After the first hook-up, the Hensley Arrow began to show
it's stuff. I slowly maneuvered out of the campsite and through the
campground. The trailer seemed to follow the tracks of the tow vehicle
even closer than before. This was wonderful considering one of the
virtues of a travel trailer over a fifth wheel is the trailer doesn't cut to
the inside of corners as much. I also found that the trailer could be
turned considerably sharper than with the conventional hitch. The
length of the hitch bar and hitch box moved the trailer rearward compared
with the conventional ball hitch. I could make turns without incident
that would have resulted in body damage to the Ford or the Airstream or both
with the conventional hitch. In defense of the conventional hitch, an
extended conventional hitch bar would have had much the same effect on
turning radius. However, most extended hitch bars for conventional
hitches have a reduced load rating.
The disadvantage of the increased length is
obvious. It takes more space to park the rig and you have to account
for the extra foot of total length when changing lanes, etc. The other
issue is ground clearance. The Hensley Arrow attaches UNDER your
existing hitch. The equalizer bars are therefore lower than they would
have been previously. This can result in the bars dragging the ground
considerably more often than with the conventional hitch. I don't know
that it really hurts anything but it sure sounds nasty.
With the successful hookup out of the way,
and the increased confidence gained from the improved maneuverability in
turns, we hit the road.
