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BurbMan's avatar
BurbMan
Explorer III
Jul 21, 2013

Hensley Arrow: Field Engineering

Hensley owners, thought you might appreciate this…. Camping in Hoosier National Forest this weekend. Great time until it was time to go…..

For the past several trips, the curb side screw jack on the HA has been getting harder and harder to turn….been meaning to bench it and see what the issue is. So all packed and hitching up this afternoon, cranking up the screw jack and *BANG* the threaded rod inside strips out and the spring bar jumps down about 2”. Tried to screw and unscrew, no matter what I did the spring bar lost more tension and the screw jack extended. Now completely stripped and won’t tighten….top nut just spins.

So how to get home on a Sunday afternoon? The screw jack was useless, so I removed it. I remembered last week cleaning out the storage compartment in the back of the Burb and I saw a length of chain…was going to put it back in the garage but figured I would leave it in the truck. The spring link that I had with the chin wouldn’t hold any weight, but I remembered I had a threaded link in my onboard HA parts kit. I got the bottle jack that I use for changing tires out of the TT and put it under the spring bar. I jacked up the spring bar to where it needed to go and attached the chain using the pin from the screw jack. Drove home without incident, truck handled great.



I couldn’t cut the chain so I used the spring link to keep it up out of the way:



So I need to put in a parts call to Hensley tomorrow…I thought I was going to be really screwed but the fix was relatively easy. You can bet that chain is staying in the TT from now on!!!

9 Replies

  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer III
    Jul 23, 2013
    I have 1200 lb bars, the TT is heavy up front...

    Yes that is the OEM GM receiver. I was the guy that started all the buzz about GM hitches when mine broke back in 2003...many others whose hadn't broken still reported excessive flex, cracking at the welds, etc., so the general consensus is to replace with aftermarket if you tow heavy with a WD hitch.

    Jacks are $137 plus shipping, so I ordered 2.. Guy at Hensley was a little confused....why order two if only one is broken? Well, they are both the same age, if one broke who knows how much longer the other one has? Now I have two new jacks AND a spare! They are paying for one, the other is on my nickel which is fair I think.

    I hate these roadside repairs...lucky I had that piece of chain otherwise I would have been screwed big time.....nothing within 50 miles open on a Sunday....although Plan "B" was to use one of the safety chains....guys I camp with call me McGyver....
  • 93Cobra2771's avatar
    93Cobra2771
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    Yep, lifetime warranty to the original owner. I think the jacks are around $150 each.

    I have two used hensleys (second owner on both) and could transfer the warranty for $500 each. I declined. I have around $550 in one and around $600 in the other.
  • GWolfe's avatar
    GWolfe
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    That is awesome customer service!

    Wow on that hitch, it goes to show how much stress is put on them. Factory GM hitch? I have been wanting to replace mine.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer III
    Jul 23, 2013
    Called Hensley yesterday: Hitch is 12 years old are they are warrantying the part! That's right replaced the jack tube for free!!
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer III
    Jul 22, 2013
    jerem0621 wrote:
    Good thing that this happened in the campground. If you were towing....


    Probably wouldn't have been too bad....the hitch head keeps the front end of the spring bar captive so it won't drop out when unloaded, and the jack tube is a sleeved design that can't fully disassemble.

    So had the threads stripped out while underway and unloaded the spring bar, doubtful anything would have come apart. The real issue would have been that I likely would not have noticed it happening and continued along with the whole TW supported by only one spring bar, which could have overloaded and snapped, THAT would have been a major issue.

    This pic happened with the HA and I never noticed it until I got home...

  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer III
    Jul 22, 2013
    Forgot to add this....there's no Ranger at this CG, just 2 couples that are Work Camping as park hosts. One of the couples cruises up in their golf cart and asks what's wrong and if I need help. I explain to the guy what I'm doing and he says "Well how do you fix it?". I reply that I'm going to call Hensley on Monday and order new parts, to which he replies "Who's Hensley?" LOL! I further explain that Hensley Mfg up in Michigan makes this particular hitch and I'll need to replace the broken parts. "Never heard of 'em", he says.
  • jerem0621's avatar
    jerem0621
    Explorer II
    Jul 21, 2013
    Good thing that this happened in the campground. If you were towing....
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer III
    Jul 21, 2013
    Lynn and I just had the same conversation...when the handle came off of the TV antenna crank when we were setting up. I told her the only thing you really need to pack in an RV is a toolbox...everything else is optional!
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Nomad
    Jul 21, 2013
    Way to go Burbman! :C

    Glad you got home in good shape without any additional drama. My wife is always asking me why I need to carry "all that stuff". I am going to have her read this thread.:B
    Barney

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