Safety Chains
I'm curious if twisting your chains in order to gain some clearance, is in fact taking away any strength of the chain. I 've taken links out over the years with different set ups to get my preferred l...
Forum Discussion
mkirsch wrote:
Shock cords don't make the chain any shorter.
If it's long enough to need shock cords to keep it off the ground, it's too long to safely do its job in the event of a disconnect.
Twisting the chain does make it functionally shorter, but compromises its design strength to a degree.
The "right" answer is to make the chain the proper length, but that is not so easily done if you are using multiple vehicles with vastly different chain length requirements. You can cut and cut and cut a chain but it will never get any longer. Sure you can use a double clevis to add length, but then you're fiddle-farting around with six cotter keys and six pins every time you switch vehicles.
I wonder if the extra stress on the long chains using shock cords is any worse than twisting them. In the event they are needed, the shock cord solution means the truck and trailer have slack to "get a run at it" before the chains pull taught. Not only that but the longer the chains, the more the trailer can divert from the path the vehicle is taking.
