The weakest link

As any caravanner would know, safety chains are the last link in the towing process that keeps your trailer and vehicle together should any of the other components, one being the hitch, have a catastrophic fail.

They’re a legal requirement in every state that I know of when towing various sorts of trailers. So it’s a real pity, like many other road regulations, those requirements vary from state to state.

My son rang me from Adelaide a few months ago telling me that people down that way were being issued on-the-spot fines for towing trailers without ‘rated’ D-shackles attaching the safety chains to the towbar.

At the time there was no such requirement in my current home state of Queensland regarding rated shackles. However, reading into it there was a legal requirement that the chains must have a specific rating to comply with the ATM of the towed trailer. ??

So why have rated chains and daggy D-shackles? Go figure!
?
Now everyone will rush out and check their trailer, camper or caravan to look for said markings and most will come away disappointed. ??Of all the trailers I have built or owned (and all those that I have reviewed for various media outlets) I can honestly say I‘ve never seen rated chains; that is, chains that have the maximum load limit marked on them.

Big heavy chains; yep, seen plenty of those. And yes, I’ve seen plenty of rated D-shackles. Though I must admit many of the ratings on those shackles were under that required for the ATM of the particular trailer. ?

The reason this invariably occurs is because a caravan that has an ATM up to 3500kg often has a safety chain size that won’t allow a suitably rated D-shackle pin to be inserted through one of its links. So the next best thing is to use a smaller D-shackle. ??

Wrong move and an illegal one in some states (including now Queensland)!

?On another note, a safety chain that’s rated has its strength compromised once it’s welded directly to a drawbar. So to avoid that, a chain block (a block with a rated pin running through it), should be welded to the drawbar. Then the safety chain pinned to it and the other end attached to the tow bar with a rated D-shackle. ??

To prevent voiding warranty on any claims arising from an incident, that alteration should really be undertaken by the manufacturer. Or at least someone they nominate or a qualified boilermaker. ??

Now any such alteration is, as well as being ‘murky’ in its comprehension, now becoming too hard logistically.
?
The laws relating to this subject will differ between the states, so it’s vitally important that trailer owners acquaint themselves with the respective legislation.

So with the recent tightening of the laws in Queensland, I checked out my camper trailer, which has an ATM of 2500kg.

Not surprisingly, I discovered the chains were attached to the draw bar with a weld and the inside diameter of the chain link only allows a D-shackle pin with a rating of two tonne.

?As someone who likes to overdo things, I would have liked to have upped the ante and go as big as possible, such as 3.5 tonne. But even a pin from a 3.25 tonne rated shackle will not pass through the link.
?
Now that I’ve outed myself it will be a case of heading off to a trailer manufacturer to get chain blocks installed on the draw bar and rated chains capable of accepting the larger D-shackles.

?It’s easy to get complacent about something almost out of sight and mind. At the very least is the risk of an infringement notice for non-compliance.

Frustratingly, nowhere can I find any reference in the Queensland regulations to a ‘grace’ period for changing over non-compliant chains and methods of attachment.

Aside from the safety issues for other road users, it could also impact insurance. Should there be an accident and any portion of blame pointed at non-compliant safety chains or shackles, insurance companies could drop you like a hot potato in the campfire coals so as to worm out of any liability for compensation on a claim.

I hate burnt spuds!

??