Safety chain pictures

3915 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by CaliDefector, Apr 20, 2016

dthogey

Discussion Starter · May 28, 2012

A buddy has installed my dauntless hitch and the wiring harness for my trailer. The used trailer has no safety chains. I have decided to install them to abide by the law. How do those of you that have the dauntless hitch attach the chains to the hitch? Any chance you could post some pictures??

Thanks

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saddleman

· #2 · May 28, 2012

dthogey said:
A buddy has installed my dauntless hitch and the wiring harness for my trailer. The used trailer has no safety chains. I have decided to install them to abide by the law. How do those of you that have the dauntless hitch attach the chains to the hitch? Any chance you could post some pictures??

Thanks

Mine has a angle bracket to hook the chain to.

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hschisler

· #3 · May 29, 2012

saddleman said:
Mine has a angle bracket to hook the chain to.

Same here. Here's a side view of the Dauntless hitch, showing where/how the chains are attached.

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dthogey

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 29, 2012

Thanks guys, I assume that you made the bracket. I'm surprised that the hitch doesn't come with a way to attach chains.

dukey33

· #5 · May 29, 2012

Don't forget, one of the functions of safety chains on trailers it to hold the tongue off the ground in the case the hitch comes undone, so the chains need to be crossed to do this.

Too often I see safety chains hooked up without crossing. If the trailer comes off the hitch, the unsupported trailer tongue can dig into the ground and pole vault the trailer.
I've had a trailer come unhitched before (from a van, not a bike) and that was exciting enough without a flip!

jzeiler

· #6 · May 29, 2012

dukey33 said:
Don't forget, one of the functions of safety chains on trailers it to hold the tongue off the ground in the case the hitch comes undone, so the chains need to be crossed to do this.

With all due respect a bike is way different than a car. I would not want the tounge being cradled by crossed chains just so it could impale my rear tire. I want it to break away and pole vaule if it chooses to. I fully agree with that approach on a car pulling a trailer but on a bike if it comes loose I want it as far away from me as possible. JMO.

Munmi

· #7 · May 29, 2012

Dave, I used stainless eye bolts, lock washers and acorn nuts......

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dthogey

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 29, 2012

Munmi said:
Dave, I used stainless eye bolts, lock washers and acorn nuts......

Thanks scott. I like the eye bolts.

saddleman

· #9 · May 29, 2012

jzeiler said:
With all due respect a bike is way different than a car. I would not want the tounge being cradled by crossed chains just so it could impale my rear tire. I want it to break away and pole vaule if it chooses to. I fully agree with that approach on a car pulling a trailer but on a bike if it comes loose I want it as far away from me as possible. JMO.

I couldn't agree with you more John. The cheap clasp on my safety chain would probably break with just half of my body weight standing on the safety chain. If my trailer breaks loose for what ever reason I want it to be gone without me noticing anything happened.

SilverBuffalo

· #10 · May 29, 2012

Guys it's already been said here,
but take it from someone who has crashed while pulling a trailer,

make sure that chain is wimpy enough so that it breaks,
and the trailer goes away, far, far away!!!

I went over the handlebars and rolled like a log,
my wife held on and finally let go when the bike went down,
she would have been run over by the trailer for sure.

What does a trailer do when the bike goes down and stops suddenly?
most likely it keeps pushing and then jack knifes, not a good scenario.

In my case upon impact with the Elk, the front end of the bike went up in the air like a wheel stand,
that's when I flew over, at the same time the hitch and chain broke and the trailer went into the ditch

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dthogey

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 30, 2012

You guys talked me into wimpy chains. Thank you.

It makes me wonder why they are required by law. It seems chains make it more dangerous.

hschisler

· #12 · May 30, 2012

dthogey said:
Thanks guys, I assume that you made the bracket. I'm surprised that the hitch doesn't come with a way to attach chains.

I was scratching my head, wondering what you were talking about, until I remembered that the bracket to which my chains attach is part of the Bushtec "heim joint", or pin hitch, that is bolted into the ball mount on my Dauntless hitch. So no, I didn't make the bracket - it came with the Bushtec pin. That said, there are small holes in the Dauntless hitch just forward of the pin; these are part of the Dauntless ball mount and are OEM.

Sorry for the confusion.

dthogey

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 30, 2012

hschisler said:
I was scratching my head, wondering what you were talking about, until I remembered that the bracket to which my chains attach is part of the Bushtec "heim joint", or pin hitch, that is bolted into the ball mount on my Dauntless hitch. So no, I didn't make the bracket - it came with the Bushtec pin. That said, there are small holes in the Dauntless hitch just forward of the pin; these are part of the Dauntless ball mount and are OEM.

Sorry for the confusion.

got it, thank you.

SilverBuffalo

· #14 · May 31, 2012

dthogey said:
You guys talked me into wimpy chains. Thank you.

It makes me wonder why they are required by law. It seems chains make it more dangerous.

The laws are written for and make sense for cars and trucks,
there's probably not enough motorcycles pulling trailers for the law makers to have even noticed us....... yet.

when they do they'll come up with another tax!

Reactions: 1

CaliDefector

· #15 · Apr 20, 2016

Sorry for necroposting (raising a long dead thread) but I figured it beats rehashing what was said over and over and there is good info in the thread (I figured out the eye-bolts from a post in here as I was "how do I fit something through my DMC safety chain holes?)

Anyway, on to the real question...

SilverBuffalo said:
make sure that chain is wimpy enough so that it breaks,
and the trailer goes away, far, far away!!!

If one theoretically wants to use wimpy chain for the alleged appearance of staying within the confines of a nanny state's law, hypothetically what would one use? (Weasel words used to keep anyone from feeling they would be held liable in today's litigious society.) Something like swing-set chain or smaller?

I was thinking about a screw-link on the trailer so if I tow it with a car I can use real safety chains and then allegedly run the MC safety chain through that.

Why aint we riding

· #16 · Apr 20, 2016

OrovilleTim said:
Sorry for necroposting (raising a long dead thread) but I figured it beats rehashing what was said over and over and there is good info in the thread (I figured out the eye-bolts from a post in here as I was "how do I fit something through my DMC safety chain holes?)

Anyway, on to the real question...

If one theoretically wants to use wimpy chain for the alleged appearance of staying within the confines of a nanny state's law, hypothetically what would one use? (Weasel words used to keep anyone from feeling they would be held liable in today's litigious society.) Something like swing-set chain or smaller?

I was thinking about a screw-link on the trailer so if I tow it with a car I can use real safety chains and then allegedly run the MC safety chain through that.

Lamp chain or a small diameter eye bolt at the attachment point. Swingset chains are actually fairly substantial and may not break. Dont use stainless if you want it to break away.
Steve

CaliDefector

· #17 · Apr 20, 2016

Why aint we riding said:
Lamp chain or a small diameter eye bolt at the attachment point. Swingset chains are actually fairly substantial and may not break. Dont use stainless if you want it to break away.

Ah, I didn't even think of making the eye-bolt the weak point. I think that's the route I'll go. Thanks!

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