safety chain question

rickasbury

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
869
My safety chains are a hot mess. My chains themselves are I'm sure sufficient but the ends are just some S'S from a box store, have no idea of the strength. On the hitch side I'm good on my f 150 and the hitch has the receivers fot the safety change and the proper rated hitch/receiver and ball. What do I get for the chain ends so that connection is not the weakest link which I'm sure it is. The chain looks to be of the size I see on other setups. I'm assuming chain link size = strength. I'm close to 10k going down the road.
 

redneck joe

Supreme Mariner
Thread starter
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
16,330
My safety chains are a hot mess. My chains themselves are I'm sure sufficient but the ends are just some S'S from a box store, have no idea of the strength. On the hitch side I'm good on my f 150 and the hitch has the receivers fot the safety change and the proper rated hitch/receiver and ball. What do I get for the chain ends so that connection is not the weakest link which I'm sure it is. The chain looks to be of the size I see on other setups. I'm assuming chain link size = strength. I'm close to 10k going down the road.
when shopping for shackles they are rated
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
17,359
The hooks are the weakest link. The “S” type hooks are the worst of the worst.

The class 4 hitch on the F150 has poor/inconvenient chain connection points.
Ended up buying a set of shackles for ease of connecting chains of adequate strength.
 

Pmt133

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
1,830
On our f150 the hookup for the chains is way back on the reciever and the the pin is located further out than normal. Ball sticks out further and chains that are normally "proper" length on every other vehicle we own are usually nearing too short on it. More an inconvenience than anything.
 

rickasbury

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
869
when shopping for shackles they are rated
So, you don't understand how little I know about this. Good thing my towes have been local and 35 mph- but I want to get everything straight. So these shackles would replace my S hooks...my tow hitch, which was factory, I had no issues connecting the s hooks to the hitch..i mean you have to get down there but never saw it as a problem...I'm not following how the shackles will attach to the hitch or is it one on the hitch and one on the chain? I'm 10k ..
 
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