[KateWooten]

On my new gooseneck (Yay! Go me - it's a 3 horse, which is at least a 4 pony ... and I honestly think I could sneak a little One into the dressing room) ... but anyway, I digress.... On the end of the two safety chains are two hooks. On the plate which is in the truck bed there are two holes. The hooks on the chains are too bulky to fit through the holes in the plate.

So two questions ...

1) Can I put two carabiners through the holes and hook to them ? If so, who sells them ? What sort of a rating do I need ? Big Steel Carabiners, I'd guess ?

2) Wouldn't it be better to hook to something other than that plate ? I don't know if it's a common thing for truck beds - my truck came with rails, and a big plate that attaches to the rails, and the plate has the tow ball thingy on it. I would have thought it would be extra safe to hook the chains directly to the rails, or something else structural on the truck ? Does anyone know what I'm on about ? Should I go back to the nice man who installed the plate for me ?

Thankyou

( I have hauled my ponies in it, but only for 20 feet round the arena )

[cssutton]

What kind of truck and what make is the hitch?

Whoever installed the hitch should have also installed rings for the hooks.

Your description is not very clear, but that is not meant to be a criticize and I doubt that anyone could describe what plates with holes really look like.

A link to a photo might help, but I think bottom line is that you should take it back to the hitch installer or perhaps to a different one who is more attuned to customer service and tell them you need attach points for the hooks.

[WildBlue]

Agreed. The installer should have given you a place to hook your chains.

Just in case... You don't have something that looks like two short, rounded pieces of metal (mine are a dull silver color) located six inches or so on either side of your ball, do you? If so, use a hoof pick to see if you can pry one up. Some of the rings for hooks are magnetic and sit flush with the bed of the truck when not in use, so you have to pry them up in order to hook on to them.

[KateWooten]

Well, he did a great job, to be fair, because he attached the plate to the truck for me, and there are holes in it for the chains to go through.

The chains were not there at the time, so he would have had no idea that the hooks on the chains were too big !

I will see if I can get a picture this afternoon.

[ChocoMare]

I have huge hooks on my safety chains and, at first, didn't think they'd fit due to the bed liner. BUT they pull up to provide enough room. Since my fingers don't fit, I just knotted some baling twine into a loop and use it to pull them up and hook the chains in.

[GallopHer]

If you have "s" hooks at the end of your safety chains, try attaching them to your truck from the back of the holes in the hitch. That is how my hitch guy taught me to attach the safety chains.

[rmh_rider]

What gallopher said.

Safety chains are there in case the trailer comes off the ball. The chains hold the trailer to the truck. If you use a carabinger, it will just be pulled straight if something happens. Doubt any carabinger could hold the chains to the truck if something happened.

You need big sturdy S hooks, which go to the big sturdy chains.

[hosspuller]

Don't use carabiners or "S" hooks. They are not up to the task of a three horse GN. Depending on those "holes" I would suggest a chain shackle.

see here .. http://www.uscargocontrol.com/shackl...and-D-Shackles

[rmh_rider]

I have something very similar to this eye hook with heavy chains from the goose neck to the bed of the truck. This is what I was trying to say above. We also have these type hooks with no snap which we have attached to the tractor chains. You do not want the hooks to break.


http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Riggin...ist-Hook-3-Ton


Cool site hosspuller! Thanks.

[BarnField]

Go over to You-tube and find a video there on how to hook up a gooseneck horse trailer and you will see some examples of their heavy-duty safety chains and hooks.