sfdon
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Re: Hensley Arrow: How does it REALLY work?
We just finished our first road test of our new HA with trip from SF to Scottsdale AZ over the Grapevine and LA's 12 lane freeways. Early on the trip I had to brake hard and I felt a slight side thrust cause by a reaction of the TT. I tightened one of the struts a quarter turn and upped the setting on the brake controller slightly (6.2 to 7.2) and took the rig out for a test on a wide stretch of road. I accelerated up to 45 MPH and hit the brakes hard....no side thrust. Trucks cause NO side sway, but I can feel the slightest reaction as large flat faced RV's pass by. Based on this experience, I'm going ahead and list my dual cam setup on Craigslist. Don1.7KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Hensley Arrow: How does it REALLY work?
Hi all. I had followed an earlier topic on "How does a HA work?" I liked the analysis so I shopped for a HA on eBay, but always got outbid in the last seconds. So I went ahead and ordered a new HA. I have it installed on the TT but have yet to take an extended trip. I have not read all 51 pages of this thread but hope that you will find my experience of interest. As I was installing the HA for the first time I concluded that my driveway was too narrow and at a slope, so I decided to partially install the unit and drive down to a local school parking lot that was open and flat. I mounted the frame brackets with u-bolts, installed the spring bars and installed the strut assemblies. I did not install the two 5/16" shear bolts into the frame brackets. The trip to the school consisted of driving down our street which is a moderate slope with a 90 degree turn at the end, before getting to an intersection with stop sign. I approached the 90 degree turn and had no problem, but when I approached the stop sign at the intersection I heard a clunk coming from the hitch. I pulled over and found that the frame brackets had shifted rearward about a 1/2" on both sides. I concluded the following: The strut assemblies are in compression. Actually it is a very cleaver design, requiring no external tools. When I applied the brakes going into the 90 degree turn, the instability of main hitch assembly under braking and turning conditions was enough to overload the struts, causing them to shift on the frame. The clunking sound was the hitch assembly flopping around because of the loose struts. My experience seems to substantiate what Ron and others have been saying. There are a bunch of questions. Instructions say to tighten u-bolt fasteners to 45 ft. lbs. What force on the struts would cause the brackets to slide on the frame? What is the shear strength of the (2) shear bolts, resulting in a total resisting force to prevent the sliding to occur? Finally, what event could occur that would cause the shear bolts to shear and the bracket to slide? Question: is there any evidence that Hensley-Arrow monitors these treads and responds to them? I would hope they would be actively involved as I believe it would help their sales efforts. Posting to follow on brake controllers with HA. Lastly, as I wanted to install the HA myself, I knew that I was not going to lift up the 100# Main Hitch Assembly. I devised a hoist consisting of a collapsible saw horse on which I mounted a small boat winch. Not only did it work well, it is possible to take it with me on trips in case I have to or want to remove the main assembly. If you are interested, I can e:mail you photos. Don756Views0likes0CommentsRe: Hensley Arrow: How does it REALLY work?
What an outstanding topic. I have been out of touch for two months. It is a bit much to absorb the entire thread in on sitting. In a quick scan, I did not see a discussion that addresses a question of mine. There have been comments in the forum regarding the weld failures of the GM receiver. I orginally assumed that the likelihood of failure would be based on tongue weight or reaction to severe bouncing of the TT. Now I wonder if a HA creates a larger moment on the weldment compared to a conventional ball hitch. The latter would have a moment arm of about 12". Deviating from the thread, I offer: This forum has successfully tackled the complex subjects of weight distribution hitches and now the HA system. What is next? Whatever it is, I look forward to it. Last comment: I'm surprised that Mr. Hensley hasn't contributed to this threat. Last question: I have not read the various Hensley patents, but is there any evidence that the newer patents have led to design changes?496Views0likes0Comments
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