Safety chains for towing

[redbaron]

I have the same on my car tow bar attached to car frame have worked fine for six yrs

Wowsers...I have been towing for 15 years and never has a chance to test these firsthand. How many times has your toolbar failed? Details please.

You may be the only person I know of qualified to respond.

 

[Neal]

Personally, I wouldn't want to deal with those connectors (like carabiners). There could be a significant "opening shock" and I'm not sure to what level, it could be a 20,000 lb force, who knows. I would not trust those to hold up but I don't know the specs. Regardless, I would find cables that connect properly without intermediate connections.

For heavy duty connections such as I used when towing a boat people use "d ring shackles" they appear to be called.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com : ring shackles

 

[J&JD]

it could be a 20,000 lb force, who knows

Maybe, if the LA were hanging off a cliff & the Chevy were tied to a large tree. In my whole career of rving I have come across only one person with a tow bar failure of note and I guarantee you would know it soon enough. All the cables are for is to keep the toad attached to the coach so that it doesn’t detach and mess up some other poor person/driver. Maybe we are into overkill here. Then, again, I’m certainly no expert.

 

[Neal]

Remember the Air Force 1 has a lanyard as well so in a break away the toad will apply brakes and you'll have that force to contend with too.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

When I picked up my new coach, I could not attach my safety cables to the motorcoach as the bracket was much wider than the one on my DSDP. I've attached these "links" (not sure what you call them) and I attach the safety cable to them. Is this okay for the long term or are there safety cables with a bigger connector? I haven't found one yet. So for all you London Aire or possibly new coach peeps, how are you connecting the cable to your coach?
View attachment 10456

Have a very similar setup to attach the coiled wire safety cables on my Dolly to the RV as well.

 

[Russsilber90]

My safety cables attach to RV and run to tow bar holders attached to car. See pics.

 

[redbaron]

My safety cables attach to RV and run to tow bar holders attached to car. See pics.

Based on what I see here--I would be very nervous about it actually working.

To clarify -- you only know that the setup is safe with it pulling the load that it is protecting.

I think the rust alone (if what I am seeing is rust) indicates that the material won't live up to its original design. Then knowing what rating was on the quick connects is another issue.

I know Roadmaster sells these. They are not one size fits all. Your weight determines them.

I have replaced all the safety cable and connectors with ones with stamped ratings, which means I had to forgo the quick connect on the jeep setup. My 2020 Jeep Wrangler is 6k lbs, and based on how a swinging vehicle could pull, all of the weight could end up on a single link.

I went with 12k lb saftey wire, and 12k lb connectors. These ratings are the stamped ratings and the working load, not the breaking point. The breaking point is what most will publish, and that number needs to be much greater (3x ) the actual working load.

 

[redbaron]

Here is a product similar rated to what I purchased:

https://www.etrailer.com/Safety-Cables/Demco/DM9523051.html

 

[Russsilber90]

Based on what I see here--I would be very nervous about it actually working.

To clarify -- you only know that the setup is safe with it pulling the load that it is protecting.

I think the rust alone (if what I am seeing is rust) indicates that the material won't live up to its original design. Then knowing what rating was on the quick connects is another issue.

I know Roadmaster sells these. They are not one size fits all. Your weight determines them.

I have replaced all the safety cable and connectors with ones with stamped ratings, which means I had to forgo the quick connect on the jeep setup. My 2020 Jeep Wrangler is 6k lbs, and based on how a swinging vehicle could pull, all of the weight could end up on a single link.

I went with 12k lb saftey wire, and 12k lb connectors. These ratings are the stamped ratings and the working load, not the breaking point. The breaking point is what most will publish, and that number needs to be much greater (3x ) the actual working load.

Pulls 3000 lb CRV. No rust, lots of mud on road to storage. Clean up great. Use brake buddy with set up. Over 70,000 miles towing over entire country. Never gave it a second thought. Set up by authorized dealer to factory specs from Road Master.

 

[MapNerd]

Roadmaster literally puts these on their 8k# & 10k# safety cables, the latter of which are included with their Nighthawk towbar.

Accessories - Safety Cables - Roadmaster Inc.

www.roadmasterinc.com

I’ve got no issues using the ones that came with my safety cables from Roadmaster.

 

[MapNerd]

My 2020 Jeep Wrangler is 6k lbs, and based on how a swinging vehicle could pull, all of the weight could end up on a single link.

If your Jeep is swinging, your supplemental braking system isn’t working.

 

[redbaron]

If your Jeep is swinging, your supplemental braking system isn’t working.

Oh, I agree--but I plan for failures at all levels.

 

[redbaron]

Pulls 3000 lb CRV. No rust, lots of mud on road to storage. Clean up great. Use brake buddy with set up. Over 70,000 miles towing over entire country. Never gave it a second thought. Set up by authorized dealer to factory specs from Road Master.

Your weight is very little. NO rust is good. I do not see a problem with your setup, and I am not suggesting that there is a problem with it.

Just be careful about the thought process of "x number of years, and never had a problem".

These things are only proven reliable once they do the job in which they are intended to do...meaning, once your road master fails and brake buddy doesn't engage---then you are testing your break away cables. Until then---its just theory.

I live in a theoretical world, as I have never tested my cables. So I have over compensated on the ratings to make sure that I have done all that is possible to ensure safety for the tow.

 

[Russsilber90]

Your weight is very little. NO rust is good. I do not see a problem with your setup, and I am not suggesting that there is a problem with it.

Just be careful about the thought process of "x number of years, and never had a problem".

These things are only proven reliable once they do the job in which they are intended to do...meaning, once your road master fails and brake buddy doesn't engage---then you are testing your break away cables. Until then---its just theory.

I live in a theoretical world, as I have never tested my cables. So I have over compensated on the ratings to make sure that I have done all that is possible to ensure safety for the tow.

Sounds good. I respect your world. Having lived through 3 mechanical aircraft engine failures I put a lot of faith in fate. After all one blow out can ruin the best of all mechanical safety precautions.
Best of luck and safe journey.

 

[lostinfla]

I had the same problem with the hooks when I went with the heavier cables like ARD has. I removed the spring closers from the hooks as my last set never had any, and the hooks fit easily. The cable being coiled, will/has held them in position just fine for the last 20k or so.