How to Connect Safety Chains to a Trailer

Every trailer has safety chains on its hooking mechanism. These chains vary in length and size, dependent on the size of the trailer. When hooking up a trailer to your hitch, the safety chains might seem like extra unnecessary work, and thus you might be tempted to be a little complacent.

If you fully understand the functionality of these chains and how to attach them accordingly, you might be more prone to do it the right way. So let's discuss how your trailer's safety chains should get attached before hitting the road!

Why are Safety Chains Essential?

Imagine driving on the highway and misfortune strikes, you feel the trailer uncouple with the vehicle, and it is suddenly uncontrollable and crashes onto oncoming traffic. You are now liable for covering the damages caused by your trailer. Although this might seem a bit far-fetched, it is possible when hauling a trailer without safety chains.

Trailer safety chains get designed primarily to help motorists maintain a level of control over the trailer despite equipment failure. With safety chains, you can safely haul the trailer to a safe stopping point after an unfortunate incident of the trailer uncoupling from the hitch.

In a nutshell, trailer safety chains are the secondary link between the trailer and the tow vehicle when things go sideways.

How to Connect a Trailer's Safety Chains

The first time you rig your safety chains, the process might be a little finicky. For starters, you might have to figure out how all pieces work together, and this gets a little trickier with some trailer hitches, such as the weight distribution hitch.

Learning how to attach safety chains safely to the chain retainers is very important. Here are some essential tips and tricks for using the different safety chain setups found on most trailers compatible with standard trailer hitches.

So how should a trailer's safety chains be attached? Let's find out!

Bolt through chain

First and foremost, when hooking a chain between a tow vehicle and a trailer, you should ensure that it gets located in prime real estate. In addition, the chain should get protected from any damage that could get incurred once the trailer tongue uncouples from the tow vehicle. One of the best positions for trailer safety chains is on the side of the trailer's frame.

This position prevents chains from kinking together while in transit or when the trailer is stationary. But how can you attach safety chains on the sides of a trailer's frame? It is easier for some campers since they have screw-in holes to secure safety chains with bolts.

Using a bolt, nuts, and spring washers, you can firmly attach the safety chain on the trailer and run it to the chain retainer on the tow vehicle. Trailers compatible with bolt-through chain hooking mechanisms are pretty standard and tend to have appropriately sized chains hooked onto them from the manufacturer.

Safety chain bolt tabs

Bolt tabs are a common way to firmly attach safety chains on the trailer's frame and tow vehicle retainers. The bolt tabs are generally welded onto the frame instead of welding the chain itself. From then, you easily screw in the bolts on the tabs welded onto the frame, securing the chain in place.

You can get a trailer with bolt tabs directly from the manufacturer, or you can get this job done yourself if you can. The main benefit of chain bolt tabs is that they do not compromise the chain, and high-quality steel can get used to ensure these are in place.

Once the bolt tabs have gotten welded, you can easily use bolts, nuts, and spring washers to fix the chain in place. Using spring washers helps minimize the shock that could cause the bolts to get loose when on the road. However, periodically checking on these bolts throughout the trip is an excellent rule.

Use double tabs

Some trailer owners have opted for double tabs to secure safety chains on their trailers and tow vehicle retainers as an alternative to the regular bolt tabs. The double tabs generally get welded parallel to each other, and the chain runs between them. To secure the chain, you run the bolt through the holes on the tabs and between the chain's links.

Double tabs allow easy adjusting of the frame. Thus, when you use different tow vehicle options, you can easily adjust whenever necessary. At the same time, you have extra security since the pressure won't rely on a single tab only. This hooking mechanism is common on heavy-duty trailers, but it wouldn't hurt to use it on your own, regardless of size and weight.

Get a chain of proper length

The length of your chain is a critical component of safely towing a trailer. If the safety chain is too long, having it won't matter when things go sideways. The trailer could propel itself forward and damage your vehicle's tailgate or rear end, causing significant property damage.

At the same time, having it too short won't allow you to maneuver easily. The trick is finding the sweet spot between too short a chain and one too long. With bolt tabs, you can easily adjust a longer chain to meet your towing needs without compromising on safety. You can also get accessories that shorten or add some length to a chain whenever needed.

What To Avoid When Connecting Safety Chains

Just as much as there are important do's for safely rigging your safety chain setup, there are also some things you don't have to do, including reckless rigging that could result in injury or property damage. Even a tiny detail could trigger a destructive chain reaction, so what should you avoid when rigging safety chains?

