nhshep
New Hampshire
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Joined: 03/28/2007
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Two years and 8,000 miles of driving I have never experienced any problems with the Hensley. I did feel a bump at full stop at first but adjusting my Prodigy brake controller to B1 so trailer brakes come on small percentage before my TV brakes eliminated that bump.
Having said that a good quality hitch of any type, set up properly, with good driving habits, will lead to many safe camping trips.
I am always cautious when going down a steep grade with either right or left hand bends to drive like I am towing a 44 foot rig (16' durango + 28' trailer)and not get too over confident even with the Hensley it is not a fix for poor driving skills.
Good luck on your choice of hitch.
2006 Dodge Durango Hemi
2005 Springdale RELL-GL 28'
Hensley Hitch
McKesh Mirrors
Prodigy Brake Controller
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USAntigoon
USA
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Joined: 11/24/2007
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My Dad has a Hensley and told me about the hitch "bump". Apparently he was coming downhill in low gear and the braking of the engine allowed the trailer to bump into his vehicle during a sharp downhill turn.. I know he was flaming mad about that and the jerky brake controller.. He ended up buying a new brake controller from Hensley.
It seems that this hitch need to stay under pull mode and his new brake controller was the answer anyway he hasn't complained since...
USAntigoon
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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Anyone who really believes that the "Hensley Bump" is only an aggravation and not a serious concern should read this post. IMO, the post gives an excellent explanation of the Bump.
If you don't want to read the post or the thread of which it is a part, you should at least consider the following statement from a HA owner who has a huge amount of towing experience:
"In this writers opinion, that bump is highly suspect in at least one instance I read about on these forums and is also responsible for my nearly loosing control of my rig and what could have been an unfortunate outcome..."
Ron
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JGRVING
BUFORD, GA
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Joined: 01/06/2006
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We towed with our Hensley for 6 years and never experienced any "bump"...all I can say is, even though we have a 5'er now, we will never part with our Hensley, because if we ever get another TT, it will be the first thing installed. Towing with the Hensley was the best tow we ever experienced, even better than the 5'er.
DUANE, JENNIFER, PUGZ & SMOKEY(In Spirit)
BUFORD, GA
'10 STARCRAFT TRAVELSTAR 217RBSS
SO MANY PLACES, SO LITTLE TIME
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sure2rain
Sunbury, PA
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Joined: 06/20/2005
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I purchased a Hensley in October and it truly does make towing my TT (34 foot) almost effortless. I used to white knuckle it with my old WDH (Reese Dual Cam, and yes this hitch was properly setup). I would strongly recommend that you read the other posts concerning the Hensley bump. They are very informative and will provide you with vital information to properly setup your brake controller to aid in avoiding the Bump. I had no problem on my maiden voyage (1500 miles)with the Hensley and I did have two emergency braking situations thanks to a couple of incompetent drivers.
I would not let the bump dissuade me from buying the Hensley. In 99.9% of the towing, it will perform flawlessly.
TV: 05 Chevy 2500 8.1L
5er: 2010 Open Range 385RLS
Hensley Arrow and P3
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crappie_fisherman
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Joined: 08/09/2005
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Dan,
The link to the thread above by Ron G was started by myself. There was IMO lots of good explaination in that thread about the actual dynamics of the bump...unfortunately there is a lot of well other stuff too...some of it mine...but if you take the time to read thru it...I think you will understand that some very experienced towers with 'properly' set up brake controllers HAVE experienced the bump.
That's the funny part about life...for an accident to happen...things...bad things...all have to line up just WRONG...think back in your life with some of the 'close' calls...I know I've had my share...luck played a HUGE part in 'avoiding' bad outcomes...that always don't happen though...
But the point of my thread was NOT to discourage folks from buying a Hensley...it is a fantastic man made product...but ALL man made products DO have their limitations...to believe the HA is PERFECT as some would like to believe...well that isn't the case...KNOWLEDGE is KEY...the point of my thread was to SHARE the information as I felt and still feel that the 'bump' isn't addressed near strongly enough in the literature...it 'can' be a serious event under the WRONG conditions even with a 'properly' set up brake controller...BUT knowing that it may happen so if it does...a new tower isn't alarmed into doing the WRONG thing...KNOWLEDGE...that's all...
Sharing knowlege is what these forums do best...I just didn't see enough discussion on the bump and wanted to get that message out there...
Is the bump real?...YES...will it happen to you?...probably not...but it 'could'...will you be ready on a wet road in a down hill curve if you get SLAMMED in the rear end by your TT as the Hensley linkage collapses upon itself and stops abruptly at the stops and unloads all that stored energy of the TT against the stop and ultimately transmits it to the rear axle of your TV?...NOW YOU WILL...would I still buy a HA?...well probably...but if I had another TV that the Pullrite would fit nicely under...I'd likely give Pullrite a look.
And YES as Barney said...ProPride IS about to start shipping new hitches...after the first of the year. Jim Hensley the designer of the HA has designed a new hitch...the hitch head from what I have seen is very similar to the HA in that it employes the pivot point projection geometry...the differences are in the strut bars...ProPride uses a 'Yoke' that is contained inboard of the A-Frame whereas the HA uses strut bars that run outboard of the A-Frame...both hold the hitch head from pivoting on the ball...I 'think' the ProPride may have a geometric advantage on the bump in that the more 'in-line' nature of the forces may keep things better behaved...but that is just my opinion from seeing the design on the web...I do not have any scientific data to support that 'theory'.
I'd give Pullrite by Pulliam a look too...they have a 2000# tongue weight hitch and the design is VERY simple over either the HA or ProPride...it basically bolts up next to the rear axle and has a pivot at that point...it controls sway because the pivot is AT the axle vs projecting it to the axle...on my Excursion though the Pullrite hangs BELOW my rear receiver reducing ground clearance...many vehicles have very clean installs...If I had a different vehicle...I'd look hard at a PullRite solution for it's simplicity and effectiveness...plus there is no 'bump' with a PullRite...but the downsides are that it is vehicle specific...so if you trade often and go to different types of vehicles...it will be costly...and the other down side is if you need to just 'nudge' or move the TT over slightly...you need a farther pull forward motion to accomplish that...more like a 5'r...
I don't want to get into a big 'bump' discussion all over again...that last one brought out some real passionate folks on both sides (myself included)...so I'd say read that post and if you have questions...well...ask...I KNOW the bump is real and as 'remote' as it can be...if it happens to YOU...wouldn't you want to be prepared to handle it?...that's all...not everyone has 30+ years of towing experience and is capable of handling a rear end by a 9000# TT...we all have to gain experience someplace...
Good luck and I hope my info helps.
joe.
DH, DW, 2 DD's
2005 Excursion V10 w/4.30's
- Hensley Arrow
- Prodigy
- Rear Hellwig
- RAS
- Front hitch
- Bilsteins
- SCT Tuner w/5-Star Tunes
- Aeroforce Gauge
2007 JayFlight 31BHDS (3 women & 2 slides...it helps!  )
Mini & the BEAST
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windshadow
fl
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Joined: 12/24/2005
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what is the smallest trailer you would put a hensley hitch on?
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edfoxx68
usa
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Joined: 04/22/2005
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windshadow wrote:what is the smallest trailer you would put a hensley hitch on?
If you have a TV that weighs more than your TT you probably won’t need a Hensley.
I had this set up for a short time. All I used was a ball and chain. I had a TV and TT that weighted the same, but I used a sway bar. It did okay most of the time. The TT and TV I have now I used a duel cam and sway bar. It did okay too, trucks and wind didn’t bother me, until I got just the right conditions things got a little too wiggly for me. So I bought the Hensley. Today’s short WB but powerful SUV’s would be a good candidate for a Hensley IMOP. You don’t need a Hensley just like you don’t NEED seat belts, air bags or helmets. As far as the bump, in all the years I’ve read about other peoples experiences with the Hensley this is the first I’ve heard of it so that say’s something in itself to me
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willald
NC
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Joined: 07/15/2002
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..You've got some great advice so far. Definitely read crappie_fisherman's post, he is right on.
As already said, YES, a Hensley does indeed make a night and day difference, as far as making a trailer tow like it should (without sway). I would not tow without ours, firmly believe it has saved us many, many times. No, its not perfect, nothing built by man is. It cannot compensate for a grossly incorrect towing setup. You still need to stay within GCWR and GVWR limitations of your tow vehicle, and make sure things like tongue weight, brake controller, weight distribution, etc. are set up correctly even with a Hensley.
Another option to consider would be the Pullrite, its a great hitch, too. A bit simpler design, but accomplishes same effect as the Hensley (sway elimination, essentially). However, it has the drawback that its a fairly permanent installation onto the tow vehicle, and can in some cases be a problem with spare tire location, or exhaust pipes.
Concerning the comments about a new Hensley hitch coming out: YES, there IS indeed a new version of the Hensley coming out, being made by a new company, called ProPride. The patents on the old version have actually expired, but Jim Hensley has got a new patent (or applied for such) on the new design, with the new company. You can read all about it, and see a few pics of the new hitch here.
If you can possibly hold off for a few months, I'd highly recommend you wait, and get one of the new hitches coming out from ProPride. The improvements he has done to the hitch are excellent. Basically, Sean (former president of Hensley, now starting his own company, ProPride) has built his new hitch taking into account all the actual experiences of those that own the current Hensley hitch. Appears that most'cons' about a Hensley, he has addressed with this new design:
1) No more strut bars or U bolts/sheer bolts to worry with
2) possibly reduced or eliminated the 'bump' issue
3) adjustable drawbar
4) Stronger linkages so more tongue weight will be possible
5) Available adapter to allow it to be moved/hitched with regular ball hitch if need be
6) Audible alarm, to warn driver when turning angle is getting too tight, and could cause damage
7) Better paint coat (supposedly), that will not rust so quickly
If you cannot wait until the new hitch becomes available early next year, I'd consider either a Pullrite, or maybe buying a used (current design) Hensley. I'd sure hate to sink $3k into a new one, when a much better design is just about to come out for 'bout $1k less...
Will & Angela
2 children that love camping, Stephen & Allison
2003 Ford Excursion V10 4x4 ("No Taxpayers were harmed by the makers of this truck")
2003 Thor Citation 33M, Hensley Arrow hitch, Brakesmart Brake Control
Our Rig
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LAdams
Northern Illinois
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Joined: 10/06/2000
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I won't repost my comments in entirety - just click on the link in Ron's post...
As Joe and others have said, the Hensley is a great piece of equipment and so is the Pullrite... Having towed with both of them, my vote slightly favors the Pullrite as outlined in my previous post...
Proper setup and knowledge is the key as Joe mentioned... If your prepared for what can come, chances are the threat is minimized... Also, waiting for the new Pro-Pride hitch might be worthwhile... If they have overcome some of the Hensley's shortcomings, it would be worth waiting for... All in all, an excellent piece of equipment but not perfect...
Les
2000 Ford F-250SD, XLT, 4X4 Off Road, SuperCab
w/ 6.8L (415 C.I.) V-10/3:73LS/4R100
Banks Power Pack w/Trans Command & OttoMind
2006 Nomad 3150 Double Slide (Bunkhouse)
Hensley Arrow
Jordan Ultima 2020
HUNTER THERMOSTAT INSTALL
HOME MADE WHEEL CHOCKS
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