Hensley Arrow With T-1950

[wobbly]

We'll be flying out to Michigan next week to pick up our T-1950.
We sent our pre-owned Hensley hitch by UPS to Michigan (that is a heavy
beast!). Reading the Hensley manual, it mentions that the safety cable might have to be lengthened, as well as the safety chains, and the power cord. As this is our first TT, I'm not familiar with the safety cable. Does the Sunline has one? Any idea as to whether these items will have to be lengthened?

Thanks!

[PTHutch]

Hi John,

The safety cable they’re talking about may be the cable for the break-away trailer braking system. You should be OK with the length of that.

I’ve installed our Hensley hitch on our current Sunline (T-280SR) and our previous Sunline (T-2670).

The T-2670 had safety cables instead for chains. The T-280SR has chains. Both were of sufficient length to work with the Hensley hitch. I’m guessing your T-1950 may also have cables instead of chains. No problem here.

However, the electrical umbilical cord may need to be adjusted to give you more length or lengthened. It depends on your specific set up. The Hensley hitch does increase the distance between the TV and Trailer A-Frame.
On the T-280SR I had to adjust the electrical umbilical cord to get more length so it could be attached to the TV with sufficient slack to allow for turns. On the T-2670 there was enough slack.

The Frame Brackets of the Hensley hitch interfered a little with the LP Tank cover on both trailers. On our T-280SR the interference was enough that I cut a slit in the cover to fit around the bracket. But this was after I got home with it. This shouldn’t give you any problems though.

Where are you installing the Hensley hitch and who is installing it? If you’re doing it yourself, I would recommend that you do it at the dealership. I would also recommend, if you can, that you pick up your trailer during the week. This way a tech will be available to fix any minor problems on your trailer, if you find any, and also to help you with any problems that you may encounter while installing the Hensley hitch.

When I installed our Hensley hitch on our T-280SR, it was the 3rd time installing one, and it still took me about 2+ hours to install. The first time I installed the hitch it took be about 4+ hours, but I took my time.

If I lived closer I would offer to come help you.

Hope this was of some help. If you have any questions PM me or send me an email.

Good luck
Hutch

[wobbly]

Thanks for all the information, Hutch.

We pick up our tow vehicle Wednesday morning near Pittsburgh.
The next morning we'll pick up the McKesh mirrors in Davison, MI, and then have the Draw-Tite receiver put on in Clio, which is nearby. Then we stop in Saginaw at the UPS and pick up the Arrow hitch (UPS better not lose it!). The next stop is Midland, MI to pick up the T-1950.

I was thinking that I would install the hitch myself. Not sure if the dealer
will object to this. I've been studying the manual, and installation appears to be within my abililities, as long as I don't hurry it.

The dealer told me that they don't particularly like the Hensley, and they prefer the Equal-I-Zer.

If the hitch bar drop is insufficient, we'll probably tow (gently) the trailer over to the Hensley plant in Romeo, MI, and get the right one.

I'm taking a laptop. So I just may be asking you some questions when I get down and dirty with the hitch.

Thanks!

[PTHutch]

John,

Make sure you have a good drill motor, extra drill bits, and some lubracant to use while drilling.

The hardest part of the installation is the drilling to install the frame bracket. I found the instrutions good and easy to follow.

I ended up using Nuts and Bolts to attach the Frame Bracket in stead of the screws they provided. Therefore, you may want to have a set of 4 nuts, bolts, & lock washers, same size as the frame bracket scews, just in case you want to use them instead of the screws.

The other tool you'll need is a torque wrench to torque the nuts of the U bolts for the frame bracket to the proper torque.

Hensely is great with providing phone help. So don't hesitate to give them a call.

We're supposed to get some cold weather the middle of the week, so hopefully it does affect you too much.

Will you be towing your new camper home to Oregon immediately?

There's a lot of great things to see in Michigan, just ask Jon (a.k.a. Sunline Fan), if you have time before heading home.

Have a safe trip and good luck with everything.
Hutch

[Sunline Fan]

Hi Wobbly,

Well, we've been having 60-70 degree days here for a week or so, but now they are saying we might have snow next Thursday and Friday. That's Michigan weather for you... I assume you are getting yours from Midland RV Sales? I personally have never been there, but I know someone who lives in the Midland area and he says its a good dealer. He just buys Jayco, so he has to go elsewhere.

Let me know your route and I can give you some tips to these wonderful Michigan roads. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, you'll see when you get here. Let's just say roads are not Michigan's strong point. Also, since you're going through Saginaw, there is a couple truck stops along I-75 at exit 151 that have scales, should you want to weigh everything. I'm not sure when you plan to travel here, but spring break for many schools starts Thursday or Friday of this coming week. Traffic is crazy NB on Thurs/Friday and SB on Sunday.

