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2airishuman · 07-21-2007, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

...I have been able to adjust the lugs enough to keep a tight connection. I am concerned that I will eventually reach the limit of this adjustment.

the ocls should be "snug" only.

in the first few trips there may be a need to retighten these as the threads bed in...

but after 5k or so of towing the over center latches should NOT need additional tightening.

IF you are regularly re-tighening the ocls then you are FORCING that connection to be more snug than needed.

this WILL compress those 4 internal flanges more than needed and cause wear...

since the trailer is normally pulling back on these ocl bolts and wings...

they "tighten" under driving conditions.

a mm or 2 of motion at that joint is not unlike the gap between a ball and cup on other hitches

i've adjusted might 2-3 times only in 2 years of towing.

so this might be an issue.

cheers
2air'

TinShack · 07-21-2007, 07:51 PM

See what you started 2Air? Check out my "new" Hensley. No more faded orange. For the top coat I used Airstream touch up paint in a 16 ounce spray can. The color is Dupont Metallic Gray (#360151-01). This is a nice automotive grade paint and although slightly different than the Pewter Gray on my '05, it has a much more appealing look and blends nicely with it.

I love the new look and was sick of the faded orange. Everything blends nicely now!

TinShack · 07-21-2007, 08:15 PM

Hi Moosetags. I noticed some bending and paint chipping at the top of the flange too. Not as much as yours but not as many miles either. Ifr Hensley said this is normal I wouldn't worry about it. When I first noticed the paint chipping on the upper flange lip, i used some rust retardant on it and repainted it, which I try and do on a regular basis as soon as the rust appears. Here is a picture of my receiver...I don't show this to just anybody

**moosetags** · 07-21-2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowolf

Hi Moosetags. I noticed some bending and paint chipping at the top of the flange too. Not as much as yours but not as many miles either. Ifr Hensley said this is normal I wouldn't worry about it. When I first noticed the paint chipping on the upper flange lip, i used some rust retardant on it and repainted it, which I try and do on a regular basis as soon as the rust appears. Here is a picture of my receiver...I don't show this to just anybody

Yours looks a lot more square than mine. Mine seems to be turning into a circle.

2airishuman · 07-21-2007, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowolf

...I love the new look and was sick of the faded orange. Everything blends nicely now!

nice job slowolf!

we'll soon have enough for a gray haha rally...

cheers
2air'

woodedareas · 07-22-2007, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

nice job slowolf!

we'll soon have enough for a gray haha rally...

cheers
2air'

I am completeing my first season with the HaHa and I am now comfortable hooking up even on irregular surfaces. Simply put it is great. Much of what I learned about the HaHa came from the Forum and from 2airishuman. I do have to do some tightening on the bolts of the brackets as they tend to loosen. I also periodically adjust the struts per the manual and lub the bars.

Sky · 07-23-2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by razorback

Every pair of jeans I own have had grease spots "Go-Jo'd" out of them and I have two shin scars.

This may have been mentioned already, Im still in the middle of reading this thread. When I purched our Airstream with a HAHA, the tech actually told me to use Go-Jo instead of grease on the stinger bar for lubrication. It seems to work OK. It still hurts like hell, but doesn't stain.

2airishuman · 08-18-2007, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

Yours looks a lot more square than mine. Mine seems to be turning into a circle.

any progress or resolution on this issue moosetags?

did you contact the haha factory?

cheers
2air'

razorback · 08-18-2007, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky

This may have been mentioned already, Im still in the middle of reading this thread. When I purched our Airstream with a HAHA, the tech actually told me to use Go-Jo instead of grease on the stinger bar for lubrication. It seems to work OK. It still hurts like hell, but doesn't stain.

For the past 6 months I have placed a red grease rag over the stinger when I leave it in and my jeans are a lot cleaner.

Still have the pain, but not the stain. And the red rag makes it more noticeable to others who may walk by so they can avoid it.

If I move the TV to go get fuel, etc, I wrap a short bungee around the rag and hook the ends through the clip pin holes. Works like a charm.

2airishuman · 08-18-2007, 09:39 PM

hi sky and razorback...

it's the end of the swimming season...

noodles are now 2 bucks at wallyworld...

see d pix in post 25 here...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/275530-post25.html

that noodle is in the 3 year of duty, 12 inches at a time....

no pain, no stain and the old wounds are all betta!

perhaps an ORANGE one would be more oem?

cheers
2air'

razorback · 08-18-2007, 10:11 PM

I may not even have to go to WallyWorld. That is if my granddaughter wouldn't miss a short section off the end of of her pool noodle!

dpandorf · 08-28-2007, 05:49 AM

Rich Luhr has just posted an incident he just had with his haha on his blog. Too hard to cut and paste the link from my iPhone.

But he lost his WD bar enroute and only knew it since his better half was following in their new car.

It appears it may have failed due to fatigue from not greasing the hitch at recommended intervals when first installed.

SilverCabin · 08-28-2007, 07:33 AM

Here's the link to Rich's Blog wher he describes the failure.

