A New Hensley Design?

It has come to our attention that misrepresentations of Hensley Mfg. and, specifically, the Hensley Arrow anti-sway towing system, are showing up in various forums and websites on the internet. While we understand and respect the opinions expressed by others, we have also come to realize that the internet is a breeding ground for a new form of marketing. Using the anonymity of the internet, some competitors are distributing misinformation in attempts to malign companies like Hensley Mfg., who have a well-established reputation in the marketplace and engage in only upfront, honest methods of marketing. Please be advised that people you talk to on the internet are often competitors under false names trying to promote their own product.

It has also come to our attention that a former employee of Hensley Mfg., who was released from our employment two years ago, has a hitch design, once owned by Hensley Mfg., and is attempting to market it, using the methods described above, as a “new” Hensley design.
That is a false statement. The design referred to is under U.S. Patent No. 5,660,409. The patent was filed in 1998 and the rights purchased by Hensley Mfg. After ten years, we were unable to find an effective solution to a number of inherent problems with this design, so we relinquished our rights to the patent back to the inventor, James Hensley. The purpose of this “new” design can be best expressed in Mr. Hensley’s own words, as found in the patent documents:

“My trailer hitch assembly, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,542 (Hensley Arrow), provides a trailer hitch, which allows a trailer to be towed without significant swaying or fishing tailing by effectively placing the pivot axis forwardly of its location, and while being capable of accommodating sharp turns. Although my previous trailer hitch works well for its intend purposes, it sometimes exhibits limited applications. For example, the hitch (Hensley Arrow) works exceedingly well in larger, heavier trailers, for example camping trailers. These larger camping trailers generally employ their own brakes, usually electric brakes associated with the trailer wheels that are simultaneously actuated when the driver actuates the tow vehicle brakes.”

The “new” design for the Hensley hitch was intended to be used with trailers employing surge brakes. While promising for the surge brake market, the design never panned out because of the problems involved with the yoke-style mounting system. In addition, the market for an anti-sway hitch in the surge brake market (primarily boat trailers) is not large enough to support production of such a system.
Marketing Mr. Hensley’s new design to the RV industry was quickly thrown out because a simple change of mounting configuration was not an improvement, did not simplify the operation of the hitch, nor did it save manufacturing cost. To market such a devise as “new and improved” would have been disingenuous to our customers. Hensley Mfg. still maintains that the Hensley Arrow is the absolute best and safest way to tow a travel trailer. After 15 years, no other hitch manufacturer has found an improvement. Hensley Mfg., in fact, is constantly researching new designs for improving trailer safety.
We should also note that James Hensley was never actively involved in design work for Hensley Mfg. The company bought the manufacturing rights for his patent, then designed the hitch around his idea to make it reliable and safe for the customer. The design of the Hensley Arrow is credited to Robert Hillman, who is still active with our company.

We appreciate the continued support of our customers around the world. We will continue to provide the highest quality products available and offer world class customer support, as we have done for 15 years. In fact, we have answered the demand for a htich for small trailers. We call it the Cub. Give us a call at 800-410-6580 if you'd like more information on it or the original Hensley Arrow. Remember: if it's not Orange, it's not a Hensley!