Hensley is GREAT....but Very Rough Ride

We have a Hensley and have not noticed your problem. Try less stress on bars. I guess you have 1400 lb. bars.

yes we have 1400 pound bars....will try less stress....have even considered going to 1200 pound bars...

we could have these way too tight...we are on the 5th link of the chain....we have the swift arrow with chains vice jacks...by the way we like the chain setup very much....allows lots more head movement which makes hitching up much easier....

Terry at Hensley told me they designed the swift arrow (with chains vice jacks) for Exxon. Exxon wanted the stability of the hensley but wanted something more frgiving in the hitching up process...

I would not change to the 1200 pound bars, but still recommend loosening them a bit.

I am planning on getting a Propride hitch if I do ever get a travel trailer.

Good luck,


Fred.

Drive on the blue highways.

hohenwald48 wrote:
Drive on the blue highways.

Blue?

hohenwald48 wrote:
Drive on the blue highways.

Blue?

cruz-in wrote:

hohenwald48 wrote:
Drive on the blue highways.

Blue?

Blue Highways

Ron

There is really not a lot that you can do. It's not the hitch or the amount of tension on the bars. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast. Try a set of StableLoads. Cost around $100.00 plus install. My trailer is @10,000# and 1200tw and these helped considerably, but nothing is going to eliminate it short of a solid rear end with no springs.

I've had a Hensley with a 36 ft. TT for many years and can see no way that a hitch of any kind would give a rough ride. Ride is governed by the suspension of the truck and the trailer; all the hitch does is link the two together, apply weight distribution, and with a Hensley, prevents sway. I tow with a 2012 F350 powerstroke King Ranch and it rides like a wagon, with or without the trailer. I've replaced all shocks and steering stablizer with Bilsteins and have air bags at all 4 corners. In addition, I've upgraded trailer axles from 5k with 15 inch wheels to 7k with 16 inch wheels, added MorRyde, and shocks. The unit is solid and smooth on good roads, but you feel every bump if the roads are not good. Nature of the beast; live with it.

How about a little better description of the roughness:
1. Rough in front, back, or both?
2. By rough do you mean bouncing a lot?
3. By rough do you mean the front is floating a lot?
4. Do you get "porpoising" (hit a bump, back compresses, causing front to compress, it all unloads and does it again)?
5. Is it smaller bumps or bigger bumps?
6. Does it seem way to stiff in the back?
7. Have you done before and after measurements at the front fenders to see how much rise you have after hooked up?

Sometimes a rough ride can be attributed to improper setup in the WDH (any WDH, not just Hensley). Sometimes, there is nothing you can do about it. Without knowing the above, it's very hard to say.

As far as air ride on the hitch, you won't be able to do that with the HA. However, the suspension on the toy hauler can be upgraded to an Equa-flex setup and help the trailer ride smoother, which should help a bit on the truck side.

The screw jacks vs the chains would really make it easier to fine tune your hitch, but it can still be done with the chains. Having non adjustable head tilt on the stinger can limit you a bit compared to normal hitches, thought.