I'm no profesional but I have a fair amount of experience for being fairly young. If the trailor has properly working brakes stopping is a moot point. My camper and truck (without the boat) stops darn quick and I believe I could come real close to mirroring my emty truck stopping distance. Alot has to do with the tow vehicle, to me many guys are towing way too much with half tons. I've been there and done than that and I know have a 3/4 and my dad purchaced a 96' Dually, quite the difference from when we both had half tons towing some of the same loads. heck 55mph was taxing on the equipment then. With the 3/4 I yet to to load a trailor to the point where the truck doesn't feel sure footed and stable. the dump trailor might do it but I havn't tryed as equipment costs to much to abuse it. if my V10 had trouble running 70 I wouldn't be doing it, If the brakes weren't on working order I wouldn't be doing it, if the suspesion didn't feel rock solid, again I wouldn't do it. To all there own but I'm much more cautious than most and very **** about my equipment, I just don't like saftey chains for the reasons above. By the way, JFYI, the chains on that dump trailor I could pull a 8650 JD out with, lol.

 

Running at 65-70 is not a problem if things are set up right. You are right about the gas mileage, etc. But there are times when runnng with the traffic will get you up to those speeds. I've done it, and there are a hell of a lot of semis that weigh far more than my rig going down the road at and above 70. Care to guess what their stopping distance is?

Good equipment, knowledgable driver, and common sense make for a good towing experience. lose any of the three, and it's a story in the making.

 

SLE,
You have a flawed opinion and I disagree with it.
When you make such outlandish rants you only affirm the obvious.
I don't leave anything to chance and assume nothing when it comes to towing.
Dorf

 

I have twice forgotten to lock down the hitch on the ball. So it does happen. Fortunately I had a bad feeling in my head and stopped before anything happened. I once drove several miles with mine not locked down.

I would guess not locking the hitch down is the #1 reason trailers unhook.

Guess #2 reason is that the hitch ball can become unscrewed. I have seen mine loose a couple times and now habitually check it with a big wrench everytime I hookup. You should also check all hitch hardware from time to time.

I have heard a few horror stories about ***** shattering, so I would guess that is reason #?!? Those Chinese made ***** make me nervous. Had too many bad experiences with Chinese made tools, cast iron parts etc, that would crack or split. So I don't care for Chinese made vehicle parts.

I buy US made if I can find them.

Just my opinion,

Jim Henderson

 

Please tell me the obvious!

I wrote another two paragrahs but elected to erase them as all you've managed to do is get under my skin. Please show me some experiance instead of "what ifs" and worst case senarios. I think I showed worst case senarios and unfortunatly I was at the scene for both. I just called it the way I saw it. If my opinion is flawed excuse me!

 

Amen jim, I agree with ***** coming loose. I've only seen it once myslef but a guy has to wonder how they manage to unscrew themselves when half the time when you go to take on off its alsmost like they're welded on. I have seen a cracked shank though more than once on other people trucks and I often times have wondered how many ***** actually break off?? I personally make sure I have a ball rated for as much as possible. My 2 5/16s is rate for 16k or 18k lbs (I can't remember without looking) I have a 2" thats rated for 10k and a 1 7/8" rated for 6k. Any one else notice that hardly any trailors use a 1 7/8" ball anymore when 15 years ago everything used a 1 7/8s or a 2".

 

We live and we learn, and this dissention isn't Christmassy. Y'all get in the holiday spirit and let's let it ride.

My best to all and I wish you the most wonderful of holiday seasons from my house to yours,

Sam

 

Let's take advice from the dude with the cigarette holder: "let it ride." It hardly seems fair to the new guy who posted this thread to get it closed because we want to take our differences to a personal level.

 

Sorry, have a mery christmas, seems to be a beter way to think about stuff!

 

holy crap.


BTW in my OP i incorrectly stated a grade 7 bolt, i should have stated grade 8, sorry ive got grade 70 chain on the mind.

well here is what i have determined (may or may not be correct, but its got to be close)from my surfing and pestering anyone who might know........grade 43 1/4" chain satisfys the law for a 7000 GVWR trailer. grade 70 1/4" is better and costs very little more. a 1/2" bolt is the largest bolt that will fit through the link of a g43 or g70, 1/4", 5/16", or 3/8" chain at the hardware store. so i believe this weekend i will buy the grade 70 1/4" chain, and secure them with a 1/2" grade 8 bolt, torqued to around 90 ft lbs and call it a day. and the tongue is 5" channel in case anyone is wondering.
thanks.

 

I had a ball snap on me, I was pulling a single horse trailer down a dirt road, I went over one of those cheap cattle gaurds, the large strips of rubber, and it snagged the corner of the trailer, and snapped the ball. I barely felt the tug, but I did feel the trailer come down on the chains like it should, but the top half of the trailer reached farther forward and smacked the top of my tailgate. I stopped slowly, pulled out a spare ball from my tool box and went home. I used to think all chains were mostly the same. Now I realize I had chains I wouldn't have lifted an engine with, as safety chains on my 20' flatbed. I told the guy who bought it that they were inadequate. The chains on the brand new flatbed I bought are freakin' huge.

Would welding the chains to the trailer be safer than bolts? I have seen it done both ways.

 

Welding can affect the strength of the steel. If done right, it should be fine, but if done wrong, the chains would become very brittle at the weld and could break when put under load.

I'm no metallurgist (nor welder), but I'd want to make sure that job was done by someone who knew what they were doing.

 

Our flatbed has them welded I think. I was wonderin the same thing, are the trailer frames heat treated like the big rigs where they shouldn't be welded or drilled? I've seriously thought about doing two bolts on each chain thru the side arms as well. Figure it would make it that much stronger, but would hate to find out it weakened the trailer.

Blair

 

I like using those big links with the screw coupling/opening.

My 8,000# travel trailer has the chain that the factory put on thru some welded eyelets on the A frame. The chain is connected to the truck with the links I mentioned. They are about double the size and thickness of the chain links. Those links were also supplied by the trailer mfgr, Prowler aka Fleetwood aka Coleman now(I think) so I assume(yeah ASSUME make an a of u and me) that they are sufficient for my rig.

Good Luck, and Yo Yo Yo Merry Christmas,

Jim Henderson

 

Mine came with them also - they're available at the hardware stores - juast make sure to buy the good ones - they'll have a rating on them.