Hensley Arrow?

[Mike Bolser]

Hensley Arrow .... anyone own one?

We have a bumper pull and the wife wants to keep it for a few more years which means several.  So if we're keeping this thing for 5 years or more, I was thinking about investing in a Hensley Arrow.  

Our trailer just doesn't have enough weight to make the truck ride worth a darn.  When using the WD bars as an anti-sway device, it unloads the rear springs on every bump.  Going down an interstate is bumpity bumpity bumpity and gets annoying really quick.  The only good thing is watching the wife's boobs bouncing    but then I have to watch the road too ... see my delima?  

Just wondered if anyone owned one, feedback, worth it?

Thanks!

Mike

PS: Loaded the bed full of firewood once and went off with the camper in tow.  It was the smoothest ride ever and the firewood came in handy.  The ride home though was more of the same...

[Mike Bolser]

Aw shoot ... meant to post in towing tech.  Oh well, Jo will move it    She's good like that.

[Kilch123]

Mike - I've never heard of it before

I pull a 5th wheel, and get a lot of chucking (back and forth) that they say an air ride hitch will reduce

If you want, I'll moe your post, let me know

[Mike Bolser]

Here it is, Kiltch.

http://www.hensleymfg.com/how_it_works.shtml

Mike

[Kilch123]

Mike - doesn't look like this is going to do anything for your problem

Sounds like the problem you have is trailer balance

You need 10% of trailer weight on the tongue (20% for 5th wheels)

Sounds to me like you have too much weight behind the trailer axles (any way to move the axles back a few inches?)

[Mike Bolser]

Well I think my trailer has enough tongue weight if I were towing with something with softer springs\shocks like a 1500.  With the 2500, the truck doesn't squat at all and the WD hitch bars need weight to be effective as an anti-sway device, such is the Reese dual cam that I"m using now.

If I put just a little tension on the bars, I get sway from the trailer.  If I put more tension on the bars, the sway is reduced but weight is removed from the rear of my truck and transferred to the front axle.  With weight removed from the rear, my springs load\unload with every bump making the ride horrible.

If I could achieve no sway without WD bars, I think it'd be a perfect setup.  That's why I started looking at the Hensley or ProPride hitches.  They geometrically counteract sway rather than relying on friction and down force.

Mike

[Kilch123]

Mike

typically, sway is caused by tail-loading on a trailer.  Have you checked the tongue weight?

With a 2500, towing a camper up to about 9000 pounds, you should see about 2 or 3 inches of suspension loading

although the boob bouncing is a plus, I know what you mean with the bouncing - when I tow the equipment trailer at work when it's empty, it drives me crazy!

how much does your trailer weigh, and do you know how much weight is on the tongue?

[Mike Bolser]

I have not had it weighed.  The factory specs show it as 7700# dry, 11035# gross.  I figure I'm in the 10k or more range with batteries, gas tanks, coolers and all the normal camping gear.  I normally throw a couple rubbermaid tubs of really dry firewood in the front of the camper for easy fire starting.

Would my springs and shocks be any stiffer because the 2500 has the TRX4 package?  The truck empty rides like a log wagon ... I don't mind it because it's a truck.  The wife thinks it's annoying ... refer back to bouncing body parts.

Mike

[Kilch123]

I think the TRX4 package was more for off road, which I would assume would increase spring rate and suspension travel, which should equate to a better ride while loaded

yea - that kind of weight should definitely be giving you a cadillac ride - I'd recommend going to a truck-stop or another scale and test the weights - something sounds funky with your setup

but, with that kind of weight, you definitely should be using some sort of WD hitch

[kenz]

Tom's right. For that trailer you'll need about #1000lbs or more on the tongue. If you got a fresh water tank in the front of the trailer fill it up. Truck's suspension might just be little stiff to load it down like you want. We have friends that we see couple times a year at coachmen functions that use the Hensley. They absolutely love it. Tows there 30ft. trailer just like the fifth wheel they had previously. Very good hitch, just a little pricey.

They also make a rubber torsion hitch for travel trailers, can't remember who made right off.

Tom, a little info, I use a Mor/ryde rubber torsion box. Does a fantastic job at smoothing out the chukking. I would highly recommend it. Excellent company to deal with to. Very top notch product, and unlike the air ride kind, there are no bags to puncture, and no maintenance required either. 

[FroneDaddy]

The only good thing is watching the wife's boobs bouncing  

[NickBeek]

I saw a couple at a fuel station recently with that Hensley setup. They were fueling on the other side of the pump from me. I asked the woman (driver) how she liked the setup and she couldn't day enough about it. She definitely was happy with here purchase. They were migrant workers and full timer, so they see a lot of road time with their camper. She said they would not have another setup again......

[1SlowFormula]

The Hensley Arrow is OK, but if your in the market for something like that go with the Pro Pride 3P version. It is an updated version of Jim Hensley's original design that is being produced as the Hensley Arrow. http://www.propridehitch.com/articles/jim_hensley_hitch.html

All users who use either the Hensley Arrow or the 3P have nothing but great things to say about them, check out this site (http://www.myrvtalk.com/) for a lot of info on them as a bunch of guys use those style hitches there.

I'm going with the propride 3P hitch probably in the next month or so...

[Smitty]

Hey slow...did you get the 3P hitch? Like it?

[1SlowFormula]

Yeha I used it on all my cross country trips even when the trailer lost a tire I felt no sway or any issues, there were times other motorist were pointing back and I had to pull over to find it was driving on the rim, when the trailer lost an axle and the wheel ripped off through the fender at over 80MPH, I felt and heard nothing I just happened to look back and see the trailer fender rolled out about 2 foot... All in all I say it was a great investment for the move, especially when I had Marie and Gabe in the truck with me on 2 of the trips...

Actually since we lost the trailer in Wyoming (see description of some of the damage above) we just sold the trailer for scrap and brought the hitch back with us and have been thinking about reselling it as our next trailer will more than likely be a gooseneck or something similar since I keep wanting to add more weight then the bumper pull trailers like...