Tow chains

[RVJimofOregon]

I have always used and beside it is the law but just was wondering this. Has anyone had a trailer come loose and the safety chains saved the day or would it have been better for it to part way from the tow rig.
If it did come loose same question about the break away brakes?
RV Jim

[mowin]

facory wrote:
Sorry, thought we were talking travel trailers on this forum.

Does it matter? Most tt and pop ups have the same style coupler. A lock isnt going to do a thing if a component fails.

[usmc616]

About 20 years ago I was leaving a CG on a very bumpy road and lo and behold the pop up we were towing came off the hitch ball and landed on the tow chains. As I think about it my FIL just lifted up the tongue and set it back down on the ball. I believe he originally forgot to ensure he locked down the lever/
Years later when we bought a TT I made it a habit to ensure not only was the lever locked down but I also secure it with a padlock.

[7happycampers]

A few years ago we were camping at a local fairground. The campsite was on a serious incline so I chocked the wheels extra tight (or so I thought) and proceeded to unhitch. As the trailer tongue cleared the hitch ball the trailer rolled over the chocks and took off down the hill toward another campsite. Luckily I still had the chains and breakaway still attached and they stopped the trailer before anything serious (besides some damaged pride) happened.


Kevin & Crew

[facory]

Sorry, thought we were talking travel trailers on this forum.

[JJBIRISH]

facory wrote:
Lock the hitch with a padlock. Then it will never come off.

This is absolutely untrue, especially with smaller trailers that use the 1 7/8 inch balls… many of which the latch is not adjusted correctly…

[facory]

Lock the hitch with a padlock. Then it will never come off.

[oughtsix]

20 years ago I moved from Texas back home to Oregon. I drove a big UHaul van and towed my car on a UHaul trailer. When I went to return the van/car trailer in Oregon City I went over some train tracks and up a steep hill that was at a very sharp angle to the tracks. 4 blocks after that hill some guy came running out of a gas station flagging me down. The trailer hitch had come off the ball. I had no clue. The guy helped me put the trailer back on the ball and off I drove. Not a scratch on the trailer, van or anything else.

Yes, trailer chains work. Properly adjusted they will keep the tongue of the trailer from spiking into the pavement if the trailer ever leaves the ball.

[facory]

I can tell you that from the factory my safety chains were attached to the trailer with the link welded on only one side. i took it to a local independent trailer manufacturer and they added another weld to the other side. They said that under a sudden shock of becoming uncoupled the single weld could have broken. Check yours and if necessary have a welder beef it up. Inexpensive safety factor.

[beemerphile1]

When I was a kid of about 12 the pop up my father was towing came off the ball for some reason. The chains kept the trailer attached to the car. The only damage was to the tongue jack.

[rbpru]

I was towing my pop-up, it is a large Palomino about 2800 lbs. and I had not closed down the ball latch.:(

About 5 miles from home at 65 mph I hit a bump and the trailer came loose. In less time than it takes to tell the story, camper lurched left and snapped back to the right about the time that I hit the brakes hard.

When the trailer snapped to the right it broke the left chain coupling to the hitch; as it slid under bumper of the slowing truck up to the propane tank. :E

The whole incident took perhaps 6 seconds and another 25 minute to jack the truck up so I could un-wedge the camper.

There were three bone headed mistakes. First I was distracted during the hook up, second I did not lock the ball down on the hitch, third I did not insert the locking cross pin in the ball locking lever.

An accident is a collection of small mistakes.

[mowin]

In NY you are required to have your chains crossed.

Now I DO NOT recommend leaving your chains off, and I have been guilty of not latching my coupler on my landscape trailer and had it pop off. The crossed chains cradled the tongue of the trailer, and my mowers, trailer, truck and myself were unscathed. Embarrassing? Yep.
That was a 16' trailer that weighed in around 3200 loaded. Easy for a 6000 lb truck to handle when it poped off. But what about my 11000 lb tt? If that came off the ball or hitch failed, I doubt im going to be able to controll a tt that weighs 11000 lbs with a 6000 lb truck. I hope I never find out.....

[BarneyS]

On trailers like most of us tow, we use a WD hitch, with the spring bars loaded, to help distribute the tongue weight. In that case, the safety chains are there to help control the trailer in case the hitch breaks or, as in the case above, the ball itself breaks. The tongue cannot come off the ball when using a WD hitch. That can only happen when towing a smaller trailer such as a boat or utility trailer that does not use WD.

This is the reason that the emergency brake cable MUST be connected to a place on the tow vehicle itself and not to the hitch. On my truck, there are frame loops under the rear bumper that are provided to hook the cable to.
Barney

[Community Alumni]

Several years ago I had a hitch ball sheer off on a 20' cargo trailer, the chains kept everything intact. The trailer held with the chains until I was able to slow and stop from 60 mph. It took my about a quarter mile to stop and the trailer only hit the ground around the last 10 feet or so.

[2milesup]

Similar to others in here, it wasn't a TT but a snowmobile trailer that came off the ball (my fault) and was saved by the crossed chains.