Chain hanger-gadget

LarryJM wrote:

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

"I think", "IMO", "IMO again", "suggests that twisting", "which I believe", "I can't be 100% sure", and "I don't factually know".

Followed by "clearly shows", "clearly suggests", "proves clearly" and "could adversely" LOL.

I give you.......The Chain Police...........Sorry I got your panties all twisted Larry.

joshuajim wrote:
Consider this. The chains on my 10,800# Wildwood measure .333 inch. Thats less than a 3/8" chain. Probably is a Chinese manufacture chain of questionable quality and given FR's push on cost control is probably a grade 30 chain. That means that it might have a strength as low as 1900#. The chains bear no markings (43 or 70). To meet DOT requirements, each chain would have to be a full 3/8" grade 70 chain.

I think the chains the manufacturer installs are mostly cosmetic.

I disagree and it seems you have strength confused with working load limts (WLL). A 5/16 grade 30 chain has a WLL of 1,900 its breaking strength is 4 times that or 7,600lbs.

I don't know where you're getting your numbers or DOT requirements, but they don't match what I have found such as HERE. Your grade 70 3/8" chain that you assume would be needed to meet DOT requirements would have a WLL of 6,600lbs and a breaking strength of 26,400lbs (4 x WLL). A 5/16 grade 30 chain would have a WLL of 1,900 (breaking strength of 7,600) and a grade 43 a breaking strength of 11,700lbs (3 X WLL). Based on your measurements your chain falls between a 5/16 and 3/8 spec.

AFAIK the DOT requirement is each chain must hold the the GVWR of the trailer for some short period of time (can't remember the exact # of min) before breaking so a 5/16 grade 43 would be all that would be required for your particular trailer.

My $$$$ would be that your chains in fact DO MEET the DOT requirements albeit probably w/o much margin.

Larry

Lynnmor wrote:

spoon059 wrote:
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...?

And then replace it when using a different tow vehicle or hitch? I'll just twist mine and not worry about a marginal problem.

I guess maybe I'm too poor to have multiple tow vehicles or hitch setups per camper. I just have one camper, with an appropriately sized chain for my truck. Then again, if I needed a slightly longer chain, its fairly easy to buy extensions.

But, we digress. Keep spending money, someone needs to support the economy!!!

Deleted

DutchmenSport wrote:
3rd. Placement of chains to attach to tow vehicle to hitch head? ALWAYS attach to the tow vehicle. What good does attaching to the hitch head if you forgot to insert the pin in the receiver? OOPS! There goes the trailer and the hitch head and the chains! Or what if that pin fails, falls out, or just gets crushed or something. I know, the odds of this happening are very, very small. But still, if experiencing hitch head failure, what good does chains do attached to the hitch head. Always attach to the truck. I can't imagine anyone attaching to the hitch head itself.

Has anyone suggested hooking the chains to the hitch head? All I have seen in this thread is to hook to the truck (frame I assume) and the receiver. Of course, I may have missed it.

I have used a coat hanger for 30 years same one for the last 14

Consider this. The chains on my 10,800# Wildwood measure .333 inch. Thats less than a 3/8" chain. Probably is a Chinese manufacture chain of questionable quality and given FR's push on cost control is probably a grade 30 chain. That means that it might have a strength as low as 1900#. The chains bear no markings (43 or 70). To meet DOT requirements, each chain would have to be a full 3/8" grade 70 chain.

I think the chains the manufacturer installs are mostly cosmetic.

My suggestion would be either of these. Shorten chain as needed and remove if/when you sell the TT or get a new TV. The OP's plastic gizmo looks like something that would break or get lost in short order. But are the chains actually dragging on the pavement or you just *think* they might?

A few comments myself about all the above comments.

1st. A coat hanger wire with the end shaped into a hook draped over the A-frame will serve the same purpose as that piece of plastic costing nearly $9.00. A coat hanger bent up will still give flexibility and allow the chains to fully extend if trailer-vehicle separation occurs. Why spend money on something like this. A strip of wire, a coat hanger, anything will do the trick to keep the chains from dragging the ground.

2nd. Twisting the chains. If twisting is bad, then so is crossing them. Yet, we are advised to cross them all the time to act as a cradle in the event of separation so the trailer won't drag the ground as harsh. Twisting them won't hurt anything. If you ever experience separation, hope its at a very low speed, because at highway speeds, it won't matter anyway. It will happen so fast, you'll do your best just to control the situation.

3rd. Placement of chains to attach to tow vehicle to hitch head? ALWAYS attach to the tow vehicle. What good does attaching to the hitch head if you forgot to insert the pin in the receiver? OOPS! There goes the trailer and the hitch head and the chains! Or what if that pin fails, falls out, or just gets crushed or something. I know, the odds of this happening are very, very small. But still, if experiencing hitch head failure, what good does chains do attached to the hitch head. Always attach to the truck. I can't imagine anyone attaching to the hitch head itself.

4th. Chains may help in the event of separation, but not always. As I experienced once in my lifetime, chains may not help a bit:





My advise, just use a simple coat hanger to keep the chains from dragging.

spoon059 wrote:
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...?

And then replace it when using a different tow vehicle or hitch? I'll just twist mine and not worry about a marginal problem.