Chains

Just my choice but years ago when I started pulling, My neighbor who had owned a camper for years, from the 50's on up. He clued me in a lot of rules that he practiced and he passed them on to me.
I recall our discussion on how to hook up my safety chain, as in one chain at that time but he told me that the single chain is hooked to the right side of the hitch in the event the TV and camper became separated.
This was that if they come apart, the safety chain would give just enough of a yank to steer the tongue of the camper toward the shoulder on the right side and not into on coming traffic. That single safety chain had to have a breakaway link so it would be able to free from the camper so it would minimize damage when the TV attempted to stop.
On the other hand, he explained that he had two chains and he said they were supposed to be crossed to form a cradle, not so much to hold the tongue up off the road, but to pull it straight with minimal sway.
I don't know if that was written law or just plain knowledge!
I know that I practice that still today and only seems like common sense.
So I'm with the cross the chains crowd!

double post, Oops

It is the responsibility of the driver...who might not be the owner, nor the one
who setup

Amazes me how so many take such a casual approach to this and so many who only
look for the minimum or even less rated chains

IMO...get one bigger than the min and set it up properly. I've always crossed the
chains and never really knew why...just the way I was taught when a teen learning
this stuff by my high school design instructor.

On not wanting to tethered in case of a hitch failure...it would seem to me, very
similar to those who do NOT buckle their seat belts...to be tossed out of the
vehicle in many cases...to then be run over by the vehicle...think the trailer
has a great chance of hitting the TV and other vehicles

To each their own, but they own the liability of it and worry about newbies
who read these, for me, wacky advice's...

tvman44 wrote:
While it may be the law in some states, my opinion has always been that in the event of a hitch failure I want to get away from the trailer not be tethered to it. I use the chains but don't believe in them.

You want to get away so your trailer that you are responsible for can hit someone else? Really!!

tvman44 wrote:
While it may be the law in some states, my opinion has always been that in the event of a hitch failure I want to get away from the trailer not be tethered to it. I use the chains but don't believe in them.

Absolutely saddens and angers me when I see such a statement of disregard of human life.

Perhaps you should contact the remaining family members of an accident a few years ago when a chipper broke loose from a truck and ran over a mini van..



I would suggest YOU READ the following article AND then straighten your act up..

LINK TO ARTICLE

Those chains you "diss" are important safety features which ARE supposed to PREVENT your trailer from fully separating from your tow vehicle.. In a nutshell PREVENTING a heavy trailer from careening into other motorists, potentially reducing possible death or property damage.

This article should be a sticky..

I am quoting the entire article for you just so you have no excuse at all..

"Accident on Rte. 8 shatters 'miracle' family
April 15, 2006 12:00 AM

Bill Wade, Post-GazetteSpencer

Morrison plays with his triplets, from left, Alaina, Garret, and Ethan in April of 2004, at their home in Cranberry.Graphic: A look at safe towing

They waited for years to have children, and when they learned there would be triplets, Spencer and Nicole Morrison were overjoyed.

Their family and friends shared in the excitement and watched over the last four years as those children -- two boys and a girl -- shaped the lives of everyone around them.

Their children were so important to the Morrisons that both parents took one-year sabbaticals from their jobs as teachers to stay home with them. Mrs. Morrison stayed home the first year. Her husband was there the second.

On Thursday afternoon, the family was shattered when, in a freak accident, a piece of equipment being towed by a dump truck broke free, crossed the center line of Route 8 in Richland and slammed into the minivan that Mr. Morrison, 37, of Cranberry, was driving.

All three of the children, Garret, Ethan and Alaina, were buckled into their booster seats when the industrial wood chipper -- estimated at 5,000 pounds -- hit the van, shearing off the driver's side door and sending it flying 40 feet away.

Alaina and Garret and their father were killed.

Ethan was in critical condition at Children's Hospital yesterday.

Northern Regional Police Chief Robert Amann identified the driver of the truck as Bradley Demitras, 34, of Gibsonia Road in Pine.

Mr. Demitras works for O'Connor Tree Service in Middlesex, Chief Amann said.

No one answered the door at Mr. Demitras' home yesterday, and the owner of the tree service declined comment.

Chief Amann would not speculate on what led to the accident.

