Hensley stinger and Tundra

Towing Rigs, Hitches, Weight Distribution, Sway Control
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Nole75
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2016 8:50 am

Hensley stinger and Tundra

Post by Nole75 »

Does any one tow with a 2010 plus or minus a few years and use a Hensley hitch. Im curious as to what the drop is on your stinger. I have a 4 inch drop and it seems a little low. Thanks
slowmover
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2019 12:39 pm
Location: Fort Worth

Re: Hensley stinger and Tundra

Post by slowmover »

Measure trailer. It needs to be level. A WDH correctly hitched may have the TV sitting lower in the rear which is not a concern where the FA weighs close to same hitched & unhitched.

Carpenters level fore-aft at immediate doorway interior. That the “master” for the rest of the trailer. No other location suffices.

In the bubble. Perfect isn’t necessary, but closest always results in best performance. Seemingly tiny changes MATTER.

One test is a CAT Scale “split axle” weighing. The Scalemaster will set it for you. Directions across loudspeaker

Go inside to fuel desk beforehand. Explain you’re in a personal vehicle as loudspeaker is up high

It’s a short move from the axles being on one pad to “splitting “ them between two. To get the reading means an instant stop.

One does this twice. With no hitch tension at all, and then with WDH at best adjustment.

Trailer nose low means crap braking. One axle, not two.

Trailer nose high means TW insufficient in dynamic circumstances.

Testing trailer brake lockup is next. H e an observer check from both sides. Shouldn’t always be front or rear axle brakes lock first.

Trailer level means that EXTRA LONG LEVER from hitch ball to trailer axle center is applying TW across BOTH vehicles EVENLY when road dynamics increases TW to potentially thousands of pounds of force. All three points. (Why a TV not evenly loaded can be a problem; same weight value at all four tires before hitching).

This is why the payload & tow rating crowd are closet comedians: static TW is a stand-in for THE RANGE of forces. It is not the high or the low of that range.

CAN AM RV can be a help to get the stinger correct. But do the homework first. The stinger can be cut & re-welded for a better angle for any vehicle (makes hitching slightly harder at first), but can correct where the two vehicles are on the edge of offered stingers. Talk to them.

PRO Pride for a short time offered an adjustable Hensley stinger. Heavy sucker.

Your attention to details here are worth the trouble. Most hitch related is an uphill curve. But once done, well, there’s no comparison.

It really was better in the old days as we had WD receivers MADE for the TV with the help of factory diagrams. The WD Hitch kits were welded together, not bolted.

Today’s bolted hitches and poor hitch receivers are a distinct backwards step.

On an unrelated note: I can always tell a Hensley-patent hitch at work as I overtake the rig. May be a few miles. The lack of motion side-side is the giveaway. It is distinct

The lack of trailer “hop” is the other, and applies to any hitch type. Done right, the forces the trailer sees in being attached are minimized.

To see a TT quietly shadow its’ TV us as rare as can be. Nearly always an AS being pulled by an SUV where all is optimized. TV, WDH & TT are equally weighted.

Bad trailer = bad results
Pickup = bad results
Obsolete hitch design = bad results.

1). An AVION with pre-1987 suspension need the upgrade.

2). Pickup is last worst choice
3). Non-Hensley hitch means lacks common sense

The Can Am rigs are as nice as what we went to so much trouble for fifty plus years ago. The virtual pivot hitches are the only improvement

That is what everyone wants. Maybe 2-3% get it. Anyone here thinks they have it right will be able to show scale tickets & braking distance tests as proof.

Take the time. Enlist a friend. Several weekends or over a season.

It’s 8th grade physics.

It is not (thank the gods) antenna theory or the like.



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1990 35’ Silver Streak Sterling
Rostam
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2016 10:54 pm

Re: Hensley stinger and Tundra

Post by Rostam »

Nole75 wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:55 am Does any one tow with a 2010 plus or minus a few years and use a Hensley hitch. Im curious as to what the drop is on your stinger. I have a 4 inch drop and it seems a little low. Thanks
It takes a LONG time to address all the inaccuracies in the previous post. I'll just say this: I would not touch a rig setup by CanAm with a 1000 foot pole.
1978 Avion 26-H
2021 Toyota Tundra SR5
slowmover
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2019 12:39 pm
Location: Fort Worth

Re: Hensley stinger and Tundra

Post by slowmover »

Your premise over the years is that you want someone else to take responsibility for your errors.

As CAN AM has set up more than 12,000 tow vehicle combinations the past fifty years, that alone should be enough.

For a fact you don’t conduct seminars on towing at AIRSTREAMS invitation.

Nor does the Society of Automotive Engineers ask for your comments & participation.

What we learned thru trial & error starting almost sixty years ago, CAN AM has set to formula. Great insights

Asked you years ago: Where are the scale tickets from your Three Pass Scale Method?

But that would put the lie to your claims to have set the hitch the correct way, wouldn’t it? If it’s right, it’s the same way any of us from way back when, or (horrors) CAN AM would have done it.

1). Where’s the braking distance test? Solo, loaded, against hitched? As hitched should be better

2). Where’s the fuel economy test? 40% prnakty or lower, all else the same.

3). Tandem Slide Scale Ticket: Individual values for trailer tandem axle tires. Before and after.

4). Pic of carpenters level across doorway. In bubble once hitched.

5). Your copy of Fred Puhn book on Vehicle Dynamics (for laymen). Else you're not up to a discussion with Andy or anyone else.

Drop it and move on. Every rig needs a yearly check on the scale. Improve yours.

Ignorance is no sin. Embrace that. The alternative isn’t pretty.

This ain’t rocket science. It’s leverage.

.
1990 35’ Silver Streak Sterling
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