Safety Chains for Agricultural Transport.

Inadequate or missing transport safety chains for agricultural wagons, trailers and drawn implements create a potentially dangerous situation while travelling on public roads and highways.  The first and sometimes only safeguard against an in-transit trailer detachment is a properly sized and secured pin, ball or pintle hook.  In case the primary link is lost, there should be a sufficiently strong transport safety chain which is capable of maintaining a close connection between the towing vehicle and implement long enough to allow the operator to pull over, stop and correct the problem.  In the field, a loose implement is an annoyance; on a public road, a disengaged wagon is an extreme hazard to oncoming traffic.  Inconsistent, ambiguous or non-existent regulations, lack of authoritative recommendations and poor public awareness of the hazard are complicating factors which delay voluntary adoption of safety measures.  An inventory of towed vehicles in the Purdue Agricultural Center system and a review of current regulations and recommendations in Indiana and surrounding states has led to a more informed, consistent and safety-conscious approach to agricultural transport on public roads.