tonkatoys
maine
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when towing your toad behind the class a with a tow bar and the safety chains are suppose to be rated for 5000 lbs, is that each chain rated at 5000lbs or a total between the 2 chains should equal 5000lbs.
so would a chain rated for 2500 lbs each be safe if using 2 chains?
* This post was
edited 09/29/08 07:34am by tonkatoys *
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brobox
Sunny SW. Florida
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You need 5,000 lb rated chain, or cable to be safe. If one breaks, that leaves one chain holding 5,000 lb towing weight. I would not chance a 2,500 lb chain to do that job. Just my opinion.
Chuck
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rockylarson
Jersey Shore
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Each chain/cable must be 5,000lbs
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tonkatoys
maine
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thanks for the response, checked home depot and they have one rated 5400 lbs. thanks
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Bob N Deb
B.C.
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if you are buying chain as a do it yourself project make sure all your connections -shackels hooks etc are also rated other wise it doesnt work
Bob
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tonkatoys
maine
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just called blue ox and they stated that there 5000 lb rated coiled cable is rated a total of the 2 cables to be 5000 lbs. each cable is rated at 2500lbs for a total of 5000, not 5000lbs each.
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texasbaskets
Frisco, TX
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The length of the chains is important as well. You can't have one shorter than the other and expect it to hold all the load unless it's rated to do so.  
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ShapeShifter
Buffalo, NY
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tonkatoys wrote:just called blue ox and they stated that there 5000 lb rated coiled cable is rated a total of the 2 cables to be 5000 lbs. each cable is rated at 2500lbs for a total of 5000, not 5000lbs each.
That doesn't sound right to me. The few regulations I've seen said that two chains or cables are required, and each one must be rated for the full load. If what they said is correct, and I were buying from Blue Ox, then it looks like I would want 12,000 pound cables for my 6,000 pound toad.
When I talked to Roadmaster while setting up my rig, they confirmed that their 8,000 pound cables are rated for 8,000 pounds each, and would be what I want for my toad.
Having each chain/cable able to handle the full load makes sense to me. If your cables/chains are rated for half the weight, then if one is a little longer than the other, or you're not straight on when a separation occurs, one of them will take the full weight of the toad. If that's not up for the task, and it breaks, then the other one will then end up with the full load. If the first one couldn't handle it, then the second one might not, either.
Prudence, and common sense, tell me that there should be two chains or cables for redundancy, and each one should be able to handle the load as an individual. Whether or not the law explicitly states it, that's the minimum standard I want to go by for my equipment.
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tonkatoys
maine
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ShapeShifter wrote:tonkatoys wrote:just called blue ox and they stated that there 5000 lb rated coiled cable is rated a total of the 2 cables to be 5000 lbs. each cable is rated at 2500lbs for a total of 5000, not 5000lbs each.
That doesn't sound right to me. The few regulations I've seen said that two chains or cables are required, and each one must be rated for the full load. If what they said is correct, and I were buying from Blue Ox, then it looks like I would want 12,000 pound cables for my 6,000 pound toad.
When I talked to Roadmaster while setting up my rig, they confirmed that their 8,000 pound cables are rated for 8,000 pounds each, and would be what I want for my toad.
Having each chain/cable able to handle the full load makes sense to me. If your cables/chains are rated for half the weight, then if one is a little longer than the other, or you're not straight on when a separation occurs, one of them will take the full weight of the toad. If that's not up for the task, and it breaks, then the other one will then end up with the full load. If the first one couldn't handle it, then the second one might not, either.
Prudence, and common sense, tell me that there should be two chains or cables for redundancy, and each one should be able to handle the load as an individual. Whether or not the law explicitly states it, that's the minimum standard I want to go by for my equipment.
i was surprised also at the blue ox cable rating but that is what they told me. i even called a couple of blue ox dealers and they confirmed what they said. doesn't make sense.
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Hookum
Tucson, Ariz.
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A rated chain has a 4 to 1 safety factor. Working Load vs breaking strength. Does that make you feel any better?
Most safety chains I've seen are not the 5,000# hi-tensile strength ones that are used by truckers to tie down loads. They are lighter duty because what they hook to is usually not capable of supporting more than a 10,000# side load. (2500 x 4 breaking)
Myself, I'd go with the 2500# rating. Most accidents happen to those who forget to hook up properly.
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