# Hensley Arrow Mods And Tips



## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

Over the past 18mos, Iâ€™ve made a couple of improvements to our Hensley Arrow. Yes, it's true, there is some room for improvement.

First, I installed a couple of zerk fittings in the spring bar jack pivots- the round brackets that slide onto the frame rail brackets. A little shot of grease in the spring bar zerks and my new zerks keeps everything pretty much silent back there.

Next, I painted an orange stripe down the hitch bar, and a corresponding stripe on the hitch box- this makes it easier to back the hitch bar into the box while looking in my special super-custom hitching mirror. It also makes the hitch bar easier to see, saving your shins in the dark!

Most of my difficult hitching experiences happened when I forgot to unscrew the spring bar jacks all the way down when unhitching. This tips the hitch box up every so slightly, and keeps the hitch bar from sliding in easily. Crank those jacks all the way down, and its much easier to drive the hitch bar in later. (If you're impatient, a cordless drill with a 5/8 socket speeds things up)

You already know to use the over center latch wrench as a gauge with the tongue jack when unhitching in order to set the trailer height correctly, but you can also use it to pre-set the trailer height when hitching up, so you donâ€™t have to back up, get out and adjust the tongue height before backing it in. It saves a step when hitching up, and impresses those who think its difficult to back a 2"x2" bar into a 3"x3" hole.

Thatâ€™s all for now- post more hints if youâ€™ve got â€˜em!

Kevin P.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Mods to the ultimate hitch????????????? How could this be????????????









I think you ought to patent those mods, put them in a booklet and charge an exorbitant price for them just like Hensley









Seriously though, I can always appreciate any ways to make things easier, nice mods









Mike


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## glennsteers (Apr 25, 2005)

Kevin,

I'm on a "shake out" trip with my new Hensley and I need some advice. Had some problems hitching/unhitching until I read the directions (DUH!) and lowered the tension bars all the way (like you said).

Now, I have another concern that you might be able to address:

If I drop off my trailer and I don't back it in straight, the black receiver portion of the hitch below the orange thingy is at a 45 degree angle to my trailer. See here:

My Hitch

With a ball hitch, if you drop off or pick up at an angle the ball is forgiving. I can't manually move the receiver to a straight position, but I want to back in straight to hook up when I leave tomorrow. Am I missing something? Can I reposition the receiver?


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## Pee Wee (May 31, 2005)

Glenn, I have thought about that but just figured you could move it by hand, guess not. Not that you would want to carry a piece of pipe or something fairly long with you but could you use the pipe/ somthing for leverage it to pry it back stright at home?

John


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## glennsteers (Apr 25, 2005)

Pee Wee,

Thanks, I'm not sure that would work or is even suggested. I've read through the documentation and never is there even a picture of the receiver part in any position other than straight.

I did drive it through heavy, metropolitan traffic for a couple of hours and would never tow again without it. I actually drove through a mile or so of winding highway with barricades on BOTH sides of the road with NO SHOULDER! Maybe 10 feet wide in some places...very nerve racking but the Hensley helped me navigate it easily. I remember driving it once w/o trailer and thought to myself, "Wow, what would I do if I was towing?" I forgot about this stretch and found out the hard way!

So far, the only downside to the Hensley (apart from the price) is getting the hitch/unhitch bugs worked out. I've heard no one complain about this so either I'm a complete moron, or have missed some important step...


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

*WHAT?*

The mighty Hensley is not perfect?









I guess it would take an Outbacker to figure out a way to improve upon perfection!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Pee Wee (May 31, 2005)

Glenn,

I know what I said sounds crude, but I was just giving you some ideas. It may not be suggested in the manual but it would not hurt anything, it would be the same as if you were hooked up to the hitch bar.

John


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

Glen,
You can just grab the moveable part of the hitch box and move it straight again. If it's a little tough, just stick the hitch bar in (the part that goes into your truck receiver) and use that for leverage. There's a little pivoting bar that locks the moveable part into one of three positions, when there's no hitch bar inserted, (don't know why) but you can pivot it out of the way with your finger and move the hitch box any way you want. Or, like I said, insert the hitch bar and straighten everything out. You can also insert the hitch bar and pivot the whole box around, simulating the movement of the hitch created by the TV. Impress your friends! Seriously, it's pretty cool the way to watch the way the whole thing articulates.

Another tip I forgot: spray the hitch bar with a little WD-40 or tri-flow or some light oil lube- it help hitch up more smoothly. Mine only needs it a couple of times per year.

Kevin P.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Glad to see you guys working out the kinks before I install


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## glennsteers (Apr 25, 2005)

Kevin,

Thanks! Hitching back up was a breeze when I realized that I had to match angles. When I dumped the trailer back in my driveway, I made sure I unhitched straight. It's all good!

Amazing to see non-Hensleys taking a jab whenever they can...could it be "Hensley Envy?"

ROFLMAO


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

glennsteers said:


> ...could it be "Hensley Envy?"
> [snapback]60271[/snapback]​


Too bad! Good thing there's a cure, tho'


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## proffsionl (Feb 19, 2005)

I'd like to ping the other Hensley owners to see if they have had any problem with the jacks unscrewing during travel. I have them partially unscrew everytime I take the trailer out (although the Hensley only has a few hundred miles on it so far). Anyone else experience this?


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

proffsionl said:


> I'd like to ping the other Hensley owners to see if they have had any problem with the jacks unscrewing during travel. I have them partially unscrew everytime I take the trailer out (although the Hensley only has a few hundred miles on it so far). Anyone else experience this?
> [snapback]61296[/snapback]​


Not mine. Try calling their technical help line.

Kevin P.


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## glennsteers (Apr 25, 2005)

I've only had mine out for 2 trips, a short 15-20 miler and a longer 100+ mile roundtripper, and have not noticed that happening. How much of a move?


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Sorry, can't help - I've only just got mine put on!









But Glenn & Kevin are my Gods of Hensley - so, if they haven't seen it/done it/know how to fix it - I'd agree - call the Hensley Tech help line.


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