Hensley Hitch with Ford Back-Up Assist

[frjeff]

Will these two get along with each other? Just wondering as the Hensley does not pivot on the hitch ball but within its head mechanism.

[kendrick.l.j]

Hi frjeff, I don't have a Ford but I do have the Hensley hitch that I use with my 2500 RAM. I haven't had any problems hitching or unhitching. The back up camera makes hitching up alone very easy, well, easy after a couple of days of practice lining everything up. Now it only takes a few moments to get the job done.
Hope that helps.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Ford has several "interesting" camera setups. Some are more useful than others. I find the basic backup camera *very* useful for hitching up. It will work with any hitch. It takes the solo hookup process from a "good grief" thing to a "no sweat". The "backup assist" stuff ... not so much. I find that there are just to may odd things in a normal campsite. (How close is that tree, where is the sewage, how close to the pad ... ).

Bob

[overlander63]

Father Jeff, I don't think it will work reliably. The extra pivoting in the Hensley will probably give the Ford system an electronic headache.

[white laker]

It may not work properly. so...... keep the Hensley and trash the Ford!
Just kidding.... It may mess up the way the backup system gets and deals with sensor information. Try hard to keep the Hensley. Pete

[kendrick.l.j]

as I stated earlier I don't have a Ford, why would the backup assist fail just because of the Hensley? Wouldn't it fail with Blue Ox, or PP or other WD/anti-sway? Is there any way to turn off extra stuff and just use a basic backup camera?
I am not interested in starting another thread of Truck Wars. I have only own the RAM and Hensley so I am asking out of ignorance and want to know why it wouldn't work. Thanks

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

as I stated earlier I don't have a Ford, why would the backup assist fail just because of the Hensley? Wouldn't it fail with Blue Ox, or PP or other WD/anti-sway? Is there any way to turn off extra stuff and just use a basic backup camera?
I am not interested in starting another thread of Truck Wars. I have only own the RAM and Hensley so I am asking out of ignorance and want to know why it wouldn't work. Thanks

It may well not work because the Hensley and PP have an extra pivot point in the system, which may confuse the program.

[RandyNH]

Why shouldn't it work? We're talking about connecting the truck to the trailer correct? If so, the setup for the system is when connected you attach the black/white sticker to the frame and then the computer recognizes it's location and always puts it in the same spot.

It doesn't care about pivot points or anything else, it just locates the ball head in reference to the sticker.

When I first read it, I thought people were referencing the backup camera and connecting the trailer and how easy it was, this my previous thoughts.

As for backing assist with trailer attached, I do not have a Hensley, but I would not think that it has an "extra" pivot point, but just an extended one and as such should not have any issue with the system, as you input the measurements into the system.

Here's a good video of the system

ttps://youtu.be/e9c9P_kLrU4

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by RandyNH

Why shouldn't it work? We're talking about connecting the truck to the trailer correct? If so, the setup for the system is when connected you attach the black/white sticker to the frame and then the computer recognizes it's location and always puts it in the same spot.

It doesn't care about pivot points or anything else, it just locates the ball head in reference to the sticker.

When I first read it, I thought people were referencing the backup camera and connecting the trailer and how easy it was, this my previous thoughts.

As for backing assist with trailer attached, I do not have a Hensley, but I would not think that it has an "extra" pivot point, but just an extended one and as such should not have any issue with the system, as you input the measurements into the system.

Here's a good video of the system

ttps://youtu.be/e9c9P_kLrU4

I guess I oversimplified my explanation.
A Hensley Arrow, or Pro Pride Pivot Point Projection System has a pivot point that rotates in a circle. It is not a fixed, single position point. How do you think a computer would react if it started maneuvering based on a fixed pivot point, and suddenly that pivot point moved 6 inches to the left? Then back 6 inches to the right, as the truck and trailer backed up?

[RandyNH]

Originally Posted by overlander63

I guess I oversimplified my explanation.
A Hensley Arrow, or Pro Pride Pivot Point Projection System has a pivot point that rotates in a circle. It is not a fixed, single position point. How do you think a computer would react if it started maneuvering based on a fixed pivot point, and suddenly that pivot point moved 6 inches to the left? Then back 6 inches to the right, as the truck and trailer backed up?

Thanks, I looked up the working video, I see what you mean and didn't realize they had such a pivot rotation. The nice part to the backup assist is that you can direct it's movement with a small dial on the dash, as opposed to having to use the steering wheel, with just a left/right flick of which direction you want it to go.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The Ford setup has a bunch of measurements that you put in. It also has a visual "target" sticker you put on the trailer. The big issue is getting that sticker inside the view of the camera. Since different vehicles mount the rear camera in different ways, I'd bet that results on one vehicle may not translate to success or failure on a different model.

Bob

[truxpin]

I'd put a call into Hensley's tech guy (Terry, I think) Of course they know their hitch frontwards & backwards and may have a good answer for you. I think the Ford backup assist has been around long enough that they might have had a chance to do some live testing of their own.

[Off-we-go]

I have both the ford backup assist and a hensley cub and they do not work together.

[Raincity]

I believe if you look through the forms you will find a thread on the subject .
Another individual had the same problem . Any measurement from the hitch ball had to be taken to a different spot .

[frjeff]

Agree with all comments with thanks. Part of the problem is finding where to accurately place the required decals (and, having space to put them, even if you could figure out the measurements).