Safety Chains

[Roger]

I was looking at my safety chains and noticed they appear to be seriously undersized for my camper.  The shackles holding the chains to the camper have a WLL of 1T. Since the trailer has a gross weight of 7,000 lbs. this seems to be seriously under-sized. The chain does not have a rating I can see but it also appears to be under-sized.  I am worried now that the safety chains will fail if they are called upon.  

Has anyone up-graded their safety chains or had any issue?

 

[rich.dev]

Ok just throwing something out there, with tires you don’t just look at load capacity of 1 tire for a VH, isn’t it the same with the chains, ie 2 chains/shackles = 2T load capacity? 
 

Also, the GVWR of 7000lbs is vertical load carried by the tires/suspension/axles of the trailer, the load capacity of the shackles is a horizontal/tucking load. 

Edited February 27, 2025 by rich.dev

[Roger]

After doing some more research I have learned that it is not the working load that matters for the safety chains but the breaking strength which I believe is usually at least 3 times the working load. I found a chart for RVIA that lists safety chain requirements by state.  Generally, it appears that when a state has a strength requirement it must be at least the GVWR of the trailer. The only data I could find from the Federal Government related to commercial applications. For commercial applications the rules state the combined breaking strength of the safety chains must equal the weight of the towed vehicle. 

Based on the above it sounds like my chains are ok since (assuming the shackles are the weakest link) have a combined breaking strength of 6T.  

Edited January 1 by topgun2
corrected data as per "Roger"

[mountainoliver]

Yes, I upgraded mine about 6 years ago. The 2017’s came with 5/16 curly cables that were difficult to connect and connected to the tongue with 3/8 bolts and thin fender washers. This setup would have never held in a disconnected trailer situation. I used 3/8 grade 70 chains and equivalent hooks. The chain is attached to the trailer tongue with 1/2 inch grade 8 bolts. I don’t think this arrangement will fail. Years ago I did some research into trailer safety chains for a monthly newsletter that I was doing for an antique farm equipment collectors club. Basically, you are legally responsible for your trailer including if it becomes disconnected from your tow vehicle and causes property damage and/or injury or death. Some folks say that if there is an accident that they would rather have the trailer break free and not be close to their tow vehicle. This is completely wrong. 

Edited February 28, 2025 by mountainoliver
Incorrect information

[MAX Burner]

16 hours ago, mountainoliver said:

I used 3/8 grade 7 chains and equivalent hooks.

Same here, we abandoned the Curley Wires on our 2017 and upgraded like you did a couple years ago...

[jd1923]

On 2/27/2025 at 3:01 PM, mountainoliver said:

The 2017’s came with 5/16 curly cables that were difficult to connect…

Yep, ours too and we still have them. I upgrade a lot of stuff, but since this is in the area of liability insurance, I figure OTT is responsible if I do not touch what was installed by the manufacturer. This should receive comment! 🤣

[Tony and Rhonda]

Reviving a moderately old thread. Our 2017 Ollie also has the curly safety cables and I agree with @jd1923 in that, changing to chains is not liability I want to take on. A bonus with the cables is I am able to secure the cables inside my Paclock coupler lock. Chains wouldn't fit.

I tow with the Andersen WDH. My question is should the cables be above or below the whale tail? I haven't found any info on this in the owner paperwork. Both kind of make sense to me. How do owners with WDH's and cables route the cables?

Thanks, Tony

 

[topgun2]

12 minutes ago, Tony and Rhonda said:

My question is should the cables be above or below the whale tail?

I've always placed my cables/chains below the whale tail.  

My reasoning is that since the cables/chains are there as a safety measure in the event that the trailer (in some manner) comes unattached from the tow vehicle, the cables/chains will be the "last resort" of attachment to that tow vehicle.  Then, assuming that you have crossed the cables/chains the tongue should rest on those cables/chains as the trailer slows - this is particularly so assuming that the emergency brakes are applied on the trailer due to that ty switch becoming activated.  Meanwhile, the whale tail would serve as a wide surface area that those cables/chains could "catch".  Obviously, this crossing of the safety cables/chains has the effect of holding the hitch of the trailer off the ground so that the trailer hitch does not "dig" into the road thus possibly "flipping" the trailer.

