Safety chains

[KJM]

On my way home from rabbit hunting today I passed a group of guys on the side of the road, with a trailer they were hauling back to their truck. They had an ATV on the side of the road with the wheels hanging off presumably having once been on the trailer. I don't know if safety chains would have prevented a bad day, but I don't think they had them and they certainly wouldn't have hurt!

 

[SeaDooSam]

Unfortunate day for them! They must not have tied them down. I already tie anything down on a trailer with those ratchet straps

 

[boatman37]

i always use at least 4 tie downs on anything. 2 in front and 2 in back in case one breaks. first time my step-son tied his new quad down he pushed it up to the front stops (about 12" or so high) and had one tie down on the rear. i explained to him why he needed 4. he disagreed at first but decided to listen

 

[KJM]

I think the actual trailer came clear of the pickup and then dumped the quads. Either way it was preventable, but I felt for whoever owned that bike.

 

[Grub54891]

No Title

Saw a few, The trailer did not come in hooked, but the Honda Gold wing did. Parts for a half mile as it dragged down the highway before they noticed, and got stopped. Another was a snowmobile trailer, Came un done, and proceeded to end for end down the road, finally landed upright in the ditch., Amazingly the sleds were perfectly fine, they took them off the trailer and drove them away. Now the Brother in law was not so lucky, His came un hooked from the coupler, and the chains held, but it kept slamming the load in to the back doors of his suburban, Completely trashing the doors. The load was to heavy to the back. On mine the coupler itself broke and the chains held, just a small dent in my bumper was the result.

 

[tpenfield]

How many wabbits did you catch?

 

[wrvond]

Yep, safety chains are a good idea, and inexpensive too. My boat trailer has a curly cable that I really dislike, I bought a set of chains to replace it just yesterday.

 

[G_Hipster]

Here in De. you can get pulled for not having the safety stuff hooked up, or if they feel you have an unsafe load. Safety chains, break-away hooked up, and a pin in the coupler latch. On my car trailer, which I've toted everything from cars to huge toolboxes, and furniture, I always cross tie stuff down and tend to overkill.

 

[KJM]

Yep, safety chains are a good idea, and inexpensive too. My boat trailer has a curly cable that I really dislike, I bought a set of chains to replace it just yesterday.

Why do you dislike the cables? They came on my new boat trailer and I kind of liked them. Do you think they are not strong enough?

 

[KJM]

How many wabbits did you catch?

I never got any myself, I tried a new place that turned out to be very wet and tangely. So I stopped into my brothers house on the way home and got a couple off him. He practically lives in the woods and usually gives them away as he don't like to eat them, just hunt them.

 

[fhhuber]

The curly cables have more room for the trailer to surge forward and back plus allow the tongue to rise more than properly adjusted chains would.

 

[wrvond]

Why do you dislike the cables? They came on my new boat trailer and I kind of liked them. Do you think they are not strong enough?

No, they can be plenty strong, but wire rope tends to create fishhooks - those things hurt, a lot.
The chains I got are rated at 5000 pounds each and won't rust. Much kinder to my hands.

 

[jimmbo]

The curly things are nice when new, but as wrvond says they will become nasty all too soon. Actually even new they can be a struggle to uncoil/untangle.

 

[JASinIL2006]

No, they can be plenty strong, but wire rope tends to create fishhooks - those things hurt, a lot.
The chains I got are rated at 5000 pounds each and won't rust. Much kinder to my hands.

I got rid of the cables that were on my trailer for just that reason. Those things were terrible.

 

[H20Rat]

Now the Brother in law was not so lucky, His came un hooked from the coupler, and the chains held, but it kept slamming the load in to the back doors of his suburban, Completely trashing the doors.

All a matter of perspective, I think your BIL was actually very lucky! The trailer could have come unhooked, went into oncoming traffic, and took out a family out for a a sunday drive.

Doors, especially on a suburban, are dirt cheap to replace.

 

[oldjeep]

Where are you guys getting cables that are not jacketed in thick rubber? Can't imaging ever getting a wire cut from any safety cables I've had, only place you can even see the wire is at the thimble.

 

[Grub54891]

All a matter of perspective, I think your BIL was actually very lucky! The trailer could have come unhooked, went into oncoming traffic, and took out a family out for a a sunday drive.

Doors, especially on a suburban, are dirt cheap to replace.

​Agreed, he was very lucky in that perspective.

 

[wrvond]

Where are you guys getting cables that are not jacketed in thick rubber? Can't imaging ever getting a wire cut from any safety cables I've had, only place you can even see the wire is at the thimble.

They came with the trailer. A few things worth noting- mine has some kind of clear vinyl jacket that had degraded (probably due to UV exposure), and I am not endorsing a wholesale replacement of the cables. Especially if they are new. Mine were new in 1996.
I do still find the curly cables harder to handle than chains. You know what I like that comes in curly? Fries - I do like me some curly fries every now and then.

 

[JASinIL2006]

They came with the trailer. A few things worth noting- mine has some kind of clear vinyl jacket that had degraded (probably due to UV exposure), and I am not endorsing a wholesale replacement of the cables. Especially if they are new. Mine were new in 1996.
I do still find the curly cables harder to handle than chains. You know what I like that comes in curly? Fries - I do like me some curly fries every now and then.

Same here. Mine had some sort of thick, clear plastic or vinyl that had become brittle and cracked.

 

[oldjeep]

Ah, mine have all been covered in a thick black rubber.