I bought a used Hensley hitch and rebuilt it myself. I had it inspected by the factory and was told it looked good. These hitches are very basic mechanically and easy to work on. This post is to show the details of what I did in case anyone else is interested.
First off, don't do it unless you really have a need. It is not complicated but will take some time. When I took the caps off mine I found some bad grease so I decided to go all the way: stripping it down, baking the paint off and getting the new paint heat treated on. I came out great. Here goes...
First I pulled the caps to see what was inside. I used a flat head screw driver and a hammer to tap the caps out. It was much like removing the pins from a door - first squeeze the screw driver between the cap and the shoulder then tap it upwards. I already had plans to replace the caps so I was not worried about denting or scratching them. I expect that if you take your time you can get these out without causing damage.
Once inside I found much of the existing grease had gotten wet and was bad. You can see here:
Immediately under the cap you will find a cotter pin, nut, washer and bearings. The nut requires a 38mm axel socket to remove. In this picture the left cotter pin, and nut are off:
I used a flat head screw driver to pry up the washer. It was held down pretty good with grease so it felt like it was attached. Once I broke the grease seal it wiggled up pretty easy:
After the washer was out I had a similar issue with the bearings. They were seated pretty firmly and required some screw driver work:
After both the bearings were out I removed the zerk fittings so I could remove the weight distribution bar pockets. The zerks unscrew easily with an open end wrench (I don't recall the size):
Now I was ready to remove the bottom half of the hitch. The bearing seals between the cams and the hitch were pretty tight so it took some prying. I had to pry each side a bit at a time until it came loose. In the below pic you can see it removed and the bearing seals exposed. Those large large rusty rings around the hole the cam slides through are the seals:
The bearing seals themselves were a bit tough to get out. Don't expect to be able to get them out without destroying them. They are installed at the factory with a press so they are very tight. This pic shows one pried out and the lose bearing below:
At this point I had the bottom half of the hitch free from the cams and was ready to start on the top. I popped of one of the caps and found more bad grease:
Same drill as the underside, removed the cotter pin, nut, washer and bearing then started on the other side:
Once both sets of bearings were out I wiggled the cams out (with a hammer and long steel chisel). Here is the top of the hitch lose, cams out with both seals exposed:
It is not complex but there are a lot of pieces so stay organized. Taking pictures was my way of making sure I knew the order in which it went back together:
My primary goal in taking it apart was to make sure it was structurally sound. Secondary goal was to repaint and make it look good. I had the major pieces sent out and baked in an oven to get the paint off. Luckily I have a friend who runs a shop and knew a guy who could do it. If I did not have that I would have cleaned it on my own with sandpaper and a wire wheel in a drill (that is what I did for the small pieces). Here are the parts back from being cleaned. As you can see the plate with the serial # was destroyed so make sure you keep track of your #:
This picture is of the parts cleaned and taped off before sending them out for painting. I was aware of a company that did heat treat painting and used them. I talked to the guy running the shop and he charged me $120 (I think) to cleanup any remaining paint and bake on a thick new coat of paint. Here are the parts as I sent them out:
When I received back the parts I was so eager to put it back together that I forgot to get more pictures. Here are a few notes from when I was reassembling:
* Obviously, follow the dis-assembly steps in reverse order.
* I used steel wool to make sure the shoulder on which the bearings ride was as smooth as possible. After being heat treated and painted they had small bits of dirt to be cleaned.
* A couple of my bearings were pitted and discolored so I replaced them. I ended up replacing them all as I don't plan on going through this process again.
* Grease the heck out of the bearings. I used low temp water proof grease. I really tried to pack them. I wore rubber gloves (the thin ones I normally using for dumping my tanks) to keep my hands somewhat clean.
* The toughest part was seating the new bearing seals. As I mentioned earlier they are normally put in with a press so they are expected to be tight. While re-seating the 4, I think I ruined 3 or 4 more. Have extra on hand and expect you might bend some. I used a hammer and a small piece of wood to try to tap them in evenly.
* Once that was done the cam had to slide back through the seal. I was a little tough to make sure everything stayed clean while doing it. It did not seat correctly immediately but that was ok (it corrected itself later when I tightened down the nut).
* Once both cams are back through flip it over and put in the bearings (greased), washers and nuts. Tighten them down pretty tight to pull the cams in. Add the cotter pins to make sure they don't come lose. BTW - I ended up opening mine back up after towing for 1000 miles to snug up the nuts.
* I packed more grease on top before putting the caps on to try to further protect the inside from water.
* I used a rubber mallet to tap in the new cups. This step can be tricky because they fit pretty tight. I was able to pound quite hard with the mallet without scratching or denting the cups. General approach is much like the bearing seals - start at one side and work around.
Here is a picture of it complete (without stickers):
The guys at Hensley were VERY helpful. They answered every question and provide parts at reasonable prices. They even gave me replacement stickers for free!
Order your bearing seals from Hensley. You can find similar ones at the auto parts store but the Hensley ones fit perfectly. The part number from the auto parts store was SKF Oilseal 17144.
Get your new bearings from the auto parts store. They have them very cheap ($5 each?). I used bearing MasterPro PTLM48548.
Having a coffee can of gas handy to soak out grease is a good idea.
Since this was my first Hensley I had to cut / extend my safety chains. I also had to get new frame brackets to fit my frame / coupler.
Overall it went pretty smooth. I would do it again but not recommend it unless you think you have issues with you bearings / inside. If your goal is to simply repaint it, don't take it apart.
Last picture, this is my hitch installed with 1000+ miles on it:
I am tired of typing so let me know if you have any specific questions.
Mark
Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum.
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edited 08/22/09 11:42am by xycarp *
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I paid $600 for the hitch and a few hundred more for a new stinger, frame brackets and struts. Over all it was around $1000. Pretty good deal for a totally rebuilt Hensley.
Technically they are a separate piece but they must have been pressed in place with some heavy duty equipment. It would be a bear to get them out and get a new set in. I am not sure it would even be possible.
Mark: Great job. The pics are a big help. This will help all HA owners keep a good working hitch. I subscribed to this thread so I won't have to ask again.
Bud
2007 Jayco Eagle 288RLS The Jaybird
2006 Dodge 2500 Mega Cab 5.9 CTD
TruControl, Hensley Arrow
Schnauzer- Sir Winston
That is very interesting. I never really knew what was inside my HA. I was just happy that it worked so good. My wife would have given up camping if it wasn't for that hitch.
xycarp, Thanks for the great pics and story on the Hensley Arrow!
* This post was
edited 08/28/09 07:09am by an administrator/moderator *
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