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
Ron Gratz wrote:
If the TT does swing out more than about 10-15 degrees, the HA's pivot point (point of application of lateral force) will have moved back to a location close to the ball coupler. The HA's coupler is about 12" farther from the TV's rear axle due to the extra length of the hitch assembly. Therefore, the lateral force imposed by the TT would be acting on a longer lever arm for the HA-coupled TT than would be the case for a conventionally coupled TT. Therefore, the HA-coupled TT would exert greater steering influence on the TV.
We are in agreement there, too. If the trailer gets to these extreme angles, the Hensley would indeed allow an even longer lever arm, allowing for even greater steering influence on the TV.
However, thats like the old saying about, "If a bull frog had wings...." It will NEVER happen, unless something so major and disastrous hits, no hitch of any kind woud save you, regardless. Like maybe, the back of your trailer getting hit with a 200 mph Hurricen-style wind, to negate the 'pulling' effect between truck/trailer? Yeah, that could potentially put the Hensley in this situation, but if you're travelling in that kind of wind, you're pretty much screwed, no matter what you're driving. :)
As Don and I are trying to illustrate, the Hensley's design insures that this (extreme yaw angle) will NEVER happen as long as the tow vehicle is 'pulling' on the trailer, except when the tow vehicle initiates the turning (meaning, in a tight turn where it is going slow).
Please keep in mind that the HA's pivot point location advantage quickly goes away when the angle between TV and TT is greater than a few degrees. This is unlike a PullRite which has a fixed pivot point location for all TV/TT yaw angles.
And, as I said, the point where that advantage goes away, will almost NEVER happen, due to the Hensley's design, and the path through which it pivots. It could happen if there was no tension between the tow vehicle and trailer, and I think thats the point we really need to keep in mind here, thats been overlooked before.
Yes, the PullRite has a fixed point location, and behaves just like a 5er. This gives great stability, too, and perhaps a bit less complex. However, it does NOT give the same effect of 'locking' the trailer in a straight line, like the Hensley does.
Will
