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Pulled the local HS band trailer yesterday and the safety chain hooks would not fit my 2022 F250 receiver not matter how many different ways I twisted and turned them.
I had a pair of 3/4" shackles but the hooks were just barely too small to fit around the shackles. They went most of the way on but would not go far enough for the spring loaded clip to engage.
So this lead me down the rabbit hole of solutions and Hammerlocks came up quite often and they look like a quality product. So when I started searching for the best price I figured out that many vendors use the word "Hammerlock" but they are not genuine Hammerlocks. There is a quite a price difference.
I'm not opposed to using 1/2" shackles but again there are many vendors and I'll assume some/most are of dubious quality.
So where does one shop for Hammerlocks and shackles? Gotta' pull the trailer again in two weeks.
PLEASE do not devolve this into a purse swinging poop show.
ETA: Would prefer something that is rubber coated to eliminate metal to metal
I removed my hooks from the chains on my TT and ground about 1/16" off the top of the hook and they fit perfectly now. They have the spring loaded clip portion and I can remove and clip them in with now issues. Best of all, its free.
I removed my hooks from the chains on my TT and ground about 1/16" off the top of the hook and they fit perfectly now. They have the spring loaded clip portion and I can remove and clip them in with now issues. Best of all, its free.
Yeah but it's not his trailer.
The problem is the holes in the hitch are too small. Grind some relief in those instead. Now the truck will will hook to all trailers, it's simpler and cheaper than hammerlocks.
They can be a pain to get on, but I followed the instructions and didn’t have too hard of a time. I never had issues hearing them back there either driving down the road.
They can be a pain to get on, but I followed the instructions and didn’t have too hard of a time. I never had issues hearing them back there either driving down the road.
I saw those while searching. They are similar to Hammerlocks but I cannot find any info, mainly country of manufacture.
I have been using D Ring shackles since I got mine in September 2021. Im happy enough with them. They hold my chain, and they are stated to be more than adequate for my size trailer. Mine are not rubber coated and have been installed on my truck since day 1. I have never heard them.
Saying that, I like the looks of the hammerlocks and if I had to get them again, I would probably get them simply based on appearance.
They can be a pain to get on, but I followed the instructions and didn’t have too hard of a time. I never had issues hearing them back there either driving down the road.
I use these exact shackles and love them. I've yet to tow a trailer that won't work with these.
If using D ring shackles, it might be a good idea to insert a steel wire through the eyelet of the shackle bolt and tie it off to keep the bolt from rotating out as the chains swing the D ring back and forth in combination with bumps in the road.
In 2023, Ford enlarged the receiver hitch chain holes.
Prior to 2023, some people figured out that there is a technique to inserting the cast chain hooks on 2017 - 2022 models.
One fellow named Javier Acosta posted a video on YouTube about how to do it. Here are some freeze frames from that video:
