Do you tow your car or haul it on a trailer??

I totally agree with safety chains between a trailer and the towing vehicle. Two chains should also be installed to CROSS (like an X) under the hitch connector so in the event of tow ball failure (for example) the crossed safety chains will support the trailer tongue and prevent you from "nosing in". Been towing boats this way for 40 years.

But lately I have been considering flat towing the speedster. That means in addition to a tow bar (which I have), I need safety chains. Do I attach the chains between the tow vehicle and the car itself or between the tow vehicle and the tow bar? Safety chains used to be in case your hitch ball broke. Don't know if that is still the premise?

Where would you attach a chain to the car itself except on the front axle?

According to the law, if you flat tow (using a tow bar) the safety chains or cables must go from vehicle to vehicle, not tow bar to vehicle.

California has a law that isn't widely known. It requires safety chains or cables between a towed vehicle and the vehicle doing the towing (most of us know that) Also attached to that law is a regulation that requires that a vehicle being towed on a trailer have (4) securing straps/chains "each" capable of withstanding the total weight of the vehicle. In other words, if your car weights 2,000 pounds then you need (4) straps, each rated at 2,000 pounds. Also, the securing end must have a safety feature that prevents it from coming un-hooked. On another board, it's been discussed and several people have been cited for the offense. If you don't have the straps then CHP won't let you leave until you properly secure the load.

29004. (a) (1) Except as required under paragraph (2), every towed
vehicle shall be coupled to the towing vehicle by means of a safety
chain, cable, or equivalent device in addition to the regular
drawbar, tongue or other connection.
(3) Any vehicle transported on a slide back carrier or
conventional trailer shall be secured by at least four tiedown
chains, straps, or an equivalent device, independent of the winch or
loading cable. This subdivision shall not apply to vehicle bodies
that are being transported in compliance with Sections 1340 to 1344,
inclusive, of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.
(b) All safety connections and attachments shall be of sufficient strength to control the towed vehicle in the event of failure of the regular hitch, coupling device, drawbar, tongue, or other connection. All safety connections and attachments also shall have a positive means of ensuring that the safety connection or attachment does not become dislodged while in transit.

well i can tell u what happens when u dont use them there 4 tie downs

Not to be a smartass Gerd, but one or two tie-downs would have been better than what went on with your car... Your tow truck driver was a ******** dipshit.

As far as the law goes, it's not really anything new. It's just a trickle down from the commercial side of car and equipment hauling. The commercial rules changed over half a decade ago.

As far as the safety chains go - nothing new there either. Two chains or a bridle device (continous cable with two attachment points on the trailer frame) have been required for longer than anyone on this site has been alive.

The only thing that has changed is that California is now requiring it for non-commercial vehicles. About time to be honest.

Brakes are next (brakes on trailers). It will follow the same rules as those of commerce. Over 3,000 lbs or 40% of the GVWR of the power unit will require brakes on all wheels of the trailer plus a brake-away device. Guaranteed - bet my lunch money on it.

angela

Angela,
Does the baling twine and duct tape you used to hold down your new Speedster(s) with count?

And that tin foil you borrowed to increase the size of the hitch ball ... I am not sure that is correct either

I wasn't indicating that this was a "new" law just that It's being enforced on a regular basis. The last time it was amended was 9 years ago.

Here's another part of the law that is also being enforced:

(c) No more slack may be left in a safety chain, cable, or equivalent device than is necessary to permit proper turning. When a drawbar is used as the towing connection, the safety chain, cable, or equivalent device shall be connected to the towed and towing vehicle and to the drawbar so as to prevent the drawbar from dropping to the ground if the drawbar fails.

ANGELA
I HAVE BETTER WORDS FOR THE GUY BUT THERON WILL FINE ME :)

Gerd-You're making George Carlin smile in his grave right now...

Gerd, you probably had '7' words (re: George Carlin)!!

Tits wasn't one of the words Gerd was thinking of, that's just one you couldn't say on TV in the 70s!

Well, when I flat tow I guess I'll have to get two longer chains and wrap them around the front beam then, 'cause I'm:

Breakin' the law, breakin' the law, breakin' the law.......(Judas Priest)

I have two chains welded to the towbar that safety to the tow vehicles' hitch. So I'll extend them to wrap around the beam, and put them in some vinyl tubing to protect the paint.

My law: Don't live in California.

