How do you put a safety chain on a trailer?

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asked Dec 27, 2020 in Safety by subcook24John (710 points)
How do you put a safety chain on a trailer?

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answered Dec 27, 2020 by Shawn (99,990 points)
Trailer Safety Chains can either be bolted or welded on to the trailer.

The trailer safety chains should be tight but have enough slack to allow movement of the trailer side to side when turning.

If the trailer safety chains are dragging on the ground then they are too long and need shortened and also make sure to cross the safety chains in an X pattern when hooking the safety chains up to the vehicle.

When installing safety chains on a trailer the safety chains should be long enough to allow some slack between the tow vehicle and the trailer for turning.

But they should also be short enough so that the safety chains do not drag on the ground and make sure to cross the safety chains in an X pattern as well.

Trailer Safety Chains should be as short as practical.

To measure, attach the trailer in an “almost Jack-knifed” condition, and set the chain length to the furthest connection points.

The chain should not be tight, but should not have much slack either.

You should always cross trailer safety chains in an X pattern so that the safety chains can catch and hold the trailer coupler if the trailer coupler does become unhitched.

The crossing of the safety chains on the trailer keeps the trailer coupler from dragging on the ground and makes the trailer more safe.

The purpose of safety chains on a trailer is to catch the trailer and keep the trailer attached to the tow vehicle should the trailer become unhitched from the tow vehicle.

If you tow a trailer without safety chains and the trailer does become unhitched and you're going down the highway then the trailer becomes a deadly uncontrolled vehicle.

That trailer can then go into oncoming traffic and cause injury or death to people or someone in another vehicle.

Safety chains are required for safety of the people around you and to keep your trailer controlled.

You also should have a safety brake as well on the trailer and make sure you use the correct hitch ball size and make sure the coupler is latched securely to the hitch ball and that the pins are all in place.

Also make sure the chains are not too long and keep the safety chains as short as possible but with enough slack to allow the turning of the trailer and vehicle.

And also cross the safety chains in and X pattern because that allows the chains to take hold of the coupler and keep it from dragging on the ground.

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