Trailer Chains - To Cross of Not to Cross - That is the Question

Andy wrote, On 5/4/2014 7:12 AM:
On Friday, May 2, 2014 3:21:47 PM UTC-7, JohnDeRosa wrote:
I have been told that crossing your trailer safety chains is the
right thing to do. Something about if the coupler comes off the
ball, the trailer will be limited in its wayward travel. Sounds
like something for Mythbusters to figure out. Yes or no, what say
you?

I don't see how this discussion makes any sense unless it is stated
where each end of each chain is attached.

Cobra trailers are delivered to USA with no chains. They only have
the standard European emergency brake actuating cable. When I picked
up my new glider from the port I took a length of chain. I attached
each end of it to each of the bolts that secure the tongue to the
trailer floor (redundant attachment to trailer). The front end of
the loop is hooked up to one of the tow bar chain eyes with a screw
gate link when towing (single point failure). The chain is routed
over the top of the trailer jacking wheel attach bracket so it does
not drag on the road.

My glider was received shortly after the rash of tow tongue failure
reports in USA so I knew the chains had to be attached to the trailer
body and not to the tongue itself.

The distance between the trailer axle and the chain attach points is
so long on a glider trailer that I doubt it makes any difference to
unhook stability exactly where they are attached or whether they are
crossed. May be a different story for a short trailer.

First, if you think you have a trailer with an inadequate tongue, I
think you should replace it with the correct tongue. Cobra, or perhaps a
dealer, that tell you what tongue your trailer should have. Replacing it
is not hard or expensive.

Second, with the chains connected only to the trailer body, a trailer
that disconnects from the hitch will be far less stable than if the
chains are connected near the coupler.

Third, even if you have the chains connected to the trailer body, you
can have also have the chains connected at the coupler.

There is bolt that holds the coupler to the tongue on my Cobra trailer.
I replaced with with a longer, high strength bolt that captures a chain
link from one chain on the left side, and a link from the other chain on
the right side. I used thick washers between the bolt head (and the bolt
nut on the other side) to help retain the link.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl