Do you tow with a Hensley Arrow Hitch ?

[DBazley]

Just thought this topic might rate a new thread, so here:



Do you tow with a Hensley Arrow Hitch ?



Some discussion has already happened on the "Weight Distributing Hitch ?" thread, but I thought this might get more attention. If you do, I'm sure all of us would love to hear your thoughts on it... .



Anyone..... ?





Thanks, David B





PS: Their site: www.hensleyarrow.com

 

[RonB]

I have the Hensley Arrow hitch and use it to tow my 27' Safari Airstream TT. Its a fairly massive assembly requiring some of the hardware to be attached to the A-Frame assembly on the tow end of the trailer ( a couple of hours work to install and align), and a special Hensley supplied drop hitch that goes to the 2" receiver on your truck. After 3 years of using, my pros and cons:



1. The drop hitch is fairly heavy, and has to be put on and taken off whenever you don't want the tail protruding from the rear of the truck. Guessing 20 - 25 #.



2. You need another rig for each trailer you tow using this system as it would be very awkard to move from one TT to another. Its so expensive, you never want to buy more than one.



3. It's well built. No quality problems. Built to last a life time, and warrantied to last that long from normal wear and tear.



4. It performs as advertised. Controls TT sway very well. On windy days, or passing Semis, you never know the TT is wagging back there. The TT will still move in a cross wind, but you don't feel it in the truck because of a unique mechanism in the hitch that allows the trailer to move, up to a couple of inches to either side of longitudinal center line, without puting a side force on the towing vehicle. The TT reaches a side force equilibrium with cross winds pushing on one side and off-center drag causing (due to down the road velocity) wind on the other side, until a force balance is reached. Kind of a neat design.



5. Weight equalizer is built into the design and is adjustable for any practical weight distribution. Takes maybe 5 minutes to set the equalizer force during hitch-up. Once you have the set-up the way you want, its easy to return to this setting each time you hook-up.



6. Speaking of hook-up, it takes some getting use to. Instead of just getting the close to lined-up up ball under the cup on a normal TT, and then lowering onto the ball. With the Hensley, a tapered receiver bar has to be backed into its mate on the trailer. This has to be fairly well aligned not only in height, but also in back-in (side to side) angle to engage properly. I've got the process now, but it took some practice.



7. The overall hitch length is somewhat longer that most. This required me to get a short extension cord for the trailer wiring harness to reach from the vehicle socket to the plug on the trailer. This all depends on the stock lenght of the wire on your TT.



8. Am I happy? Yes! It pull the trailer like a dream, and for me that overrides any negatives.

 

[R-N-R]

I agree with everything RonB stated!



I installed it myself in about 2 hours. Having the correct size drop bar is critical to ease of hooking up. I started with a 6" drop, wnet to a 2" drop with my 1/2 ton, flipped it over and use it as a 2" raise with my 2500.



It is interesting watching (in your mirrors) the TT move around behind you without feeling it in your driving.



Also, given how well the TT "tracks" behind the truck, you almost have to remember that it is back there.



And yes, hooking up can test the strength of your marriage until you get used to it. I can do it myself in a matter of minutes these days. Keeping the draw bar "guide wedge" well greased is a trick I picked up during a visit to Hensley. I use a 18 volt cordless drill with a 3/4" socket to adjust the weight distribution. The leveling jacks also fit the 3/4" socket



I am very satisfied with the Hensley hitch and their customer service. Of couse I should be for that kind of money, eh???

 

[DBazley]

thanks !

Super, just great to hear what you guys have to share !



I was afraid I'd have to sell or trade our very handy 38' Sandpiper TT or switch to a 5 er. Only problem: I absolutely need by generous bed storage & shell area for storage on the products we market. To go to a 5 er would be to lose that !!



To that end, I've just order the Hensley, and I'll report back in a couple of weeks how it works.



My wife MAY eventually believe that the "death sway" demon has been exorcised and that it's safe to travel again in this unit !!



If it's that effective (your testimony says so, as they claim), it's worth twice what they ask for it at $ 2800 !!



Thanks and safe travels to one & all !



David Bazley

 

[R-N-R]

Good luck to you! I expect you will be very pleased with the product. I think that you would have to search for a long time to find an Hensley owner that was not pleased. I look forward to reading how your experience goes.



Will you be installing the unit yourself? Do you have a Tongue Twister? The price seems to have gone up over the past year. I did catch a sale price from a TT show (fiscal quarter end did not hurt either).



I am amazed at how many stories I've heard about people buying a TT and having such a nightmare ride home with it, that they have "parked" it in a membership campground. This simply amazes me!



I have never towed a 5ver, but I had read that the Hensley equalizes the towing experience between a TT and a 5ver.



Drop me a PM if you have any questions.

 

[DBazley]

thoughts

wesoule,



yes, I'll install it myself. Doesn't look too difficult from the descriptions & photos I've seen. Maybe a little more involved than typical hitches, though.



I think I can predict that I'm going to be offering for sale the entire Reese " Dual Cam" hitch that it replaces !



I don't know what you mean by tongue twister. What is that ?



It should be here by Thur or Friday, so if there's any questions, don't be surprised to hear of busted knuckles or advice requestes via PM.



Thanks !



David B

 

[R-N-R]

The twister basically moves the tongue a few inches left or right. As RonB wrote, you have to line up both vertical and horizontal (angles as well). The twister is especially useful when hooking up alone as it can save me a few re-position manuvers when lining up. I also use the cordless drill on the twister as well.



I have seen these on several web sites as they are manufactured by BAL but you can find information on Hensley's site: Hensley Tongue Twister

 

[greendragon]

I use a hensley. tow a 25 foot Nash. Got the hensley after we rolled a truck and trailer. (Not the Dodge) The price of the hensley was cheap. have had some trouble hooking up on uneven ground. Am still learning. Can hook up by myself most of the time. Have marks on trailer for centering and a mark on the rear of the truck. have towed in heavy cross winds. drop my speed to about 35, on freeway 120 east of IS5. Trucks were moving slow, too. Hensley works.