Jon

[wobbly]

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

Hi Wobbly,

Well, we've been having 60-70 degree days here for a week or so, but now they are saying we might have snow next Thursday and Friday. That's Michigan weather for you... I assume you are getting yours from Midland RV Sales? I personally have never been there, but I know someone who lives in the Midland area and he says its a good dealer. He just buys Jayco, so he has to go elsewhere.

Let me know your route and I can give you some tips to these wonderful Michigan roads. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, you'll see when you get here. Let's just say roads are not Michigan's strong point. Also, since you're going through Saginaw, there is a couple truck stops along I-75 at exit 151 that have scales, should you want to weigh everything. I'm not sure when you plan to travel here, but spring break for many schools starts Thursday or Friday of this coming week. Traffic is crazy NB on Thurs/Friday and SB on Sunday.

Jon

Hi Jon,

Yes, it's Midland RV. We should be in Flint, Wednesday night and in Midland by Thursday afternoon. Google Maps says that the drive from Pittsburgh to Flint is normally only 5 1/2 hours. Thanks for the traffic warning. I didn't think about spring break.

So why aren't Michigan roads so good? Guess we're spoiled with Oregon's good roads. We've driven in Mexico. Nothing could be as bad as hitting a "tope" or Mexican speed bump at 30 MPH. http://www.delange.org/MexDriveTips/DSC00287.jpg

Good to know about the scales. Hope the "real world" weights are not too shocking.

Snow? Don't say that!

Wobbly

[wobbly]

Originally Posted by PTHutch

John,

Make sure you have a good drill motor, extra drill bits, and some lubracant to use while drilling.

The hardest part of the installation is the drilling to install the frame bracket. I found the instrutions good and easy to follow.

I ended up using Nuts and Bolts to attach the Frame Bracket in stead of the screws they provided. Therefore, you may want to have a set of 4 nuts, bolts, & lock washers, same size as the frame bracket scews, just in case you want to use them instead of the screws.

The other tool you'll need is a torque wrench to torque the nuts of the U bolts for the frame bracket to the proper torque.

Hensely is great with providing phone help. So don't hesitate to give them a call.

We're supposed to get some cold weather the middle of the week, so hopefully it does affect you too much.

Will you be towing your new camper home to Oregon immediately?

There's a lot of great things to see in Michigan, just ask Jon (a.k.a. Sunline Fan), if you have time before heading home.

Have a safe trip and good luck with everything.
Hutch

I'm thinking about taking my Bosch 24v cordless drill. It has lots of oomph. Those titanium dioxide bits are pretty sharp, but they break easily if not centered well. The shear bolts weren't included, so I bought some self-threading 5/16 x 3/4 bolts. I could substitute bolts with lock washers, if need be.


Hensley sells a power cord extension http://www.hensleymfg.com/Pages/Shop/extension.htm
I'm not sure how that marries up with the trailer, though.

We are planning to take a mini-vacation going back to Oregon. No intinerary though. We have a book on the Lewis and Clark route for touring that may be useful. I'd like to go through South Dakota, but my wife prefers a more southerly route.

Wobbly

[Sunline Fan]

I think every Michigan resident (or lack thereof these days) is wondering the same about the roads. MDOT seems to redo a road and it only lasts a couple years before it gets really bad, with either potholes or humps, similar, but not as bad, as the one in the pic. Also, expect to see A LOT of For Sale signs. The economy here is horrible (at least in the Detroit metro area) and there are a lot of houses for sale. People are basically leaving like there’s a gold rush somewhere else. Don't think the roads in Ohio will be like the roads in MI. For many years, I-75 in Toledo was a night and day difference in smoothness. Now, Ohio's roads have gotten a little older and aren't as nice, but still better. Enjoy it while you can. Let me know how you plan to leave MI with the 1950.

Jon

[Mark]

Perhaps I have missed the whole story, but you seem to be collecting pieces of you rig in every state , are you fleeing the law or did you find some good deals?

PS

I'm in Pittsburgh

[wobbly]

Originally Posted by Mark

Perhaps I have missed the whole story, but you seem to be collecting pieces of you rig in every state , are you fleeing the law or did you find some good deals?

PS

I'm in Pittsburgh

Both the trailer and the diesel Jeep were "good deals" compared to prices in the Pacific NW. The Sunline wasn't sold out here. In 2005, we bought a diesel Passat near Philadelphia. It was $3K cheaper than Portland. The new car dealers here typically add a "market adjustment factor" onto MSRP. Haggling appears to be frowned upon in these environs.


PS:
We're in the witness protection program. If you saw Episode 14 of "The Sopranos" you know the story. Don't tell Tony about our plans. We would hate to end up in somebody's "pepperoni" pizza.