Thread: Trailer Safety Chains

Originally Posted by JDNSW

I was advised by a local blue slip inspector that the safety chain on my trailer was not legal because it was bolted to the trailer - safety issue because bolts can come undone. He implied it should be welded, but I would think a properly locked bolt should be OK. (Mine was held in a similar manner to your proposal with a 12mm socket head screw tapped into the 10mm plate under the coupling and through it into the top of the towbar, so not feasible to visibly lock. (Never shown any signs of coming loose in the 20+ years I have owned it.

I would think if it were bolted to the trailer with a 12mm socket head screw (which are usually high tensile) it would be safe enough.
It's got as much chance of coming undone as the shackle on the other end attaching it to the towing vehicle.
Some of these so called inspectors must have wonderful dreamz.

Cheers, Mick.

Originally Posted by mick88

I would think if it were bolted to the trailer with a 12mm socket head screw (which are usually high tensile) it would be safe enough.
It's got as much chance of coming undone as the shackle on the other end attaching it to the towing vehicle.
Some of these so called inspectors must have wonderful dreamz.

Cheers, Mick.

We have had similar. We manufactured a couple of heavy trailers this year which the DOTARS regulations state the chains needed to be bolted (high tensile chain?). The trailers have fabricated mounts on them so that the chains could be connected to the trailer via D/bow and again to the tow vehicle. These were rejected with only 1 D/bow allowed per chain, so the chain had to be bolted to the mounts, not joined with shackles. The differences I can see are removal needing tools and the ability to use Nylocs to stop them coming undone.

All our new trailers have bolted safety chains now, used and registered around the Country without issue. If it was illegal, you can bet we wouldn’t be doing it and we have a dedicated compliance team that check these things.

Originally Posted by POD

From memory of both my trailer builds, the chain is to be welded to the frame in such a way that the bead of weld extends around at least half the circumference of the link, and the second link has free movement.

That's what I was told by the trailer building company where I bought my chain.

Originally Posted by mick88

I would think if it were bolted to the trailer with a 12mm socket head screw (which are usually high tensile) it would be safe enough.

I had planned to use a 12mm HT bolt with a nyloc.

This is on my two trailers different methods but both solid for the application the small trailer had a link welded to the draw bar facing down and was broken so replaced, the second one is part of the car trailer I am building.

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I like this---\

FWIW. Whatever you use I was taught to cross the chains X when fixing to the towing vehicle.

If it detaches from the ball etc, the crossed chains are an additional safeguard to "catch" the draw bar from dropping to the ground provided of course the chains are not 20m in length of course.

Originally Posted by 4bee

FWIW. Whatever you use I was taught to cross the chains X when fixing to the towing vehicle.

If it detaches from the ball etc, the crossed chains are an additional safeguard to "catch" the draw bar from dropping to the ground provided of course the chains are not 20m in length of course.

Yep - and the Vicroads website says the chains should be short enough so that the trailer hitch cannot hit the ground it it detaches, although on some towbars and arrangements, this isn't possible. Works on the Hilux fine though - have tested it in the driveway - mine stays over 100mm off the ground when held only by the chains.