RE: [A/S] hensley arrow ?

["DT & BW" <dtbw_1999@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dan,
I will add my two cents (okay maybe a bit more than 2 cents) on the Hensley
discussion.  I made the decision to buy my first Hensley when I purchased a
new 19' Bambi in 2002.  Lots of people thought I was crazy (ie trailer too
little to need such a hitch....).  They could not have been more wrong.  ANY
trailer can sway.  In 2003, I had a first hand experience of the Hensley
saving my posterior.  I was traveling along a section of Interstate where
the legal speed limit was 75 and I was going 75.  Truckers were passing me
like I was standing still and there was a moderate crosswind at that.  I
looked back in my rear view mirror (as I periodically do out of habit) and I
noticed that the Bambi had tilted to the curbside.  Absolutely NOTHING about
the way the rig was pulling or handling led me think something was bad
wrong, but there was that tilt.  I slowed and pulled over to the side and
when I got out and did an inspection I discovered that the valve stem on the
curbside tire had failed (ie catastrophic tire deflation).  Now some would
argue that the Hensley had nothing to do with the fact that there was NO
white knuckle experience or accident in this situation, BUT within a few
months of my experience, there was a 2003 19' Bambi being towed with a Reese
Dual Cam HP (probably the next best hitch after the Hensley) that also
experienced a valve stem failure.  Their outcome was vastly different.  The
trailer heeled hard toward the side of the tire failure dragging the trailer
and the tow vehicle across 3 lanes of Interstate (no other vehicles became
involved) and then flipped both the trailer and tow vehicle.  Both the
trailer and tow vehicle were totaled, but fortunately no one was hurt.  In
this situation, they were only driving about 55MPH with no trucks blowing
past them or any crosswind.  The Hensley is what made the difference in my
humble opinion.  After my valve stem experience, I added active tire
pressure monitoring and installed 150PSI rate metal valve stems to my list
of safety related equipment on the Bambi. 

But you might say that you are buying a tandem axle so my situation would
not happen to you, so here is another example of why the Hensley is worth
the money.  

Not only am I an avid A/Ser, but I also manage an A/S dealership (made this
career decision long after the Hensley decision).  Just last week, a 2005
31' Classic pulled in and it was obvious that it had been in a bad wreck.
The owners told me that they were on I70 in Kansas doing between 55 and
60MPH and started to pass a slower semi.  Just as they got past it, the
trailer went into a rapidly increasing sway, jackknifing both corners and
finally flipping the trailer over.  The hitch tore loose, so the tow vehicle
did not flip.  They were towing with an Equalizer brand hitch (selling
dealer recommended, installed and adjusted).  They were new (less than a
year) to towing and the selling dealer had failed to properly instruct them
on the use of the brake controller in such situations, but it is not certain
given the rapid nature of what he described that the owner could have
reacted quickly enough even if he had known about applying only the trailer
brakes.  By the time he got to my dealership, he had talked to several other
A/Sers that had noticed him towing a badly damaged late model and each and
every one had told him about the Hensley.  Hensley owners don't brag and
support the Hensley because of what they paid, but because to the fact that
the Hensley works.

Another story relating to Hensley performance.  I have a good friend that
after being in a caravan that I was leading made the comment that he was
sold on Hensley (he was using Reese). I was curious as to what had changed
his mind and this is what he told me.  He stated that he had followed
virtually every rig in the caravan (about 15) and noticed that all had the
typical slight tail wag from time to time (all were towing with some type of
sway control system).  He then stated that when I got behind me that first
thing that he noticed was that my rig had ZERO tail way (I was the only
Hensley in the group).  He said that it was like the trailer was glued to
the road and that observation convinced him that the Hensley was indeed
doing something very different from the other systems.    

The Hensley is preventative insurance.  You can't stop an accident in
progress and switch to the Hensley.  It may never save you from anything,
but my rationale was that if it saved me from even one white knuckle
experience, let alone an accident, it was worth it.  Recently I added a 34'
Limited to my personal A/S collection, and like the 19' it is a Hensley rig.
Since I don't tow both rigs at the same time, I just purchased heavier
spring bars (now use the heavier bars for both rigs) and a set of Hensley
frame mounts.  I move the Hensley head, struts and jacks from one trailer to
the other (takes about 10 minutes) when switching which rig I am taking out.
I would also concur that hitching up a Hensley is easy.  I have hitched and
unhitched my rigs many times in a near jackknifed positions.  I love not
having to mess with the greasy hitch ball or the spring bars.  


As Joe stated, this whole discussion tends to hit a nerve.  It borders on a
religious fervor at times, but I have yet to find a single Hensley owner
that would give up their Hensley.  The Hensley is expensive, no one will
argue that, but the justification is total peace of mind.
 
BTW, At my dealership, we install a Hensley on each and every A/S that we
sell.  It is matter of ensuring that our customers remain customers and not
accident statistics.

David Tidmore
WBCCI 7548
President Heart of Texas Camping Unit
GM Roger Williams Airstream
Weatherford, TX