Calling all Hensley Owners - Hookup Advice/Tricks Please...

Thanks all....have practiced hitching up the last two days and we are getting pretty good a it. All the great advice really helped.

One item that really helped is I placed reflective red/white stripped tape around the opening where the stinger goes. This really helped the opening stand out on the backup camera...

The most important steps that I have found helpful with the Hensley are as follows. First to make sure you have your trailer wheels chocked in both directions before attempting to hitch or unhitch. This will keep you from doing any damage to your tongue jack if the shank is hung in the receiver. Second be sure to release all the tension on the spring bars by cranking the jacks all the way down. Third make sure that you have the two draw bars tightened equally so that the hitch head is centered with the trailer.
Before you try anything just crank the jacks up and down with the shank in the hitch and you will see how it changes the vertical angle of the shank. I think this will give you a better understanding of how important it is to release all the tension from the bars before attempting to hitch up or unhitch.
As Barney stated when you unhitch just crank the tongue jack until you see a slight movement in the shank and you will know all the tension is released from the receiver. If you have the cam locks off while jacking the tongue up the shank will come out of the receiver a good bit as the truck will move forward a bit as the tension is released.

X2 for a camera, but that goes for non-Hensley hitches, too.

I was warned that the Hensley and ProPride hitches were hard to use, but I haven't had any trouble with my 3P hitch. For loading, I back up a very steep driveway and park on the TT on the lawn (that's at a different angle from the driveway). No trouble at all to re-hitch later.

I find I can hook up faster now than with my old weight dist hitch.

Enjoy!

Buy one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/BAL-R-V-Products-Group-28100/dp/B001Y8SREI

It will allow you to align the truck to the trailer without having to keep moving the truck.

Another trick is the "stinger" (the part attached to the truck) must be completely straight when going into the hitch. If the truck is not straight with the trailer, then the stinger goes in at an angle and binds keeping it from going in completely.

Wow thanks guys for the quick and very informative responses,,,,going to give hooking and unhookinng a few times this afternoon and will let you all know how it goes...

Dan,
You are really going to enjoy towing with that Hensley hitch! Congratulations on a great purchase. :)

To hook up, especially the first few times, you will probably need to get out and look several time to get things lined up correctly. I use a mirror that is attached to my tailgate to eliminate that and can usually hook up with only one GOAL to check the height of the stinger/hitch opening.




When you have everything lined up correctly, then just back into the hitch until the truck stops. You will know as it is a sharp "bump".

Get out and draw up the "over center" latches, pin them, and then complete the rest of the hookup (WD jacks, chains, emergency cord, light cord). It is best to crank up the WD jacks/bars before you let the trailer down on the hitch so it will not take so much effort. This is done AFTER you enter the hitch and latch the overcenter latches.

You can crank up the WD jacks as far as you want. It will draw up your bars quite high and this is fine- unlike a normal hitch where the ends of the bars need to be level or slightly pointed downward.

As far as the actual towing, you will find that it seems very smooth and quiet. The trailer will follow the tow vehicle very closely and you don't have to worry about what it is going to do to your handling. You will probably find it easier to back up also.

When you unhitch, make sure you release the tension on the bars via the jacks before you do any other unhitching procedure. Chock the trailer wheels. Release all the tension on the WD bars via the jacks until the bars are "sloppy loose". Then release the over-center latches and put your finger on the top of the shank right where it enters the receiver.

Crank down the tongue jack to raise the tongue of the trailer JUST UNTIL you feel slight movement in the gap between the stinger and the receiver with your finger. Stop the raising of the tongue and unhook everything else ( elec cord, chains, etc.).

All of the weight is now off of the hitch and you should be able to pull out. After pulling out of of the hitch, LEAVE THE WD ALONE!
This way, your hitch will be in the same attitude as it was when you unhitched and will be ready to hitch up again. The only thing you will need to adjust will be the tongue height.

Hope this helps you out. Good luck and remember that it gets easier every time you do it! :)
Barney

It's just practice. I have found it's much easier with a back up camera like this one. Wireless and easy to install.

Also be sure to lube the stinger and the mating surfaces on the hitch with a dry lube like this:

But it at Home Depot or Lowe's or the local hardware store. Get the stinger stuck in there one time and you will know why.

Other than that its just practice, enjoy!