"For some reason, the industrial chipper disengaged from the truck, and if it was properly secured and there are no mechanical problems, it wouldn't have disengaged," Chief Amann said. "You see 100 of those going up and down the road every day. Our investigation is to see what caused that disengagement."

Mr. Demitras had wrapped up work at a site on Church Road in Pine and was returning to company headquarters when the accident occurred, Chief Amann said.

His police department has its own accident reconstructionists as well as an officer trained in inspecting trucks and heavy equipment.

Chief Amann cautioned that it would take weeks to complete the investigation. Even then, he said, he would have to consult with Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. to decide if charges are warranted.

"This is a very involved, detailed accident scene with a lot of debris strewn all over the place," Chief Amann said. "These things take time."

Chief Amann described Mr. Demitras as "very distraught." Police spoke with him after the accident and planned to reinterview him yesterday, Chief Amann said.

State law says a trailer must be equipped with two safety chains attached to the towing vehicle in a criss-cross or "X" pattern. The safety chains should be adjusted so that they do not drag and will support the trailer if it becomes disconnected from the vehicle.

Chief Amann would not say how the wood chipper was connected to the truck. Asked how to properly secure a chipper, he replied, "hitch, chain and pins."

After the accident, officers were searching nearby brush for chain links.

As part of the investigation, officers will look into Mr. Demitras' driving record and the truck's inspection history. The chief would not discuss either yesterday, saying he did not want information to trickle out in a piecemeal fashion.

Blood was drawn from Mr. Demitras to test for the presence of drugs or alcohol, as is routine in such situations.

The accident took place in a 45-mph zone with a good road surface. Mr. Morrison was headed south and the dump truck was going north. Chief Amann could not say what type of truck Mr. Demitras was driving or where exactly the wood chipper uncoupled.

At the accident scene yesterday, observers could still clearly see gouges, skid marks and orange spray paint denoting the locations of debris, tires and a "chute" -- presumably the chipper's discharge chute.

News of the accident began to spread in the Beaver Area School District, where Mr. Morrison had taught for more than 10 years, before 7 a.m. yesterday.

Teachers began calling each other almost immediately upon hearing the identity of the victims.

"This is a tough loss for us as individuals in the district and as an institution," said Dr. John Hansen, the superintendent.

Mr. Morrison, who always wore a tie to school, was known for his good humor and dry wit. He was quick to share stories about his children and often showed off new photographs of them.

In the most recent e-mail photos that math teacher Donna Nunamaker received, the three were decked out in Steelers outfits.

"He was so proud when he came in with those kids," said Dr. Hansen. "Every little thing that happened was such a joy to him."

In such a small district, the superintendent said, everyone shared in the Morrisons' good news when they heard about the triplets.

"From the day they found out they were expecting them, his life revolved around those kids," said Ms. Nunamaker. "They were miracles."

John Steele, the only other male teacher in the middle school, said he and Mr. Morrison shared many lunchtime and hallway conversations, and most of them revolved around the triplets.

"His whole life after he had the children was wrapped around them," Mr. Steele said. "He was constantly whipping out new pictures."

Mr. Morrison and Mr. Steele played golf together on Tuesday.

"I never heard him say one bad word about anything or anyone," said Mr. Steele, whose classroom was two doors down from Mr. Morrison's.

Both men picked at each other constantly -- arguing and teasing over just about anything, said Mr. Steele, who helped coach varsity baseball. They even argued over the difference between a curve ball and a slider.

"It was a really good relationship," Mr. Steele said.

A pitcher during his days at Clarion University, Mr. Morrison coached junior varsity baseball in the district until the triplets were born. At one time, he also served as the football team's equipment manager.

Mr. Morrison taught social studies, but his true passion in school, Dr. Hansen said, was technology integration.

Mr. Morrison was the first in the district to teach an online course -- which he did when he was on his one-year sabbatical in 2004.

"Spence was a guy who had a passion for teaching," Dr. Hansen said. "He always wanted to be better. That's how he came across to his kids."

He liked working with technology so much that he was certified in the field at Duquesne University, the superintendent said.

Mr. Morrison taught his students how to use PowerPoint and created a Web site to help them view their assignments online. At the end of this month, he was scheduled to take two students out of town for a technology competition.

"He was never content. He wanted to do better all the time," Dr. Hansen said. "That kind of person has a ripple effect."

