A few weeks ago I was stopped by a State Trooper and he checked to see if I had the plow safety chain in place. This is the second chain that holds the plow up in the event of a hydralic failure. I did, because I had been warned about it a few years ago by a town cop. Have you ever been hastled by about this. Apparently it is a law or regulation in some states.
I've never been checked, but then again, the cops in my town are too ignorant to even know any better. I could tell them that the lift chain is a safety chain and they'd believe it.
I purchased my 8' Western plow used and there was only 1 chain, the lift chain. Where does the safety chain go and is it used only during transportation?
I knew about the chain up spot but I did not know that it was for a safety chain. I've been plowing for quite some time now and have never heard anything about it from police or any others.
What the chain is- Additional explanation I have been asked about where the chain is located. On my Fischer plow there is a second chain welded to the moldboard A-frame. It then goes up to a slot that has been cut into the side of the right hand upright on the plow lift frame. When you are plowing the chain has enough slack in it for the blade to drop about 3" below the level of the trucks normal plowing range. When you travel over the road, you raise the plow and then remove the slack in the secondary chain and reposition it. If your lift chain or hydralics were to fail, this chain will keep the plow blade from falling.
My SnoWay has this goofy little collar that goes around the hydraulic cylinder that will "supposedly" keep the plow high enough off the ground in the event of a failure. The thing looks like it would crumple under the weight of the plow, but I could be wrong. I keep it in the glove box just in case... -Tim
Tim, The goofy collar works. We had to jack the blade up and then use it to transport it to the shop one time.
I've never been hassled about it and I've been plowing for a long time. My only truck that i've used that had it was on a Fisher, the plow I have now(western) doesn't have one. My old dodge with a meyers never had one on it either.
My western doesn't have the safety chain, I'm new to this business and I just never thought about this before, but it sounds like a good idea. I do however always carry a come-a-long to pick up the blade in case of failure at the pump.
It is not a pump failure that is the problem, but a failure of the hose, piston, or chain that will cause the plow to drop unexpectedly. I have seen trucks in the salvage yard that had the frames bent when the plow dropped at high speed and dug in. I don't know why it happened, but I have seen 2 or 3 through the years. My safety chain is an additional chain that is welded to the a frame of the plow and goes up to a piece of steel that is welded onto the plow upper frame. This piece of steel has a cut into it that when you drop the link into it, it grabs hold. Difficult to describe, but you see this type of chain holder on the tailgates of dump trucks. It is sometimes called a "keyhole".
Thanks Dusty, Sounds like food for thought (health food, maybe). I guess I'll rig something up. What do you think of shielded cable? Bob
I am a believer in chain. You can always see the condition of it and they rarely fail. Cable on the other hand can have strands break and still look good.
if some places make big deals about it, why dont meyer plows have them. where i am, meyer seems to be the majority
I've only ever seen that on a Fisher plow. And I didn't know it was some kind of safety thing. Its other purpose (what I adjust it for) is to change the distance the plow will lower to follow the contour of the surface you are plowing. I've also adjusted it to keep the light frame from falling toward truck when unhooking the plow from truck.
That is BS,most plows do not even have them,and since they dont have them,you shouldnt need them,like the grandfather clause.If you have an old 1965 truck,seatbelts arent needed either.My fishers have them,but ive never used them =,my western has none.I guess that cop had a really boring day.
A good idea tho I can relate to having a "safety" chain. I was going to breakfast one morning and the lift piston gave out, but slowly and I didn't notice that the blade was down until I went through an intersection where the crossing road was rutted real bad, woke me up in a hurry. I could see where that chain would have helped out! Almost had a heart attack. I am just glad that bugger didn't catch on something...ouch
Perhaps the ones that don't have one,have left it off as a cost-saving measure. I don't know, but as I read the posts, it seems that the more expensive did have and the less expensive didn't. Is a safety factor being sacrificed for money? Mick
