safety chain mount questions

[reivertom]

quote pugetsoundboater:

quote Wedgie:

I bolt em on with washers. Never can be too safe eh !

I also cross the chains underneath the tongue as instructed by my superiors at work. Anybody else do this ?

Washington State law requires the safety chains to be crossed under the tongue. Might be a federal law, One that makes sense for a change. 😀

Crossing the chains saved me untold grief and destruction in the 70s. I was pulling a horse trailer complete with two horses down a curvy country road when the tongue came off the ball. We really don’t know what happened, but it seemed the piece that held the tongue together didn’t catch and a bump knocked it up and off. It was an unusual set up different that boat trailers. I just happened to look back and saw the trailer kind of floating up and down like a teeter totter, and parts of me puckered very tightly. I eased the speed down very gradually and stopped with no issues. The tongue was resting in the "cradle" made by crossing the chains. I wasn’t my trailer and I didn’t think anything like that could happen because others had used it with no problems. After some WD40, some thumping, and busted knuckles had it fixed so it couldn’t happen again and went on down the road.

[opposedtwin]

how’s this? better!?
😉

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[wedgie]

Don’t forget to close the latch and but a bolt or lock through it ! 😉 What is that tube covering the chain ? doesn’t look like the old inner tube ❓

[frankr]

And beware of a "False hitch". I believe that is what they call it anyway. It is when the latch dohickey is on top of the ball instead of under it. It is a good habit to get into to attempt to lift the hitch off the ball to make sure it is latched on properly.
Probably why the hitch failed to hold on the horse trailer.

[fisherman6]

Those horse trailer couplers are kind of a different animal. Kind of a spring-loaded opening cast clamshell deal with a locking collar that keeps it closed. The collar gets pinned in the closed positing to keep it there. I suppose it could be false hitched like any other, but you pretty much have to set it on the ball closed for that to happen.

ALWAYS cross the chains. I had that save my skin once when my tandem axle 16 foot flatbed trailer decided to free itself from the ball. That was a case where the doohickey was frozen open and when I closed the latch it didn’t lose the doohickey completely. Not a fun experience when a trailer gets loose. Luckily it was empty when it happened and the crossed chains saved it.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[frankr]

OK, I understand now. I’ve seen those somewhere before. Is it because of having live / valuable animals aboard?

[fisherman6]

I really don’t know the reason for that type of coupler on horse and livestock trailers but I bet you got it right, Frank. It is very strong. They may actually be forged as opposed to cast. The heavy duty ones have some very high weight ratings. It’s a good design, very durable and it seems easier to know it’s properly connected that the type commonly used on boat and utility trailers. My mom used to have horses so that’s where my familiarity with them comes from.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

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