Do you cross your safety chains?

[Doug33]

This has probably been discussed elsewhere but I couldn't find it through a search.

When I bought my TT, the dealer's tech doing the walk through and hitch hook up told me you no longer have to cross the safety chains. I used to do that with my previous TT.

Recently when I had my 7 pin wiring connection replaced at a local trailer facility, the tech told me it's a law that you have to have the chains crossed. He said if the TT becomes detached, the crossed chains act as a cradle to prevent the TT from nosediving into the pavement. He also said there is a law that you have to remove your hitch if you are not towing - otherwise you can be sued if someone runs into your hitch and hurts themselves. I leave my hitch on the truck all season until the TT is winterized, and then I remove it for the winter.

[Drbolasky]

Law or not, our chains are always crossed. It just makes sense.

[Community Alumni]

I cross mine all the time. Always have, always will, and it doesn't hurt anything even with a common attachment point. Even though the law in Texas is kind of grey on crossing, troopers expect to see them crossed and aren't shy about issuing tickets. They just write the citations and let you argue it out in court. Happens all the time at boat ramps.

[nickthehunter]

Never mind - I decided it wasn't worth commenting on.

[hohenwald48]

LarryJM wrote:

mrgreetis wrote:
Mine are like Jonmad above, connected to the same spot on the a-frame so they can't be crossed. I would if I could.

Then IMO you do not understand how safety chains actually work or what they are designed to do. IMO a common attachent point is the best configuration and by crossing them *see pics below for the verbally challenged" prevents the tongue from digging into the pavement/road or from careening side to side in an emergency breakaway situation.

If this doesn't convince one of the importance of crossing the safety chains then I don't think any amount of logic or explanation will help.
Larry

Your pictures don't do much to address the real world. You show a trailer tongue without any drawbar, weight distribution bars or friction sway devices attached. Your pictures may very well illustrate the situation if you're pulling a boat or utility trailer but aren't very accurate for the average TT hook-up.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with crossing your chains. I just don't think it accomplishes anything on a TT with the chains attached at a common point. They form a "V" and if you cross them they still for a "V" and not and "X". In the two bottom pics there is no difference except you have effectively shortened the chains by twisting them.

[GaryWT]

LarryJM wrote:

GaryWT wrote:
give them a twist of two and they are crossed.

Here is another total lack of understanding about chains in general and in particular safety chains. Twisting them is about as bad as simply cutting them off and not even using them.

If you want to give them a twist or two make sure they are rated about 5X more than what is normally required if you want them to do anything other than "break" during an emergency breakaway scenario.

Larry

I disagree, cross them by twisting and once they hang they are crossed.

[myredracer]

Does crossing safety chains actually accomplish anything? Do people do this because they really know it works, because it is written in law in some places, or because they read it on a forum? Does the average TT owner know they should cross the chains?

Excellent analysis from a 2008 thread by John Barca in the towing section:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21000696.cfm

[Carlos___Ranae]

Always crossed them on my pop-up. Made me feel better.

[LarryJM]

GaryWT wrote:
give them a twist of two and they are crossed.

Here is another total lack of understanding about chains in general and in particular safety chains. Twisting them is about as bad as simply cutting them off and not even using them.

If you want to give them a twist or two make sure they are rated about 5X more than what is normally required if you want them to do anything other than "break" during an emergency breakaway scenario.

Larry

[usmc616]

I always have and always will.

[LarryJM]

mrgreetis wrote:
Mine are like Jonmad above, connected to the same spot on the a-frame so they can't be crossed. I would if I could.

Then IMO you do not understand how safety chains actually work or what they are designed to do. IMO a common attachent point is the best configuration and by crossing them *see pics below for the verbally challenged" prevents the tongue from digging into the pavement/road or from careening side to side in an emergency breakaway situation.

pic of typical common safety chain attachment point:



uncrossed from the undrside:



crossed from underside:



Here is a pic for the uncrossed configuration where each chain can move to the side of the coupler then ride up the sides exposing the entire front of the tongue to drop down and contact/dig into the pavement/road.



By contrast below is a pic for the crossed configuration and note how the safety chains form a cradle or "skid" surface under the front area of the tongue preventing it from freely contacting and digging into the pavement/road.



If this doesn't convince one of the importance of crossing the safety chains then I don't think any amount of logic or explanation will help.

Larry

[rbpru]

I cross the chains and mine would cradle the tongue if it dropped.

Some states do have laws about how far the hitch can extend, others do not.

If I am running with the hitch on, I park where people are less likely stumble over it.

[coolbreeze01]

OK then, cross your chains while un-hooked, and pull the TV ahead. I think you will find your chains crossed in spite of yourself.

Sorry for the dbl post, spending too much time on the un-knowing.

[coolbreeze01]

3oaks wrote:

danimal53 wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Although the chains may be connected to the same spot on the a-frame, there is a left and right.

Running the right from the trailer to the left on the TV and left from the trailer to the right on the TV, effectively crosses them.

my chains are connected to the same U, but yes, they are side by side so I technically cross them, though there is definitely no cradle created. The chains are just too close together on the TT to really matter. No idea if it's the law or not, but I guess I would be "legal"

Precisely! And that is the set-up directly from the manufactures of certain make trailers. No way are they going to form a cradle even when crossed.

Too many "arm chair experts" on the net.

OK then, cross your chains while un-hooked, and pull the TV ahead. I think you will find your chains crossed in spite of yourself.

[cbshoestring]

Living in PA, aware of the law---that makes perfect sense-- I always cross my chains.

When at home, I store my hitch in the front pass-thru. When travelling it is 50/50 whether or not I remove the WDH head. If you run into it----you are walking way too close to my truck.

[Double_Haul]

I take my hitch off to avoid being stolen and also because I was tired of having a big bruise on my shin and a grease spot on my pant leg.