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OK Towing Experts...opinion time

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ppetracca
Navigator

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USA
163 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/15/2003 : 10:53:07

Safety Chains to Hitch: Crossed or Not? What do you do and why?

Between work & pleasure I tow trailers at least 5 days a week and over the years have heard all sorts of reasons for both. I know what I do and why. I want to know what others think. I will give my opinion after listening to everyone else.

Thanks.

Edited by - on

osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 10:59:53

I cross mine, probably because someone said you should. No good reason other than that.

Edited by - on

Bryan Beamer
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1038 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 11:09:00

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ppetracca
 Safety Chains to Hitch: Crossed or Not?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Crossed. Because Daddy told me too.
I really don't have a reason and I have never had a trailer come unhooked to test the theory. I listened to my Dad way back when (at least about this).

He is older and wiser.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 11:55:18

According to the [url="http://www.draw-tite.com/"]Draw-Tite[/url] website...

SAFETY CHAINS
"Connect safety chains properly EVERY TIME YOU TOW. Cross chains under coupler. Attach securely to the hitch or tow vehicle so they can't bounce loose. Leave only enough slack to permit full turning. Too much slack may prevent chains from maintaining control if other connections separate. Don't let chains drag on the road."

Edited by - on

svmoxie
Past Commodore

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USA
331 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 12:01:39

I cross the tow chains under the hitch to maximize the chance that if for some reason the hitch ever came loose the chains would support the trailer tongue from hitting the road and "digging in." Length is set for minimum needed for turning.

I hope and pray that I never need to test the theory.

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 13:02:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I cross the tow chains under the hitch to maximize the chance that if for some reason the hitch ever came loose the chains would support the trailer tongue from hitting the road and 'digging in.'<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Yes, I agree, except they usually don't 'dig in' on pavement. What can happen, is uncontroled fishtailing of the semi-attached trailer, with resultant risk of heart attack to all present. Also, crossed chains don't change length/tension/geometry as much during a sharp turn as would "parallel" chains, and so can be set up shorter in the first place. This means that besides being "craddled" by crossed chains, a loose tongue will be on a shorter leash, and should fishtail less violently if so inclined.

Once upon a time, I worked at a shop that also rented U-Haul stuff. One of our customers had a hitch come loose on a steep downhill curve (long story - not my stupidity). The safety chains failed to do their job, and the trailer ended up in someones yard after flattening their shrubbery. When I went to retrieve the escapee, it jumped off my ball too (I began to see a pattern developing). This time, the chains were correctly attached, and I was able to get everything stopped with only minor damage to my truck. One if the morals of this tale is to never ever tow a 2" coupler with a 1-7/8" ball, no matter how loudly the boss orders you to do it.

-- Leon Sisson

Edited by - on

Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1774 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 13:26:23

How do you know for sure what ball size your trailer hitch requires? Is it supposed to be printed somewhere on the hitch/tongue? Is it possible to measure it somehow?

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 13:45:03

Cross...for all the above reasons.....

Oscar

Lady Kay 250 WB #618

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2984 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 14:05:05

Two reasons at least... maybe a third. To avoid the sway that would occur were they parallel and to catch the tongue, these two are if a break away happens. A possible third (haven't done the math) might be that the chains sling higher.

Edited by - on

osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 16:06:54

I'm not at the ;lake house so I can't check the two trailers stored there, if I coul;d trdge through the snow to get to them

, but I'm preety certain the hitch states what size ball is required.

Edited by - on

Jim L
Deckhand

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7 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 16:15:32

I estimate the weight of boat and trailer to be around 7000 lbs. I tow with a suburban which I consider to be a pretty sturdy tow vehicle. Most of my trips are in the western US, which means mountain passes. I know that if I ever lose control those "saftey" chains will be towing the suburban behind the boat. I always shake my head as I attached them in the "crossed" method, and in my case, the crossed method is for good luck.

Jim Lenard

Edited by - on

Shelby
Navigator

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USA
155 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 16:35:02

Cross them, but don't know why...

Edited by - on

ppetracca
Navigator

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USA
163 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 17:24:31

It seems to be the opinion that should be crossed. I know, also, that is what the experts reccommend. (At least they do in Boat US Trailering).

On the line of "How I was taught": I do not cross chains on trailers I tow. I use closing chain ends (D-Rings or Snaps) so they can not bounce off. However, I was always told that if the hitch separated from the vehicle the tongue should be allowed to drag the ground to help stop the trailer. The loss of control and fishtailing would be reduced by the trailer running along the surface of the ground.

Thankfully I've never had a trailer get loose. Thanks to a friendly argument over a few beers Saturday, a buddy and I tried to test this theory this weekend with limited success. We used a flatbed with hay on it. The problem was we were at low speed on loose gravel, so we could not get an indication of what would happen at highway speeds on asphalt with a heavy load. In the case of the crossed chains, it was hard to stop the trailer and it rammed the pickup bumper. With them uncrossed, the trailer just plowed the dirt. Flat ground, dirt and low speed made this test not very scientific.

I guess it's all how you learned it. Just wondering what other's did. Neither one of us plans to change their ways!

In the real situation, I think you're pretty much in for a handful either way.

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 18:24:56

What I was told by someone was do what you want but, "hope that if you get in an accident the chain comes loose, because you don't want that big ass thing hooked on to you with a chain."
I cross mine because the guy at the place I bought the trailer, same guy as above I think, told me to.

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 19:45:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Thanks to a friendly argument over a few beers Saturday, a buddy and I tried to test this theory this weekend with limited success. We used a flatbed with hay on it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Now there's a movie scene....

Oscar

Lady Kay 250 WB #618

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2003 : 19:45:55

Oscar

Lady Kay 250 WB #618

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