Tour of America: Hitch damage

2airishuman · 08-28-2007, 10:34 AM

morning hitchin' buds...

the part that broke is pictured here..

http://www.airforums.com/forums/302952-post89.html

and in the next post #90.

the 'greasin' issue is specific to the w/d bar heads where they insert into the main haha body...

shown in posts 91-95 above...

there may be other and several issues contributing to this/his specific part breaking..

but YES YES YES grease those bar heads!

that's why there are grease zerks in that location folks.

and another caution...

should your spring bars fall out in camp, or drop partially out, or bind in the slightest AT the bushing/head...

CHECK THE GREASE ZERKS FOR DAMAGE...

it is very easy to grind, break or otherwise bugger up the inner zerk tips...

so carry spare zerks, and a grease gun,

and check this area each time you disconnect/connect...

cheers
2air'

rluhr · 08-28-2007, 11:11 AM

Yes, 2air is, as usual, correct in his point: grease is good. The blog entry speaks for itself but I'll add a few things to further the conspiracy:

1) I've been using a mini grease gun, to keep the load of equipment in my bumper compartment to a minimum. But it takes 40-50 pumps of that silly little tool to fill the grease chambers every 500 miles, which is part of why I wasn't doing it as much as I should have initially. I'm switching to a "big boy" grease gun.

2) I have noticed (long ago in my misspent haha youth) that lack of frequent greasing can cause wierd tracking issues. GREASE GREASE GREASE as 2air rightly recommends.

3) I've already replaced my zerks twice due to having worn off the nubs and will be removing and replacing the current ones to check them as part of this repair. I carry a spare set because you can't just pick them up anywhere -- not a hardware store item. They do wear out in normal use, so expect it.

4) About 20 minutes before this failure, we crossed over a VERY rough train track. I was caught off guard by a severe bump at about 20 MPH and my wife who was following reported that the wheels of the trailer actually left the ground! This may have overstressed the bracket, leading to the failure only a few miles later. So I can't state the cause of this failure conclusively. It may be a complex set of issues.

5) Non- haha owners take note: this U-bracket and bar arrangement is used on other brands of hitches -- and I was told by a dealer that the bracket is a common failure point on those hitches as well. It's not an issue exclusive to Hensley.

dpandorf · 08-28-2007, 12:14 PM

Thanks for the update Rich. I was just out at our trailer this morning going over everything as we're about to venture on a 3 week trip out to the Grand Canyon area. (A 5,000 mile round trip)

I've insured my haha has been properly greased, checked the torque on the nuts securing the hitch brackets, checked tire pressures and checked those lug nuts too.

I too keep a grease gun and plan on picking up additional refills as I'm down to one extra.

My wife and I will be posting a blog of our trip and will post a link to it in a new thread.

Glad no other damage was done to your rig Rich!

2airishuman · 08-28-2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rluhr

...I'll add a few things to further the conspiracy....

thank's for the additional info rich,

here in the repository of all things haha...

it's seldom just one thing true, true.

and high mileage users gotta do what they gotta do...

my concern was that some less familiar with the inner workings of these doodads...

might interpret 'grease yer hitch' as grease the stinger...

messy, messy, messy, as tin sista might say

as with all hensley controversies,

i'm pretty sure this contraption can be traced to medieval french drama...

which would make it a...

brouhaha...

cheers
2air'

rluhr · 08-29-2007, 03:19 PM

OK, I replaced both U-brackets on my hitch and I advise other owners to go check theirs if they have a lot of miles.

See larger image at:
http://tour.airstreamlife.com/weblog...des%20rust.jpg

I talked to some more knowledgeable folks about this and they said that if the part failed due to metal fatigue, I'd see a rust line where the metal has been breaking for some time. In the photo above, you can see a clear rust line on both of the broken sides of the U-bracket, as well as sharp shiny steel where it finally broke.

You can also see severe stretching of the holes where the pin ties this U-bracket to the screw jack. This part needed replacement.

See larger image at
http://tour.airstreamlife.com/weblog...%20bracket.jpg

You can see the same metal fatigue rust line in the second photo, which shows the remains of the bottom part of the bracket. Also note distortion in the plate from the last bits of metal bending before they broke.

See larger image at http://tour.airstreamlife.com/weblog...%20bracket.jpg

The last photo (above) shows the other U-bracket. At first glance it appears OK. It's very hard to see in this photo, but the upper corner has a distinct crack in it. It was already in the process of failing! This crack is so subtle that you would not notice it in a casual inspection. You really have to look closely.

I will be replacing both U-brackets annually from now on.

2airishuman · 08-29-2007, 03:43 PM

oh yea baby!

i can definitely see the rust in your crack!

it appears this u-bracket is the same piece on the 1000 and 1400 lb bars...

with that much MORE stress on the heavier bar users...

so it may be that your gradually failing u bracket broke on the rr tracks,

then it took a few miles for the bar to work itself out and fall...

u r really lucky 4 no trailer, gas line or brake line damage...

excellent post!

cheers
2air'

Sky · 08-29-2007, 06:41 PM

Rich,

Thank you very much for taking the time to post this information. I just purchased a haha in June, and will be keeping an eye on those U brackets. Do you have any idea how many miles were on those brackets before they broke?

Thanks again
Dale