TOW TIPS Safety Chains
It might not look like much but the safety chain has a big role to play when towingIn this age of litigation and insurance companies that go to extraordinary lengths to disallow insurance claims, it’s vitally important we look after ourselves and especially our vehicles and trailers to ensure they don’t overstep any legal boundaries.
All the trailers we own have a safety chain or cable system to keep them connected to the towing vehicle. Those that don’t must have an intricate break-away system instead.
The whole point of chains is not just to keep the trailer connected but to ensure the draw bar and hitch doesn’t contact the road in the event of a disconnection; that’s the law!
In Queensland chains must now be rated and marked as such and you will usually find the rating on every second link.
Recently the law changed to reflect that all D-shackles must be rated to suit the chain and ATM of the trailer. The new law does not say D-shackles must be marked, just that ‘unmarked D-shackles may not pass a road side audit’, or words to that effect.
To ensure a chain is not over length, cross the chains over each other then attach to the vehicle. This will reduce the sag as they hang and allow the drawbar, in many cases, to come to rest on the top of the chains should the trailer and vehicle part company at the hitch.
Of note is that trailers less than 2500kg require only one safety chain so that will have to be shortened to suit towing requirements.
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