so my phone rang at 1:30 last night/this morning- it was my friend wanting to know if i could hitch up my trailer and come rescue her...her tagalong jack-knifed and flipped on the high-rise bridge with two ponies inside. it came right off the hitch, snapped the safety chains...i was scared of what i was gonna see when i got there. fortunately, by 4:30 am everyone was home safe and sound (ponies included). the experience made me want to hurry up and get my trailer safer before we get into trail riding season and for emergencies like this

i asked over on the towing forum, but i want yalls input too:

how do you determine the correct length for safety chains?
what's the recommended method of attaching them to the front of the trailer?

 

i say use some good log chain and hooks, not the little weak ones, and then bolt them to the main trailer frame. or weld them to the frame

 

As for length, you should cross them in an "X" under the trailer A-frame so if the hitch fails the trailer tongue will drop into the "X". Length, I would make it 6" longer than you need for the chains to hang 4" or so below the tongue. You can always adjust where the hooks are when you hook them up and the extra length will allow you to use it on longer drawbars if you ever need to.

As far as how heavy, heavier is better. Look at weight rating on the chain, there is significant difference between chains of the same size.

Dave / Believer45

 

As for type of chains, I only use grade 70 (transport/gold color) or grade 80 (sometimes hard to find) chain and high strength (not regular) hooks. Here's some info on chains: Chain Grading

 

definately grade 70 loggin chain is normally g43 i have mine 6" longer than distance from attach point to attach point but thats on a gn trailer thats all i got

 

i have seen a lot of trailers come off and at hwy speeds it dont that any chains hold up. i just saw big cat generator and trailer off and chains off in the ditch a few weeks back. it had 1/2 chains on didnt hold. chans are ment to eater hold something in place or lift something not get a tons of weight jerk on them my .02 they are false insurance or to just make someone feal good

 

Best one I saw was a flatbed somewhere in Baltimore 15 or so years back, one of the frame rails broke and the center half of a trailer load of small coils (I think 10 or 12 of them) chained down. Driver side of the trailer twisted down until the side rail was just about on the ground, all coils still in place. Chains held that load pretty well, but the max weight for a coil probably was around 2 1/2 or 3 tons.

 

I was just hauling a couple of tons of firewood the other weekend and the hitch broke. The chains on the trailer I use are not long enough to crisscross. In fact, they are short enough that I have to be in nearly perfect alignment with the trailer when hitching for them to reach the hook-holes on the receiver.
Anyway, when the hitch broke, I felt the thump and then the back ad forth motion of the trailer not being secured by the hitch. I was going slow-had just pulled away from a stop sign. The skid plate at the bottom of the jack (cranked all the way up) did drag on the ground until I was able to stop the truck.
Thankfully, I was only 5 miles from home, so I unhooked the trailer and drove home to weld the hitch back together then went back and got the trailer home.

I'll be adding some extender links to allow me to cross the chains, even though I don't own the trailer. I know the owner won't mind-they aren't long enough for him to cross them either.

 

If you want to you can add the extensions to your truck, look at the bumper link in my signature and you will see the chains I added. I pull trailers for several folks and have a pretty long 6" drop drawbar so their safety chains often will not reach my safety chain loops under the reciever.

If they are not in use they are just "hangin around" until I need them. Work great. Definitely look better and are more useful than the chrome (or orange, or red) bull parts some folks hang under the back of their trucks.

 

Nice. Something to think about for sure.

 

1. Chain length should be as short as possible so they don't bind when turning. (I am not a firm beliver in the chains have to be crossed theroy I think that the chains will be long enough then to allow the tounge to contact the road surface.)
2. You need to know the maximum weight that the trailer is going to be to figure out the size of chain. Chain is rated by working load the breaking strengh is 3 time the working load. It never hurts to be bigger.
4. Check the ratings of the other parts (reciever, *****, bolts) they are not all made the same.
5. How you mount the chains will depend on the type of trailer you have but drilling a hole thru and bolting works well IMO
6. Maintence check out everything. Starting with the reciever hitch, Ive seen bolts missing, they rust. reciever and ***** wear out which makes them have play. chains and hooks for streched links, or that have been dragged on the ground. trailer coupling device for wear, and last the connection of the chains to the trailer. Dont for get brakes and break-away brake boxes

 

I an in Canada, and rules may be a bit different, but trucks and trailers arent....
I tow quite a bit and fortunately have never had to rely on my chains, yet. I have been stopped but Ministry of Transport Enforcement Officers and discussed the rules and why they exist at lenght.

1. Always cross chains. They are supposed to cradle the trailer tongue if it becomes disconnected. Also crossed chains will not drag during turning as the distance between the attachment point on the truck and the one on the trailer will not vary as much as if they were not crossed.
2. Use Grade 70 transport chain rated for the weight of the trailer. Each chain needs to be rated for the full trailer + load weight. Transport grade chain will be stamped.
3. The attachment point on the trailer must be at least as strong as the chain.
4. The hook must be rated for the same weight as the chain, or more.
5. Hooks must have a latch or some other means to prevent them from falling off.
6. Don't let your chains drag. Tie them up if they happen to be too lang and you cannot adjust them better.
7. Never used bent S-hooks, or screw together type connections. Always use pinned type connections for hooks and such.

Don't use:

or

or

or

and certainly not


if you have to splice a chain use on us these:

or


And your hook should have this kind of attachment and a safety catch


I have been stopped and fined for unrated chains and hooks....
When it come to chains overkill is a good thing.

 

Nice pic's!!

Slick!

 

Diesel_Dirk good post, and the pictures always help. Reps sent.

 

ALWAYS over-do the trailer equipment, heavier duty can never hurt. I hardly ever tow anything but I figure if i need to I'd like the biggest strongest truck I could have, thus the F-350 daily driver.