Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom
Could be bigger and grade 8.
Grade 8 bolts are less likely to stand the strain of the chains suddenly snapping tight. A grade 8 bold is for clamping force, not shear. In this application a grade 5 is sufficient and a better choice because it will stretch and/or bend before it breaks - a grade 8 will snap because it's more brittle.
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Freedom's 100% on the money about this. And also, most grade 8 alloys are created with more strength, at the cost of being MUCH more prone to rust damage-- on wet roads with tire spray all over them, most will become very weak VERY fast. (The special aviation rust-resistant ones cost a lot, and they definitely aren't available from Home Depot or Lowes.
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I actually like the cables, but I also carry "spare" cheapo safety chains at all times in case something bad happens to one of the cables. Since these chains never get wet and will probably never be used even once, I didn't spend the big bucks for fancy coatings or ultra-high strength. As you see from my sig, I do have a swing hitch (although it's Dinuba RV's aftermarket mod, slightly different from the factory version in my 2006 model year). On my hitch, the safety cables attach to bolts on either side of the upper plate for the lift-- that's within the swinging portion, not back on fixed part of the A-frame. Very easy to use, I cross them underneath my WDH Hitch head.