Hensley Arrow: How does it REALLY work?
There have been several discussions on this hitch that have become somewhat 'controversial'. I am NOT trying to stir this controversy/bashing back up. Instead, I'd like to see a good, intelligent di...
Forum Discussion
Don, you are mostly correct. I'm sure we're in agreement on all but one of the attributes of the Hensley hitch.
I believe the only point of disagreement between the Hensley owners and the non-Hensley owners (Ron and I) is whether or not the Hensley's 4-bar linkage is a one-way hinge. By that I mean the concept that the TV can initiate an angle between the TV and TT at the hitch but the TT cannot or the TV could not if the hitch was spun around 180°.
I'm certain that the Hensley owners are convinced that an attribute of the trapezoid is that it allows the 4-bar linkage to only be translated from one end (that of the TV). I put up my video clip to illustrate that there's nothing magical about the geometry that prevents the trapezoid from being bent from the long-bar end OR the short-bar end. Unfortunately, the Hensley owners seem to be so loyal to their real-life experience with the hitch that they are having difficulty seeing this linkage in its true simplicity. If they would keep an open mind they would see that the reason it acts like a one way hinge is because of components outside the linkage, not the geometry within it.
Tim
I believe the only point of disagreement between the Hensley owners and the non-Hensley owners (Ron and I) is whether or not the Hensley's 4-bar linkage is a one-way hinge. By that I mean the concept that the TV can initiate an angle between the TV and TT at the hitch but the TT cannot or the TV could not if the hitch was spun around 180°.
I'm certain that the Hensley owners are convinced that an attribute of the trapezoid is that it allows the 4-bar linkage to only be translated from one end (that of the TV). I put up my video clip to illustrate that there's nothing magical about the geometry that prevents the trapezoid from being bent from the long-bar end OR the short-bar end. Unfortunately, the Hensley owners seem to be so loyal to their real-life experience with the hitch that they are having difficulty seeing this linkage in its true simplicity. If they would keep an open mind they would see that the reason it acts like a one way hinge is because of components outside the linkage, not the geometry within it.
Tim
