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2 Pack of 1/2" G80 Black Hammerlock Coupling Link Kits for Heavy Duty Truck Safety Chain Towing Hitch. Work great and look "clean" (or as "clean" as can be).
I see alot of you using shackles, but isnt anyone concerned that in a failure that the shackles would be needed to do their job the load path on the shackle is 90° to its designed load path?
It doesnt look to me that the shackle can rotate to have the load go through the bell > pin.
It looks like it would be forced to side load.
Now a 5/8 shackle probably has more headroom than might be needed, but I assume this has been discussed?
I see alot of you using shackles, but isnt anyone concerned that in a failure that the shackles would be needed to do their job the load path on the shackle is 90° to its designed load path?
It doesnt look to me that the shackle can rotate to have the load go through the bell > pin.
It looks like it would be forced to side load.
Now a 5/8 shackle probably has more headroom than might be needed, but I assume this has been discussed?
Honestly, if I get into a situation bad enough to separate my trailer from my truck, I would rather it break free instead of dragging me wherever it wants to go. That's what the breakaway system is for.
Honestly, if I get into a situation bad enough to separate my trailer from my truck, I would rather it break free instead of dragging me wherever it wants to go. That's what the breakaway system is for.
I dont think thats how you want it to work. Well that may be how you want it to work, but I know its not how the DOT wants it to work.
It is 100% supposed to keep the trailer attached in some way to the tow vehicle so it does not go careening away at speed and hit someone or something.
I actually know (knew) of someone here in my area (a local Dr) who died "because" a trailer brokeaway. I dont remember the exact forensics, that it had no chains or insufficient chains but the trailer broke away, and it crossed the median and impacted his vehicle head on killing the driver.
I tried to search it but I think it was a bit before the internet, the Dr was a friend of my Uncles. I know the trailer puller was prosecuted and civilly sued as well.
My shackles will keep the trailer hooked to my truck if it pops off under normal driving.
They will most likely break if I'm in a rollover situation. At that point, it doesn't really matter IMO
And both of my shackles together are rated at ~175% of my trailers GVWR, and ~225% of my truck's operating weight.
I suspect the "weld" holding the chains to the trailer tongue would fail, or the chain "break" before the shackle would fail in a catastrophic "disconnect". Hope to never find out. But, of all the "safety" concerns associated with pulling a 5 tons of travel trailer down the road, safety chain, shackle failure, is way down my list.
