Connect the Safety Chains in a Crisscross Fashion.

How to Properly Claw Up Your Conventional Trailer

And Agreement Hitch Assembly Towing Capacity

Besides frequently news reports describe some events as "accidents" when a conventional trailer becomes unhitched while in tow. Occasionally, the mishap results in needless serious injury or death. The majority of these incidents are human error and not an unpreventable mechanical failure. This short video describes the routine that everyone towing a conventional trailer needs to perform when hitching every time.

People who tow are x times more likely to have a mishap and it may outcome in severe injury and sadly, over 500 Americans are killed each year.

(Note: This safety data does not include a weight distribution system (WDS). To learn about a WDS, click hither.)

Additional Safety Tips

Anyone who is safety-minded will always properly secure prophylactic chains for any trailer they tow. Using safety chains tin can relieve people from serious injury or death.

It is essential to ensure that safety bondage are long enough for the trailer to reach maximum turning bending. However, the chains should be short enough not to drag on the basis and to ensure there is enough slack in either direction of the turn. Depending on how the bondage are attached to the trailer tongue, crisscrossed bondage may hold the trailer tongue upwardly off the ground if information technology becomes disconnected while in tow.

Chains dragging on the highway have caused many wildfires!

If the safety chains are attached to each side of the natural language, always crisscross the safety bondage one time. For some states, it is the law! Also, SAE J684 states, "The condom chains shall be crossed under the trailer tongue and connected to the hitch assembly or to other towing vehicle members. Annotation—Crossing the bondage under the tongue typically reduces the probability of stressing or breaking the chains when turning." Additionally, SAE J684 allows manufacturers to mount rubber chains at a single middle indicate on the tongue. In such a case, crisscrossing the chains has niggling value since there is no hazard for one concatenation to exist stretched tight during a turn. Click here to view each state'southward safety chain requirements.

A properly matched trailer coupler and hitch ball should never fail.

Never tow without the coupler locking lever secured with an approved coupler safety pin. Never utilize an R-Clip!

Rather than using a coupler safety pivot to secure the coupler locking lever, utilise a padlock to forestall tomfoolery.

Perform routine maintenance checks and services on the hitch assembly and trailer coupler per manufacturer specifications.

Ensure that safe chain weight ratings meet or exceed the trailer'south gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

Each of the 2 required prophylactic chains should meet or exceed the trailer's GVWR.

If a single safety chain is used, it should run through the natural language eye and connect to the tow vehicle in the aforementioned manner as the double chains. The single chain should run into or exceed the trailer'south GVWR.

Always supercede worn or route filed safety chains before towing.

For large travel trailers, avoid using quick links to adhere a safety concatenation to the tow vehicle. The maximum rated quick links I establish only had a working load of 3,500 pounds. However, some quick links may have an additional rating beyond the working load up to 10,000 pounds.

Supercede S-Hooks with accordingly rated safety latch clevis hooks or certified S-claw with wire rubber latch or snap hooks.

The only thing that should exist touching the route is the vehicles' tires.

If someone stops past to conversation with you while hitching a trailer, it will oftentimes distract you from the routine hookup and may cause you to skip an important safety step. Stop what y'all are doing. Either continue after the conversation ends or kindly inquire private(due south) to finish their chat until the hookup is complete and you have double checked the connections.

It is just equally important that any of y'all who are not involved in the process of hitching a trailer is never to bother 1 who is doing and then. Delight restrain yourself.

Double check the hitch connection and recheck before leaving any location you stopped for a interruption or fuel make full-upwardly.

Ensure the brake and point wiring is not damaged and it is connected and performance correctly.

Ensure the hitch pin or lock is properly secured keeping the brawl mountain from coming free from the receiver.

At that place should rarely be a need to use a device or product to hold the chain off the ground. Utilizing safety chains the correct length will seldom bear upon the basis during highway towing. However, there may exist some unusual trailer configurations that may demand something to aid right length chains from touching the ground.

When equipped, always adhere the breakaway cable to the tow vehicle. The breakaway cable should not exist longer than to allow the trailer to turn and non much longer than the extended length of the safety chains. It is vital for the trailer emergency brakes are activated inside milliseconds if the trailer becomes disconnected and the bondage neglect. Never wrap the breakaway cable around or run through the condom concatenation, nor attach it to the chain claw. It is always good to verify the proper slack and examination the breakaway switch at least once a year.

"Proficient to know. When I picked up my new trailer, the man doing the walk thru ran the emergency cable thru the safe concatenation." Chip Thomas, RV buyer.

Periodic greasing of the hitch ball and coupler will prolong the life of these components.

Don't exist Misinformed

Some dealers, salespersons, and hitch installers are not appropriately trained. Trailers with a chain attached on each side of the tongue, the SAE J684, paragraph seven.five.two states: "Rubber chain shall be continued to the towing vehicle and trailer and so that the slack for each length of chain is approximately the same when the vehicles are aligned on a mutual front to rear centerline. In that location shall be no more slack than necessary to permit proper turning of the vehicles. The prophylactic chains shall be crossed under the trailer tongue and continued to the hitch assembly or to other towing vehicle members."

In some States, it is the law to use and cross the safety chains.

The Hitch Assembly Component Ratings

Ensure that the lowest weight rating inside the three components shown below meets or exceed the trailer's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). The lowest weight rating betwixt these components and the tow vehicle's conventional TWR becomes the maximum allowed TWR.

Example: The everyman rating within the hitch components is the hitch brawl rated at ten,000 pounds, and the tow vehicle'due south published TWR is fourteen,000 pounds. The lower rating of the hitch brawl becomes the maximum towing capacity or maximum allowed TWR.

Nevertheless, one could learn that later on using the RV Tow Check App, the maximum RVTC, due to the weight of the tow vehicle, is only ix,820 pounds. The RVTC of 9,820 pounds is the maximum trailer weight that this vehicle should tow regardless of higher ratings of the hitch associates or the tow vehicle's published TWR.

Receiver

Example: xiv,000 lbs.

Ball Mount

Example: 12,000 lbs.

Hitch Ball

Example: 10,000 lbs.

Notation: The higher up components may have an additional higher rating when used with a weight distribution system. However, e'er follow the max towing capacity rating rule between the hitch assembly, TWR and RVTC.

Terminal updated on June 29, 2021

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A heartfelt note from the founder.

The morn after Memorial Day 2017, I became aware of a horrific tragedy in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Information technology was caused by a travel trailer that unhitched from a truck. The trailer then moved into the opposite lane and met head-on into an SUV. The SUV commuter was killed, and 6-month-quondam Colt Tuff Shaffer was severely injured. Past Th morning I learned that Filly was not going to go far and after that twenty-four hours Colt succumbed to his injuries.

I cannot ever relate to what the family has endured during this time. Withal, this tragedy hit me with much sorrow, sadness, and anger. Out of my acrimony, I created this new page on Wed, May 31.

I dedicate this folio to Colt'due south retentivity. I ask all who read this page share it with anyone who is learning about towing a conventional trailer or needs a reminder. Instruction and applying what is learned is the key to preventing injuries and decease.

Showtime news report
One killed, 3 injured after bad crash in Lincoln County

2nd news report
Family unit donating organs of six-calendar month-old: "My baby is going to exist a superhero"

Yous can help
GoFundMe for Colt

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Glossary

TWR = Trailer Weight Rating
RVTC = Realistic Vehicle Towing Capacity (Provided by the RV Tow Check App)
GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

Recommended Hitch Safe Product Examples

Always ensure production run across or exceeds the trailer's GVWR.

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