I wonder when it cracked. Didn't notice it the last time I hitched.

[boondockdad]

Pix, please!

[moosetags]

Thanks for this important information. I have a Hensley that is six years old (#8332) that has almost 100,000 miles of towing on it. I will be giving it a thorough inspection. Pictures of your broken weld would be great.

Brian

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by cahalan1526

Went to hitch up this morning to head back to AZ. When I was greasing up the Hensley I noticed that the weld around the W/D bar connection was cracked. Further inspection shows about a 4" crack (can see through it). Will be spending at least another day in Rapid City to get it welded. Lucky I found it before I left, but I wonder when it cracked. Didn't notice it the last time I hitched.

Pat, we found a good welder in Union, Nebraska a week ago. I know when my hitch cracked because I did it. ;-(

We will be headed out of Gunnison tomorrow, headed home after 2 months on the road. Travel safe and we will see you soon!

[Cally]

Here are a couple pics. You can see the light coming through. There is no load on it at this point. I don't know if it would separate further under load.

[rumrunner]

dont know what caused the crack but from the paint flaking it looks like you may have stretched or separated more of the weld running back under the hitch body. Have your welder take a good look while he's there.
tim

[Cally]

Thanks, I'll have him check it out. The paint came off when I was cleaning the crack and picking at it to see the damage.

[moosetags]

Thank you so much for the pictures. I'll be all over Lucy's Hensley as soon as possible.

Brian

[Bruce B]

Aren't these hitches guaranteed for life against this kind of failure?????
I'd be scared $&!#-less to just weld it back togeather and continue using it!
What caused that failure? I would certainly be on the phone to Hensley looking for advise....
Bruce

[Tim A.]

I, too, think you should check with Hensley.

Tim

[r carl]

Yes it has a lifetime warranty and I would send it back to them for a replacement. I would call them in the morning before you get it welded though.

[rluhr]

I had the same crack on mine. Hensley replaced the head under the Lifetime Warranty. You don't have to pay to have it welded unless you're in a hurry or don't want to incur shipping costs.

All hitch owners should inspect their gear including tow vehicle receiver, regularly. No brand is immune to wear and tear!

[Ag&Au]

Disclaimer:
I am not trying to start an argument.
I am not trying to suggest a cause.
I am simply curious.

Would this be a point of stress if a turn was made that was tighter than the hitch design would allow?

Ken

[Cally]

I've already emailed Hensley and will call first thing in the morning. They do have a lifetime warranty and have always treated me well on the few minor issues I've had. I do have to get home for some prior commitments, plus with Sturgis coming up the campgrounds are full. As to the stress point question, my understanding is that the shear bolts on the a-frame are supposed to give when it is turned too tight. Thanks for the advice and I'll keep you posted.

[Gene]

The other side should be looked at too and maybe spot welded when the crack is repaired in case that side is weakened. A good welder should be able to make it plenty strong (note the adjective "good" before welder).

If shear bolts don't shear, something is wrong. The crack happened before the shear bolt design failure point and my guess is the broken area has a design defect or contaminated metal. On a short thread, there are already one and maybe two posts about the same thing.

Gene

[boondockdad]

Wow. I thought these things were pretty much bulletproof.
I'm surprised the torsion bar doesn't drop out.
How old/approximate mileage on that?

I used to ratchet up the struts to max, with no holes showing... after talking with Aaron, he said the reason they don't recommend doing that is possibility of the torsion bar bracket hooking onto the strut bar bracket underside... but I'm wondering if this is another reason not to?

[purman]

Sounds like its time for a new Andersen WD. Have none of those type problems with mine, and it's light as a feather . No, this hitch probably works great for you, but something isn't working right if that crack happened you need to talk to them and figure it out, or it will probably happen again.

[Silver Otter]

Well, THAT got me up off the desk chair in a hurry. Glad to report all is well on ours, but THANKS for making me look. Hensley replaced our Orange Part this year at no charge after the hitch ball weld separated a bit. That's the next thing to look at when you nice and level and can un-hitch easily.

[Cally]

Talked to Terry at Hensley before the welder came this morning and sent him pictures. He said that having somebody else do the repair won't affect the warranty. Discovered that the bushings where the spring bars attach was broken too, but on opposite side from the weld break? Hensley will send me new bushings. On the road home and so far no further problems. The bushings look pretty worn to me. About 40K of towing on the hitch.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by cahalan1526

.....................


The bushings look pretty worn to me. About 40K of towing on the hitch.

That sounds like of bunch of towing miles. Over what time span was that? I guess we don't use our trailer enough.
Is the eccentric shape of the inside of bushings wear or are they designed that way?

Ken