Welding chain onto trailer tongue

Many trailer owners out there are content with welding the chain onto their trailer's tongue. It seems common practice for some, but it is inadvisable to weld your chain onto the trailer tongue. So if most people do it, what is so bad about it?

Consider this, metal for chains gets carefully crafted to be strong, and its breaking strength is compromised once heated and cooled again. Effectively, once a chain link has been welded, it becomes the weakest link. As time goes on, the welds might start corroding, compromising the integrity of your safety chain to an even greater extent.

Even if rust does not get to the weld, with extended use, the trailer safety chains might start cracking. As time goes on, the chains won't serve their initial purpose.

Using poor-quality chains

Did you know that each safety chain got designed for a specific purpose? Not all trailer safety chains get built for any application, but these safety features also get rated by weight capacity. The safety chain should align with the trailer's weight capacity. Therefore, a 5,000lbs trailer should also have a chain with a breaking strength of 5,000lbs.

The breaking strength rating should be considered individually instead of as a collective. Each safety chain should be rated according to its breaking strength to prevent the chain from failing when it matters the most. Using high-quality chains with an additional breakaway lanyard provides extra protection for larger trailers with heavyweight ratings.

Going above the gross weight rating when choosing safety chains for heavy-duty trailers also provides sufficient protection you might need. However, always remember that when a larger trailer uncouples, it will have a more significant impact than a smaller trailer, and you have to get prepared for this.

Placing the trailer safety chains underneath

Hauling a trailer with safety chains underneath the trailer's tongue poses a certain level of risk. Most trailer hitching mechanisms won't prevent the trailer's tongue from dragging on the ground when it uncouples itself.

The main idea behind trailer safety chains is to ensure the vehicle maintains a connection with the trailer. Therefore, if the safety chain drags directly underneath the tongue, its strength will get compromised. With that in mind, the safest way to attach safety chains is anywhere except right underneath the tongue.

Use the manufactured hooking points either on the sides or on top of the trailer's tongue. As mentioned above, there are plenty of hooking mechanisms you can use to fix the chain on the trailer's frame, including bolts, double tabs, and other safe setups designed for your specific trailer.

Substituting the chain

Another common mistake is substituting the trailer's chain for other makeshift solutions. For example, if your trailer uses safety chains, refrain from replacing the chain with breakaway lanyards since this could compromise the safety of your towing setup.

Although the breakaway lanyard might get rated for your trailer's weight, it could slip and remove the extra layer of protection it should be providing. In addition, some trailers aren't equipped for such equipment and require you to attach safety chains that get rated for that trailer's weight and hitch type.

Alternatively, substituting the chain for a different type of chain could cause some safety inconsistencies that might lead to a towing accident. Therefore, finding the same specs is critical when replacing damaged or corroded chains.

FAQs

Do you still have some questions about trailer safety chains and attaching them to your tow vehicle? Here are some frequently asked questions that could answer some of your queries on how to secure your trailer safely.

Should I cross my safety chains on a trailer?

You might have noticed that experts on YouTube videos tend to attach safety chains in a "criss-cross" position. That is because it is the only safe way to maintain control with your two safety chains in times of crisis. Therefore, it would be best if you crossed your safety chains between your trailer tongue to the hitch's chain retainers.

How do I keep my safety chain from dragging?

Some safety chain mechanisms offer flexibility when it comes to resizing the chain. For example, some have bolts that allow you to shorten the chain quickly to keep it from dragging. If your trailer safety chains do not have that feature, consider flashing them by getting an accessory that will hold them up without compromising on safety.

How many safety chains do you need on a trailer?

To properly rig your trailer and tow vehicle, you need two safety chains on the trailer's tongue, each running directly to its chain retainers. The safety chain must be securely attached to the trailer frame and the chain retainers on the tow hitch secured on the vehicle.

Can you extend safety chains?

Safety chains must have enough slack to allow for turning corners and maneuvering without limiting movement. If your safety chain is a little bit short, you can opt for adding length using quick links. An important point to remember is that the safety chain should not be too long. Therefore, only add the size you need for a safe tow.

Final Thoughts

Securely attaching safety chains with just enough slack helps prevent gruesome accidents that result in significant property damage or injury. Of course, safety should be a priority when towing trailers of all sizes, but most especially camper RVs and larger cargo carriers.

On the other hand, you must also ensure that your vehicle has adequate towing capacity before maxing out its working load limit. Towing Ratings offers accurate towing capacity information regarding cars dating back to the early '90s. In addition, you can double-check whether your vehicle will be able to handle the payload you intend to haul using your trailer.

Sources:

https://mechanicalelements.com/how-to-attach-safety-chains/

https://www.etrailer.com/question-326523.html

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