Towing, Safty chain question

[J BLANK]

I've been towing boats for years and i was told last week at a local boat ramp that while towing you should have your safty chains crossed, is this correct? and what would be the reason? the way it was stated to me was it was a law and boats should be towed in that manner. i live in Alabama and don't know if this is a state law or even if it's a law at all,but it would be nice to know.

j blank

 

[Pony]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

I cross the chains because IF the trailer comes off the ball I like to think the crossed chains will "cradle" the tongue and keep it from going straight to the ground.

Idk about everyone wlse but I generally hook up with the boat directly inline with the truck when the chains need to be the longest, then cross them leaving just enough slack for movement.

 

[all thumbs]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

One reason I heard was if the trailer came un-attached the chains would catch the tongue, provided they are short enough. State laws, I don't know. Just as easy to cross them so I do it.d

 

[J BLANK]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Thanks,guys. As allways good quick information. i have learned alot from this site since joining a few months ago. you guys have saved me a lot of money and time, thanks again.

j blank

 

[rottenray6402]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

J, it is a law in New York that the chains have to be crossed. I don't know about other states. I would cross mine even if it wern't a law for the reasons Pony and allthumbs said.

 

[STL Towman]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

i cross the chains on my boat and i also cross them when im towing a car behind my tow truck so if i was to ever loose the car off the wheel lift it owuld stay straight behind me and not be able to swerve to one side or the other never lost a car or boat yet and dont plan on it but if i do i know my sfatey chains will keep it behind me

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

The chains are crossed so tat when going around a turn the outside chain on the tow vehicle is the inside chain on the trailer. other wise the outside one might break.

 

[danpemby]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Lost a boat once when I was a kid, Tonge dug in and snapped the chains (salt water rusted). Boat went flying, not a pretty picture. Now I always cross them.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Even if your chains don't catch your tongue, crossed chains will pull tight and force the trailer to drag straight behind your truck.

Also your hooks go on from under not over , if you hook over the top they can hop off.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

This post had been hidden for more than a year. I sure hope the original poster has figured out why he crosses his chains. Or, if not, I doubt, after a year, that he cares anymore.

I still stand by my reasoning as to why they do that. The chains are no stronger, if crossed. In theory, you should have your chains short enough, that if it falls off the ball, the chains keep it off the ground. You can't make them this short when straight attached. You have to cross them, so the length of travel never changes.

 

[Matthew_B]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Even if your chains don't catch your tongue, crossed chains will pull tight and force the trailer to drag straight behind your truck.

Yep, glad to hear this! Some people won't believe me when I tell them it really makes a difference how straight the trailer will stay.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Here in Pa it is part of the wording of the law that chains must be crossed. The real reason is that If you cross short chains, when turning or backing, the crossed chains can not stretch to the point of breaking or bending the attaching loop and falling off. Think about it: the cross over is usually somewhere under the ball so everything pivots around the same center.

My son was stopped by a cop and given a ticket. One light was broken and the cop also cited uncrossed chains. I told my son to immediately go buy a light, save the receipt for a date record, and plead innocent because the fixture was broken in the parking lot. The trailer had both chains connected to the same bolt and therefore impossible to cross. The judge owned a jet ski with the same type trailer and he sided with my son and abated the ticket.

 

[jlinder]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

One problem I have is that the attachment point on the trailer I have has a single point of attachment for the chains, not a bar with an attachment point on either end. As a result there is no way I can cross the chains. I don't like it, but short of getting a bar welded on there is nothing I can do.

This trailer is about 8 years old and that is the way it came. Made by 4winns if I remember correctly. My question is if crossing the chains is required by law how was the manufacturer able to produce one that can't?

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

right so guess I didn't see the date of that post.

My bad.

would like to mention that I drove e tow truck in south florida for a couple years and the law is you have to cross your safety chains to a car on your wheel lift so if it comes off it drags straight, granted I hardly ever used them or straps on each side but it's all the same. If your chains are spread it will swing like mad behind you and if there crossed it will follow right behind you and never leave your lane.

Good part is we all agree to cross em' if you can.

 

[rndn]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

I didn't know it was the law in NYS to cross the safety chains. I've been boating for 15 years and never crossed the chains and I live in New York. You always learn something. That's what I love about these forums.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

I cross mine but hope I never have to find out why !!!!!

 

[Matthew_B]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

I cross mine but hope I never have to find out why !!!!!

Hear hear!!!

I came real close. My pin came out, don't know how. Maybe someone pulled it, maybe it got caught. I sure thought I put the clip on.

When I stopped the pin was gone and only about 1" of stinger was left in the receiver. My heart sank when I saw that one!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Hear hear!!!

I came real close. My pin came out, don't know how. Maybe someone pulled it, maybe it got caught. I sure thought I put the clip on.

When I stopped the pin was gone and only about 1" of stinger was left in the receiver. My heart sank when I saw that one!

You were real lucky some of it was still in there.

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

One of my boat trailers for my 18' sea ray, right where the chains are on the tounge there is a sticker that says "never cross safety chains" and there is a picture with the chains crossed and the picture has that circle around it with the slash through it, like the no smoking picture. I was always told that you dont cross the chains. If the trailer came loose the crossed chains would make the trailer swing side to side and causing you to loose control of the tow vehicle. If the chains are not crossed then they support the tounge on eather side and keep the trailer centered. As a matter of fact i just ran upstairs and looked at my camper and there is a sticker on that as well that says Never cross chains. On the camper i do cross them though as they are too long. In my opinion its dangerious to cross the chains. If the trailer comes loose of the tow vehicle and the chains are crossed it would be hard to tow the trailer with it swinging side to side like that. If they are not crossed then the tounge ballences in the center of the chains from the tounge weight and your less likely to loose control. Im not sure of the law here but when registering my boat trailer the DMV guy told me to uncross my chains.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Towing, Safty chain question

Hmmm. Parallel universe?