The Beaver Area School District was off this week. On Monday, Dr. Hansen said, the school crisis team will meet to set a plan of action for when students and faculty return to classes on Tuesday."

rhagfo wrote:

tvman44 wrote:
While it may be the law in some states, my opinion has always been that in the event of a hitch failure I want to get away from the trailer not be tethered to it. I use the chains but don't believe in them.

Really, you would rather that loose trailer hit something else than you??:h

#1 most safety chains are way too long, if the correct length, they will cradle the hitch and allow you to safely stop the package.

After hauling several different brands of TT as a transporter, I am finding many of the manufacturers are leaving the "safety chains" short. Meaning they can't be crossed, some are too long where crossing them would have little effect in "cradling" the hitch. While on the subject, also finding some manufacturers are trying to save a buck or two on 7 way wiring... cables are getting shorter to the point that I'm afraid the plug will get pulled on simple turns. Even positive and negative wires to the battery(s) is getting too short as well. Find spending too much valuable time in manufacturing lots getting wiring "extended/re-wired" for battery(s) and/or 7 way cables, or having safety chains re-done.

Houston Remodeler wrote:
Its Texas law to cross the chains, for the chains to not drag on the ground, and for the brake cable to be attached somewhere else other than the hitch.

But doing all that is another story.

I didn't see all that in here, but it is good practice. The statute only mentions chains, but not how many are required. I remember seeing older boat trailers that only had one chain.

Texas trailer chain statute:
(a) An operator of a passenger car or light truck may not draw a trailer, semitrailer, house trailer, or another motor vehicle unless safety chains of a type approved by the department are attached in a manner approved by the department from the trailer, semitrailer, house trailer, or drawn motor vehicle to the drawing vehicle. This subsection does not apply to the drawing of a trailer or semitrailer used for agricultural purposes.
(b) The department shall adopt rules prescribing the type of safety chains required to be used according to the weight of the trailer, semitrailer, house trailer, or motor vehicle being drawn. The rules shall:
(1) require safety chains to be strong enough to maintain the connection between the trailer, semitrailer, house trailer, or drawn motor vehicle and the drawing vehicle; and
(2) show the proper method to attach safety chains between the trailer, semitrailer, house trailer, or drawn motor vehicle and the drawing vehicle.
(c) Subsection (b) does not apply to trailers, semitrailers, or house trailers that are equipped with safety chains installed by the original manufacturer before the effective date of the rules.
(d) This section does not apply to a trailer, semitrailer, house trailer, or drawn motor vehicle that is operated in compliance with the federal motor carrier safety regulations.
(e) In this section, "safety chains" means flexible tension members connected from the front of a drawn vehicle to the rear of the drawing vehicle to maintain connection between the vehicles if the primary connecting system fails.
- See more at: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/TN/7/C/545/I/545.410#sthash.oOX0D79o.dpuf

My observation has been that trailer manufactures (RV, boat, utility et all) only supply the required safety chains. It is up to the owner to make them function correctly on their application. Every tow vehicle is different and their is no "universal" safety chain that will fit all applications.

The best safety chain that I have ever seen was on larger equipment trailers where the length of the chain could be adjusted at the trailer end. There was a slot in each A arm that the chain slid through and it was locked in place with a wedge retained with a bolt.

As several people have said it isn't about you or your trailer. It is to keep your trailer tongue from digging into the ground, breaking the chain and then careening into other traffic or bystanders.

wrgrs50s wrote:
Texas Law:
https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=37&pt=1&ch=21&rl=5

Does not say they have to be crossed, just attached in a manner where the tounge will not hit the ground. Seems it would be hard to prove either way in court.

Yup. LEO's here are still expecting to see them crossed and will issue you a citation when they're uncrossed. I'd rather not waste my time trying to convince a judge that the tongue does not touch the ground in a separation. Even if crossing is ineffective, it doesn't hurt or take any additional time to cross them. I've always crossed mine. If you're traveling across multiple states then it would be a good idea to cross them since the state, where you currently are, may have crossing requirements.

Ron Gratz wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
#1 most safety chains are way too long, if the correct length, they will cradle the hitch and allow you to safely stop the package.

I agree -- most safety chains are too long.

However, I do not agree that, in general, safety chains can be made short enough to keep the tongue from making contact with pavement.

Here is an excellent Thread by John Barca which explains and shows why.

Ron

John's article mimics my visual observations with our trailer as well. What is practical and what is desired don't always overlap!