Safety chains on double

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Jul 26, 2006 | 12:44 PM

Yukon

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From: Michigan

Safety chains on double

Guys, I haul a boat behind my fiver and hook my safety chains from the boat to the hitch on the back of my fiver. I have seen many rigs with the safety chains from the boat going out to the ends of the bumper, making each chain around 4' long. Do you know what the purpose/advantage of this would be?

Jul 26, 2006 | 02:44 PM

packlet

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From: Berkeley

i can think of two possible reasons. take your pick :-)

1) the chains are supposed to be crossed under the trailer tongue, so that if it comes undone from the hitch, the crossed chains will cradle the tongue and prevent it digging into the pavement and pole-vaulting the trailer. having the chain connecting points further apart from each other on the hitch makes that cradle more likely to catch the tongue.

2) one might use chain length to prevent the trailer from turning too much and hitting/damaging the towing vehicle. the greater angle provided by spacing the chain connections further apart on the hitch would provide a more postive limit to how far off center the trailer can turn with respect to the TV.

Last edited by packlet; Jul 26, 2006 at 02:47 PM.

Jul 26, 2006 | 04:42 PM

lawnspecialties

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From: Garner, NC

3: Or the long chains might allow the trailer to swing out far enough from time to time so you'd know for sure "Hey, my second trailer came off!". LOL

Jul 26, 2006 | 04:46 PM

monsterbaby

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From: iowa

4. the guy pulling it is an idiot an doesn't realize that by putting the longer chains onto a less secured section of the bumper he has negated every single reason for even having them on there.

Jul 26, 2006 | 05:14 PM

packlet

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From: Berkeley

good point MB. i hadn't noticed he mentioned connecting the chain end to the bumber, not the hitch. that is indeed a bad idea...

Jul 26, 2006 | 08:30 PM

jake00

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From: NW burbs of chicago

Quote:

one might use chain length to prevent the trailer from turning too much

wouldnt the chain pull out of the bumper? something would give

Jul 27, 2006 | 01:08 AM

Cowboy Brett

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From: Wickenburg, AZ

Yeah, connecting safety chains to a bumper is a bad idea. The hitch is designed to handle the safety chains. It might get you a broader safety cradle if they really did cross them, but that will cause another unintended consequence. Should it break free and bear down on those chains with that setup, the angle of the chain relative to its attachment point way out there is going to mean that the force is going to have a big component pulling IN on the chains instead of it mostly pulling BACK. That could well bend in towards the center of the trailer, and that is very dangerous indeed.

Most travel trailer bumpers I've seen are pretty flimsy. Heck, the truck bumpers today are none too strong. Now I'm starting to sound too much like Baxter Black with his "Real Truck" skit, so I'd better quit while I'm ahead. Happy towing!