Safety chain placement

Basically it comes down to common sense. Use good judgement if you don't care about yourself then think about others on the road. It doesn't hurt to cross the chains, turn off propane when required to do so etc. etc etc. Safety first!

Texas does not specifically say they have to be crossed. But the requirement almost makes it mandatory.

(2) The two safety chains will be of equal length, long enough to permit free turning of the vehicles without placing stress on the chains, and attached to the towing vehicle equidistant right and left of the point at which the vehicles are connected. The safety chains must be connected to the towed and towing vehicles and to the tow-bar in a manner which prevents the tow-bar from dropping to the ground in the event it fails or becomes disconnected. In no event will the safety chains be allowed to contact the road surface during movement of the vehicles.

(I put the specific text in bold)

OK - I'll cross them - not a huge effort. But the guy who gave me the walk through with the TT we bought in Feb, while doing the instructions on the WDH specifically said that with this type of hitch they do not need to be crossed.

I've gotten different information from so-called experts on various things. There's another thread going on right now about driving with propane. The guy who did our walk through said under no circumstance should the propane ever be on while driving. The service manager at the dealer said it's totally fine, but to pay attention to tunnels as some have propane restrictions. Didn't say anything about turning the propane off while getting gas.

Some States do require that the chains be crossed. DOT has specifically said to us that they needed to be crossed.

downtheroad wrote:
Why would having a WDH have anything to do with crossing the chains or not?
Just wondering?

When I train people I tell them it keeps the chains from catching the bar assembly if in a tight turn

cs2kplus wrote:
It seems like you are supposed to mount your safety chains (criss-cross - just learned that) on the hitch receiver mounted to the vehicle. Does it not make more sense to mount to the FRAME of the vehicle instead? I used to mount to the frame. Kinda made sense - that if the hitch receiver failed...the backup would be the solid vehicle frame? Thoughts? I may be missing something.:B

You're absolutely right. those chains/cables need to be ultimately tied to the frame. Some hook there directly and some use a tie setup from the hitch to the frame that's mostly out of sight, but is down there. And then, of course, there are those who don't do either and have been lucky so far.

We had a good friend coming down from Alaska tho looked out to his left and watched his tow car pass him on a downgrade. That was just before it left the road and hit the woods. A major weld on his RV hitch failed. Everything had been hooked up properly, but there was no backup holding the hitch to the frame.

To the guys recommending that chains/cables don't have to be crossed, just what do you think will happen when the ball or main pivot either isn't hooked properly or fails? How far under the rig will the hitch go when you hit the brakes? By the way, that requirement is written into the law in some states.

Hmmmm.... sounds good Burbman. Knowing me I'll do both..lol. I forgot....I need to get a breakaway switch! Thanks. Never pulled 6500 lbs 10 hours. So I am quite concerned.

Crossing the chains is to support the trailer tongue from dragging on the ground.
I haven't seen any hitches that provides for this.
Dvitale300: What kind of WDH do you have?

The idea of the chains is to catch the trailer if it comes off the ball. The crossed chains cradle the tongue and keep it from digging into the pavement. If a trailer came off the ball and the tongue started dragging on the pavement, think of what would happen if it dropped in a pothole or hung up on an expansion joint, road patch, etc., you would likely lose control of the rig.

Chains should be of the proper length and crossed so that they will catch the tongue and keep it off the pavement if the trailer becomes disconnected. Makes no difference if you are running a WD hitch or not.

Since receivers are bolted/welded to the truck frame, most add connection points for safety chains as a matter of convenience. If you feel better attaching them directly to the truck, and have adequate spots to do so, then go ahead, but still cross them as described.

If the trailer breaks loose entirely, the breakaway switch will apply the brakes and stop a runaway.

Why would having a WDH have anything to do with crossing the chains or not?
Just wondering?