Bill 

[routlaw]

Until now I have never heard of nor seen curly cable safety chains. Had to look it up to see WTH this was about. Our Ollie #70 came with traditional linked chains but after implementing the Andersen hitch they were too short. Went to the local farm and ranch supply store to purchase a longer set which ended up being considerably heavier duty and also heavier to boot. A mixed blessing I guess. Really appreciate @topgun2 explanation on why one should cross their cables which makes total sense, but never bothered to investigate the reason. 

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

I've always placed my cables/chains below the whale tail.

Agreed, it seems to fit this way.

[Roger]

Back when I used the Andersen WTH, I placed my cables below the whale tail.  That was where Oliver put them when they setup my truck on pickup and it seemed the natural place to put them there. 

[Tony and Rhonda]

Sounds like under the whale tail it is. Thanks everyone.

Tony

[Geronimo John]

On 9/18/2025 at 2:04 PM, topgun2 said:

My reasoning is that since the cables/chains are there as a safety measure in the event that the trailer (in some manner) comes unattached from the tow vehicle, the cables/chains will be the "last resort" of attachment to that tow vehicle. 

I always thought that if the hitch fails, that the chains/cables are the FIRST system to come into play so as to keep the trailer attached to the TV.  That means of last resort is the emergency brakeaway cable to stop the trailer.  I'm think this as I was told it is OK to extend the emergency trailer brake cable, but never allow it to become tight when turning or driving on rough roads.

Your thoughts?

Gj

 

[topgun2]

Gj - 

The rest of that sentence is "of attachment to that tow vehicle".  

The emergency brake cable is there to slow/stop the trailer in the event it becomes detached from the tow vehicle.

With any luck, the safety chains would keep the tow vehicle and the trailer attached to  each other AND the emergency brake cable would become "tight" enough so as to activate the emergency brake switch - thus activating the trailer brakes in such a manner that the trailer would slow faster than the tow vehicle.  This would help help prevent the trailer from slamming into the back of the tow vehicle but keep the safety chains tight enough such that the hitch would not dig into the pavement.  This very thing happened once to our very own Bugeyedriver and there was no real damage done to either his tow vehicle nor the trailer.

Bill

[Rivernerd]

On 9/19/2025 at 9:57 AM, Roger said:

Back when I used the Andersen WTH, I placed my cables below the whale tail.  That was where Oliver put them when they setup my truck on pickup and it seemed the natural place to put them there. 

It seems to me that the Andersen weight distribution hitch should supplement the ability of the safety chains to keep the trailer connected to the tow vehicle, in the event of an accident.  Does anyone know if this has been tested, intentionally or unitentionally?

[topgun2]

14 minutes ago, Rivernerd said:

Does anyone know if this has been tested, intentionally or unintentionally?

I've never noted any "testing" but I have always said that the Andersen does give the user an additional point of contact between the tow vehicle and the trailer.  Of course, if the "accident" involved virtually anything to do with the hitch ball and/or its connection to the TV then the Andersen chains would be of little to no use.  

Bill

[Geronimo John]

On 12/30/2025 at 1:40 PM, topgun2 said:

With any luck

Key words for sure.  It is obvious that you have a perfectly adjusted chain lenght vs. trailer Emergency Break-Away Cable length setup.  I like the results you experienced. 

Our trailers come with a "slinkie" style brake cable and we have different hitch dimensions based on our TV.  As such getting to a perfectly adjusted length when streached out compared to  OE2 safety chains length is a challenge.  I suspect that not many of us are "perfectly adjusted" ... in several ways.  Most likely, like mine, it is too long. 

For many of us "Without Lucky Charms", our likely senario would play out along these lines:

• We fail to properly connect our Bulldog/Anderson sytem.  On the hightway, our Bulldog decides to take a walk on a different path without us.
• We hear/feel the slam of the safety chains as the trailer falls back due to aerodynamic drag.  
• Naturally we overact a little and over apply the brakes as we exit the highway.
• We typically have a 6,000 # TV with 14" ventilated disks and a 6,000 # OE2 with 10" drum brakes.   As such, the TV almost always wins the stopping power game.  So as happened to you, the trailer tongue slams forward under the bumper, and driver hears/feels the safety chains slam tight and the Bulldog kisses the under carriage or the spare tire.    
• But in our really bad day example, IF the the single point failure of the bolt securing the chains and the Bulldog fails, then it will not be a damage free day.   
• As the driver stays hard on the brakes, the trailer will likely stay under the TV. Hopefully we only will need a new front jack and bumper.  
• But often, for several reasons, it does not stay there.  Then the "rip out" race is between the Emergency Break-away Cable and the 7-Pin. 
• Ultimately one of them loses and the trailer brakes lock up and hopefully stops Ollie upright.  Or worse.

So in my eyes, the last safety device standing is likely either the 7-Pin keeping the trailer brakes in play (in a sort of controlled manner), or the Break-Away Emergency Cable locking them up.  Hence my post.

So all fun aside, how do you go about adjusting the Break-Away Emergency Cable length to increase the odds of your Lucky Day senario?

Thanks,

GJ

      

 

 

Edited January 1 by Geronimo John
Typo

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

how do you go about adjusting the Break-Away Emergency Cable length to increase the odds of your Lucky Day senario?

Very carefully?😁

Actually, I think that this would be a close to impossible task.  The reason for this thinking is that it would be extremely unlikely that the location of the attachment of the emergency brake cable on the tow vehicle would be the same as the location of the emergency brake switch (located for most of us on the driver's side frame)  and the tow vehicle and trailer would be lined up in exactly the same way during the accident as it was when initially secured to the TV and the trailer.  Virtually any turn to the left by the tow vehicle would tend to shorten the distance between the switch and the cable's point of attachment and vice versa for a turn to the right.  Then add any hinderance of the cable which might make that distance between the the cable attachment point and the switch relatively shorter or longer plus the braking differences of the two moving objects that you mention all would tend to make for this impossible task of getting the distance "dialed in".

In the only case I know about where the trailer became detached from the tow vehicle, I believe that the emergency brake switch WAS activated and the trailer slowed much faster than the tow vehicle.  In turn, this kept the safety chains tight preventing the bulldog from digging into the pavement.

Bill

[Geronimo John]

2 hours ago, topgun2 said:

this kept the safety chains tight preventing the bulldog from digging into the pavement.

Now that is how to realllllllly stop a trailer!

On the perfect adjustment, I came to the same conclusion two summer ago.  I was having "fun" weaving the Emergency Break Away through the 7-Pin cable, the DC to DC cable and the "wonderfully easy to use (SIC) safety cables without wondering which one was going to lock up the trailer on a right turn.  Came to conclusion that six inches of additional paracord induced slack was the best solution.  With my receiver bolt being a double nutted grade 8, the Anderson and it's chaines, and a Bulldog.... I'm not worried about Ollie taking a hike in another direction.  

Fun discussion.  thanks

John

 

[taylor.coyote]

And my wife says I over think things..... Shackle and lug nut torque values, grade 8 vs grade 5 bulldog hitch bolts, tire inflation and ongoing managment, packing bearings temperature monitoring.  Now an expaned intellectual conversation on safety chains a the length of the emergency brake cable.

As before with many issues, my Ignorance was bliss. Now I need to consider the above safety chain / emergency brake strategy with the hope we won't see Ollie pull up along-side our truck.    

[topgun2]

[Geronimo John]

13 hours ago, taylor.coyote said:

And my wife says I over think things.

More than a few have stated the same for more than a few of us around these parts.  Welcome to the "those that think" club! 

A few more posts and you too will have risen to the level for consideration in the OTT Rabbit Hole Society.

Hope you have a fun New Years Day.

GJ

[topgun2]

[taylor.coyote]

I like to learn but with the Ollie, it usually is attached to a price tag..  As they say "you can't take it with you"

 

[Geronimo John]

On 2/27/2025 at 9:25 AM, Roger said:

After doing some more research I have learned that it is not the working load that matters for the safety chains but the breaking strength which I believe is usually 1/3 of the working load

I am thinking that the  above statement should be amended to show the reverse.  Breaking strength is always way higher than working load approved by the MFG.     

• The breaking strength is the absolute maximum force a piece of equipment can withstand before it fails or breaks.
• The manufacturer's recommended maximum weight for safe, normal use, is calculated by dividing the Breaking Strength by a Safety Factor.  Depending on what is being discussed this can range from 3 to 6 or more.