Chain hanger-gadget

Maybe I'm just stupid, but if the chain is too tong, why not just cut a couple of links out and make it the right length...?

Ralph Cramden wrote:
.....It's usually a small length of 3/8" rod through both chains and welded by some half assed welder at Lippert.

LOL. True!!!!!!

TheBeans wrote:
Has anyone ever seen one of these gadgets before and if so, where?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XhXFsTN4QiM9cSUg2

That doo-hickey is useluss on a weight distributing hitch, which has a much wider platform that the ball mounts on.

westend wrote:
In the first post with the plastic chain hanger pictured, the chain hook is connected to the hitch receiver, not a good attachment point. If the user would attach the chains to the truck, he may not need a hanger at all.

I have to confess: One time, I missed the correct pin hole on the hitch receiver to the truck. The result was the utility trailer pulled out the hitch but was still attached to the trailer by the chains. This all happened at a traffic-lighted intersection. We caught the red light so just hopped out and reinserted the hitch and pin, no harm, no foul. If I attached the safety chains as pictured in the first post, the trailer would have disconnected from the truck, not good.

Edit: After looking at that image again, it may be that the receiver is permanently mounted to the truck and the chains, also. Still, attaching to a more forward point on the truck or shortening the chain would eliminate the long chain length requiring a holder.

I have never, ever, seen a setup where the chains were NOT attached to the receiver. The chain attachment points ALWAYS are on the receiver, not on the truck frame. The only thing I attach to the truck's frame is the breakaway brake cable.

jimh425 wrote:
Or read this page that says twisting is totally fine.

http://sierrateardrops.com/article/twisting-chains-to-shorten-them

That page does not address twisting the chain enough to overlap the links, which is the issue, according to the page that I posted. A 24 degree twist is much less than you get when you twist the chain enough to shorten it.

And besides. Even if you twisted them to shorten them sometimes the hitch is too low and too long and they are still going to drag on the ground.

nineoaks2004 wrote:
I have been twisting the chains for years and never had one break.

That’s probably because they were never under tension. They are not as strong when twisted as when straight.

In the first post with the plastic chain hanger pictured, the chain hook is connected to the hitch receiver, not a good attachment point. If the user would attach the chains to the truck, he may not need a hanger at all.

I have to confess: One time, I missed the correct pin hole on the hitch receiver to the truck. The result was the utility trailer pulled out the hitch but was still attached to the trailer by the chains. This all happened at a traffic-lighted intersection. We caught the red light so just hopped out and reinserted the hitch and pin, no harm, no foul. If I attached the safety chains as pictured in the first post, the trailer would have disconnected from the truck, not good.

Edit: After looking at that image again, it may be that the receiver is permanently mounted to the truck and the chains, also. Still, attaching to a more forward point on the truck or shortening the chain would eliminate the long chain length requiring a holder.

Ralph Cramden wrote:

drsteve wrote:
Twisting the chains to shorten them is not a good idea.

https://mechanicalelements.com/twisting-safety-chains/

LOL, the guy who wrote that dissertation has to be a member of an RV forum. Talk about complicating the uncomplicated. It's a safety chain for a trailer, not rigging for the erection of a precast box girder for a highway overpass.

Twisting a turn or two to take up slack will never hurt a **** thing. He should write up an article about how the RV manufacturers attach the chains to the A frame which is the weak point about 99% of the time. It's usually a small length of 3/8" rod through both chains and welded by some half assed welder at Lippert.

While some might give your post and opinion some weight, I think it is one that I would recommend others to completely disregard and view as pure speculation and hyerbole. The article you dismiss is IMO very informative and excellent and clearly suggests that twisting safety chains enough to significantly effect their length which is what we are discussing here is CLEARLY NOT A PRUDENT IDEA and proves clearly that twisting WILL REDUCE their strength.

Also, IMO your blanket statement about the attachment point being the week link is IMO again GROSSLY EXAGGERATED and FALSE. Below is an actual picture of a single attachment point on my trailer which I believe to be a Lippert frame since it has Lippert axles, but I can't be 100% sure. It clearly shows the diameter of the rod used for the attachment point is MUCH larger than the chain and appears to be close to twice the diameter of the chain. While I can't give quantitative numbers (I don't factually know the specific type of material of either the chains or attachment point shown in the picture) it is clear to me and should be to others that the attachment point is not insignificant strength wise and since it only needs to equal the GVWR of the trailer like each chain it's entirely plausible that could well be true for the 7500lb GVWR trailer shown in this picture.



My recommendation is DO NOT TWIST your safety chains to shorten them!!!

ON EDIT One final point is that if you twist the chains enough to effect their length I would think this could result in each chain being a different length when under tension in a break away scenario. If you believe as I do having the chains crossed and equal lengths will help keeping a disconnected trailer centered behind the TV in a breakaway scenario twisting them could adversely effect that significantly.

Larry

drsteve wrote:
Twisting the chains to shorten them is not a good idea.

https://mechanicalelements.com/twisting-safety-chains/

LOL, the guy who wrote that dissertation has to be a member of an RV forum. Talk about complicating the uncomplicated. It's a safety chain for a trailer, not rigging for the erection of a precast box girder for a highway overpass.

Twisting a turn or two to take up slack will never hurt a **** thing. He should write up an article about how the RV manufacturers attach the chains to the A frame which is the weak point about 99% of the time. It's usually a small length of 3/8" rod through both chains and welded by some half assed welder at Lippert.