Now before you get your panties all in a wad, nothing personal meant there. Everyone can live where they feel comfortable being.

Ditto Danny P.

No Dusty - the tinfoil was for my head so the aliens don't hear my thoughts!!

angela

Cracked me up there Angela!

It's a little different for commercial trailers here in the original "Seccession State" (they're slightly more strict with commercial units) but for the average Joe hauling his boat or car around, not only do we have no license plate on the trailer, we also have zero inspections, safety or otherwise, for anything - cars, trucks, trailers, tires, windshields....nothing.

Gets a little scary, doesn't it?

If we haul our trailers out of state, then it is "recommended" that we get a "permanent" plate for it (they charge $47 once and forever). Some other states let us go through w/o plates, some don't. I made it to Massachusetts and back once without mine (forgot to put it on) and no one ever noticed.

On the safety stuff that Larry mentioned, it all just makes sense. If you want to risk losing your treasure, then go ahead and use edge-torn tie-down straps, forget the safety chains and don't bother with a positive-attach catch chain.

If, on the other hand, you want to take off, once properly loaded, and never worry about your load, other than occasionally checking the tie-downs for tightness, then do it right and follow Larry's guidelines.

I trailer Pearl about 5,000 miles each year, use good, chassis-crossed tie-downs (and I'm about to replace a couple for edge tears), have a catch chain and trailer safety chains (crossed under the trailer tongue) and ALWAYS check my trailer brakes before I take off. The only thing I don't have is a safety device to lock my trailer brakes if I disconnect. I would need a trailer battery to do that (which might also power my winch - hmmmmmmm.....might be a good idea after all!) Once I take off I have enough to do just to drive all day and not have to worry about whether the car will fall off the trailer somewhere. and I don't dog-it either - set the cruise at 70 and the diesel will hold it - even up through the Appalacian mountains (ask Nolan!)

Speaking of which, somewhere between Carlisle and Massachusetts is what's left of one of my trailer ramps that Chris and I lost a couple of years ago. Don't know where it is, just that it didn't arrive home when we did. NOW I even have safety chains for the stupid ramps.

Live and learn......

gn

hmmmmmmm.......aluminum foil on the ball, huh? Gotta try that one to get from a 2" up to my 2-5/16" socket!!!!! ;>)

A lot of trailers used to have hooks for the chains but my brother found out the hard way that that has changed in Ontario, Can too. He was towing his boat up to the cottage on Labour Day weekend, as he does most weekends, and the cops had a blitz on. He was fined hundreds of dollars, had to leave the boat and trailer on the highway, had to return there (about 200 mi from home) in 2 or 3 weeks for the court case all because he was still using the hooks that came with his boat trailer. Ontario now requires some sort of shackle to be used instead of the hooks and not just any shackle...it must be certain grade too. I recently noticed that our local Crappy Tire now carries ordinary steel shackle, stainless shackles and graded one specifically for towing up to certain lb rating. Of course, goes without saying, chains can be ordinary chains either...have to be graded and certain lb ratings.

Wish I had those things when I towed a heavy load to the dump but forgot to change the ball from 1 7/8 to 2. Sounded like a car crashed behind me and then I noticed I had no trailer anymore...

Trailers are interesting, but I watched my towed boat slowly become more "animated" as the distance wore on. Finally stopped and found the boat winch had unlatched and allowed the boat to move about two feet back on the trailer. Glad I stopped. By the way, my tow vehicle was a '70 Corvette convertible. Not too many people use them as tow vehicles.

Thanks for the "heads up" on vehicle to vehicle chains, I would have missed that. Does this mean I got to chain my boat to the truck now?

No but you have to tie your wife to the bed

My wife is great in bed, she never falls out....
but I like tying her up anyway...you can't be to safe, you know...

Don't you just love thread drift?????

I recently called what I thought was a customer's home phone and got their answering machine,
Hi there darl'n I can't get to the phone right now, I'm
all tied up .....HELP, HELP..... OOOOOH BABY YEAH ! THATS THE WAY, DON'T STOP FILL ME UP BABY" ............... Ended up that I dialed a wrong number :)

...and now back to the thread topic "Chains, balls, tongues, straps, bridle devices and other restraints".
~ Now That's Funny Stuff Right There...~

I don't care where you're from (or what you're towing)...that there was funny!!

Folks in the "tow" business must have a great sense of humor!