Using Hammerlock Shackles

John,

Are they welded directly to the towbar itself or have you welded them to a larger mounting pad which in turn is then welded to the towbar (to spread the surface area)?

Roachie, welded direct to tow bar. I did discuss a pad with the welder, but he assured me that the size of the mounts and the thickness of the tow bar would be sufficient. John

As the shackles are usually the last thing you disconnect or the first thing you reconnect I dont see why you need anything else..

TomH,
Where can I view the document that you have quoted from?
What state or juristriction owns the document?
Patrolster

Tom, when you say "rated", that is somewhat confusing.

Perhaps you meant to write, "load-rated" - where a chain, shackle or hammerlock must meet the specifications for load-lifting, as required under AS2741-2002.

Chains for trailers and caravans are "rated" - under AS4177. This standard does insist on certain specifications being met - but those specifications are different to load-rated chains, shackle and hammerlocks.

Safety chains for trailers

There is nothing wrong with using a hammerlock if it makes shackle attachment and removal easier. Hammerlocks are load rated.
However the load capacity of the hammerlock used must be equal or exceed the load rating of the trailer/caravan chain.

Cheers, Ron.

Gundarooster - All the trailer/caravan info you need to know, is contained in the following link -

Vehicle Standards Bulletin - VSB1

The information you are specifically seeking is listed under item 16, under "Technical Requirements".

Vehicle Standards Bulletins are Federal Laws and cover all road-registered vehicles used, or intended to be used, within all Australian territories.

Cheers, Ron.

Tom you have said there is no requirement for rated chains, and simultaneously pasted that there is?
• trailers over 2.5 tonnes and not exceeding 3.5 tonnes ATM must have two safety chains of designation of 3500 kg complying with Australian Standard AS 4177.4-1994 or Australian Standard AS 4177.42004

I copied that out of a Safe Towing Guide.
It has been thrashed endlessly on Caravan Forums and the requirement of "Rated Shackles" has been debunked as an urban myth, even by the Police.

The shackles should comply with the relevant standard but there is nothing to say what size you should use. As I said, one with a pin diameter of 10mm is more than adequate in both single and double configuration.

I would take issue with welding anything to a towbar because when I bought mine it had the holes for the shackles underneath and was awkward to get under and attach them. I asked the shop I bought it off to weld a plate across the top like the Toyota model and was told in no uncetain terms that a Towbar is certified as sold and it is illegal to alter it IN ANY WAY. Either by drilling welding or anything.

Yes I know we all weld little brackets for Anderson plugs etc and drill little hole for screws BUT!!!


I was a little enthusiastic in my original post I meant and should have said there is no requirement for RATED SHACKLES.

Chains should be as stated but as observed arent always even from the factory.

A stamped shackle of suitable size costs about $8 at Supercheap so why not use them.

Have seen van chains attached with a shackle I wouldnt use on my garden trailer.

Would you tie a bulls nose chain to a fence with a bit of string. Same analogy.

I cant find it atm but it is also said you should not use Stainless steel shackles because of their tendency to shatter rather than bend nor should you use Carabiners or padlocks for obvious reasons.

Not quite right there Tom. I haven't gone through the other states however you definitely need rated shackles in the NT. For the $3 extra cost , why wouldn't you have them to cover yourself in any case in regards to insurance or police if traveling interstate.

Requirement
Markings complying with AS 2741-2002 “Shackles” shall be legibly and permanently marked with the following information:
a)The manufacturer's name or trademark;
b)Quality grade of the shackle, e.g. (“M” or “4”, “S” or “6”);
c)Working Load Limit (WLL) or Rating; and
d)Identification marking in order to correlate shackle to test certificate.

https://transport.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/165667/light-trailer-safety-chain-shackles.pdf

Even though there may not be any legal requirements there sure is lots of confusion.

For me it just easier to use rated gear and not worry about it.


Another question.
My van has an ATM of 2500kg -chains 10mm.

So what size hammerlock should I use. It may come down to which fits the holes i want to use it on.

But it does sound like a 3.2 WLL would be OK.
From what I have read :-
The hammerlock should have a BLL of at least 1.5 ATM (i.e. 3750 in my case)
The BLL is said to be 5 or 6 or more times the WLL making a 3.2 WLL more than adequate.



Richard

Well that is interesting and havent seen it mentioned on Van forums either. The ADR's dont mention shackles and neither does VSB1 mentioned in that document.

I fully agree with you and what it says but lots still dont use them and other States dont have that requirement.

Similarly with Breakaway cables Hands up those who still hook it onto a D shackle with the chains.

Will that be any good if as in the case of some Nissans where the towbars actually detached and it all goes down the road with the van.

I had a ring on a chassis rail separate from the towbar and anything attached to it.
Pajero owners have devised a bracket on the spare wheel mount with a wiggle cable attached to it. A very good solution.
Saw in a UK manual an instruction to hook it over the towball. How stupid is that.

Earlier editions of VSB-01 did mention shackles. They had to have a braking strength of 1.5 times the vans weight.

Regarding the chains. One for those familiar with the standards. They have to meet AS/NZS standards . Do these standards require testing of the chains (ie rating them) or do the chains just have to conform to the dimensions and material class specified in the forum. If it's the latter then the chains are not rated, they just have to meet a standard. There is a subtle difference between the two.

Rich, just ensure the hammerlock you purchase and used is marked with the required load rating and markings as listed under AS2741-2002.

You can rely on Australian lifting equipment suppliers, such as Bullivants, Nobles, Slinglift, etc, to supply properly-marked and load-rated items.

There are dodgy overseas suppliers who sell through sites such as eBay or Aliexpress or Alibaba, who will supply items such as hammerlocks, that are do not meet the proper steel specifications, are not tested, are not properly marked, and which do not meet Australian specifications.

Cheers, Ron.

Definitely legal.
All new trailers are now require to have rated safety chains welded onto the draw bar.
Problem with this is that you cannot poke a rated shackle through a rated chain as the links are smaller. Only way you can fit a shackle is to use a hammerlock.

Malcom,

Not sure about the legality or requirement of how safety chains are attached but I do know that when you start welding a piece of "rated" lifting gear, whether it be chain, shackles or hammer locks you no longer have a "rated" piece of gear.
Most lifting rated chain and it's associated attaching hardware is high tension alloy and you will definitely destroy it's tensile strength.
On the other hand chain of sufficient diameter material but not high tension can be welded without affecting it's strength greatly. As long as the welder knows what he is doing.

Cheers
Pop

What POP says is true......yet we see it on virtually every new caravan made.....a section of HT chain (great stuff), all but destroyed by the fact that it is welded to the chassis of the trailer/van.

I'm currently looking into getting my Bushtracker's ATM increased to 4,000kg and one of the jobs that MUST be done to achieve this is to have the existing chains cut off and have 2x Bartlett connectors welded to the the chassis with a mounting plate incorporated too. The Bartlett brackets are like the ones (above) that somebody posted a pic of. They sell brackets for the truck and trailer so the chain doesn't require welding at all.

As for the hammerlocks....great bit of kit and no problem using them either to aid with the fitment of a shackle or to join 2 pieces of chain together.

You can also buy a chain extender from Hayman Reece which goes from the towbar to the hitch and out to the trailer.

Can be seen hereChain extender

Ron,
Can you tell me which hammerlok you used and where you go it from (and if you don't mind how much they cost).

I have seen such variance in prices from these things.

$55+ each down to less than $10.

All claimed to be rated and from reputable places.

e.g. Blackwoods want $45+ and Nobles around $9.

Many Thanks

Richard

Ron
Bit far to go from Canberra :)

I am going to Melbourne next week so will get some from Nobles there. About $9 each as compared to $45+ locally from Blackwoods.

When I rang I did tell them the size I wanted (10mm-3.2t) but I suspect the lady from Blackwoods quoted one of the bigger ones. Any way they have none in Canberra so no point chasing them.


Many thanks for the reply.

Richard