[A/S] Re: Crossing safety chains!

["Matt Worner" <wornmatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Another thing to remember as you are crossing your chains is that the
chain eye on your hook goes on the inside of the hitch ring.  In other
words, the end of the hook goes UP through the ring.  That way the
chain cannot bounce off the hitch ring without bouncing high enough to
"turn upside down".  I shudder to think of the number of chains I have
seen not hooked up this way.  

I don't know about the new Airstreams, but many of the trailers have a
simple open hook on the end of the safety chain.  I prefer a hook with
a safety snap if that's all there is, but use a shackle on my own
rigs.  My box trailer came with open hooks, so I safe them off with
ty-raps (cable ties) since the chain will only accept small shackles
that are not rated for the proper load.

The only time I ever lost a rig was when I was interrupted in the
midst of hooking up and forgot to insert the drawbar pin.  About 50'
down the road I felt a lurch, and saw the tractor on my flat bed drop
into sight.  Had to go through the complete nut roll of walking back
to the barn for the pin, dismounting the tractor (telescoping tongue
jack too short) picking up the trailer with the loader on the tractor,
telescoping the jack enough to hook up, patching the gouge in the
caliche road and remounting the trailer before I could go on my way. 
And yes, the crossed chains did take the tongue load, but not high
enough to keep the hitch head out of the dirt.

Since the good Lord has a way of watching out for idiots and children
of all ages, this happened BEFORE I got out onto the hardball where
the speed limit is 70.  Now if anybody comes around when I'm hooking
up I just say, "Be with you in a minute, as soon as I'm done hooking
up."

Confuse me once, shame on you; confuse me twice, shame on me!

Matt