Hensley self tapping shear bolts

[Sean Woodruff]

I'm not sure what Andy means by the comment "exactly when you need it most." 99% of shear bolt shearing comes in a backing situation when the main unit is up against its stop. In that case you will damage your Arrow if you have a welded frame bracket. If you look at the quantitative data there are FAR more Arrows on the road with shear bolts than there are welded brackets. Andy really doesn't sell many Arrows so he has limited experience with the product and what is actually needed.

The main unit will always tip to one side when you push on it when unhitched. You are applying a load vertically and the strut is pushing toward you while the hitch pivots in the coupler. Once you are hitched it will not do that.

[adonh]

Originally Posted by Sean Woodruff

If you look at the quantitative data there are FAR more Arrows on the road with shear bolts than there are welded brackets .

I agree and used new sheer bolts as advised by Hensley Arrow.

I am am finishing up the adjustments and I have greased the hitch ball and spring bars and it should work as designed when I am through. I will report back later today.

Don

[adonh]

Hi everyone I finally was able to complete the setup on the Hensley. I moved the rear strut to the bottom hole in the frame bracket as suggested and the struts are now level with the trailer. All clean and repainted. When the struts were on the middle hole of the frame bracket I only tightened the springs bars down to around just short of the 2nd mark from the bottom. Now I am I almost down to the last mark from the bottom. The trailer seems to sit lower in the front, but that could just be me thinking that it does. I have 7 1/2" from the bottom of the spring bars in front just as it bends to connect with the main unit.

I have an 8' drop bar I wonder could I get by with a 6".

Thanks for any comments and input. We are heading out tomorrow morning heading up to Tuscon.


Don

[adonh]

Well we left Missouri City on Sunday morning and are now stopped for the the night in Las Crucas NM. The Henslesy set up preformed flawlessly. I remember now what finally made my mine up to by the Hensley in 2000. We took the same trip with the same Airstream but with some other hitch. The cross windis up in the high hill country is really strong. The trip in 2000 was white knuckle all the way. Over the last 2 days same bad cross winds and every now and then I was tell my wife that would have been a bad one without the Hensley. Smooth ride all the way.

Don

[danlehosky]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

POI...on install I used one of the extra bolts to thread all the holes before mounting the plates.
Just seemed to me there was way too much torque being applied while cutting the threads, the bolts just might be very close to failure right from the 'git-go
I remove the haha during Winter storage, ('cept plates), and check everything thoroughly at Spring get ready.
Bolts are galvanized and have been replaced twice in five years following the RCM procedure. SFSG.

Welding?...

Bob

We used a tap on all of the holes we drilled. This eliminated anystress of self tapping with thesupplied bolts.