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
A couple years ago in a thread titled "Hensley patent(s), a poster aluded to the possibilty that "no-sway" was originally "less susceptible to sway".
I'm very curious about this - and maybe it depends on how you define "sway" - but have any of you Hensley owners ever experienced swaying AT ALL in the presence of side winds? I've always had the impression that Hensley owners thought they NEVER had ANY sway, but based on the above text, understanding the behavior of the linkage, and having seen fifth wheels sway in certain kinds of wind, I have a hard time believing that a TT hooked up with a HA isn't capable of a little tail wag now and then as well. Of course with the TV having such a short lever arm, a HA has almost no potential to add anything to a swing of the TT, and actually fights back with the reverse rotation of the resulting translation.
Any confessions out there?
Tim
jason_rving wrote:
...BTW, look at how he describes his hitch before marketing took hold. Note the absense of the phrase "no-sway" but rather the use of "less susceptible" to sway and "enables the towed vehicle to be moved without significant swaying or fishtailing" ....
"A hitch assembly for coupling a trailer to a tow vehicle includes a mounting member positioned firmly at the rear of the tow vehicle, another mounting member connected to the tongue of the trailer such that it will not turn relative to the trailer about a vertical axis, and a pair of short connecting links which extend between the two mounting members and are pivotally connected to each. The connecting links are of equal length and converge forwardly. This has the effect of placing the effective pivot point for the trailer ahead of the actual hitch assembly, which in turn enhances the stability of the combination tow vehicle and trailer, rendering it less susceptible to swaying or fishtailing in the presence of side winds. "
I'm very curious about this - and maybe it depends on how you define "sway" - but have any of you Hensley owners ever experienced swaying AT ALL in the presence of side winds? I've always had the impression that Hensley owners thought they NEVER had ANY sway, but based on the above text, understanding the behavior of the linkage, and having seen fifth wheels sway in certain kinds of wind, I have a hard time believing that a TT hooked up with a HA isn't capable of a little tail wag now and then as well. Of course with the TV having such a short lever arm, a HA has almost no potential to add anything to a swing of the TT, and actually fights back with the reverse rotation of the resulting translation.
Any confessions out there?
Tim
