In the trucking business , the most popular chains are tie down chains and tire chains, and chains as products have much more than just those binder chains , as we can see that there are sash chains, hot dip galvanized grade 30 chains and more, of course there is towing industry, tow chains are there to stay, it is no secret that all these are steel chains.
If not specified, tie down chains usually means G70 binder chains , some people call them binder chains, it’s well known that we have 2 different standard organizations for steel chains, American Society for Testing and Materials, and NACM. ASTM chains are all short link chains, regular link chains are made to NACM standard. People use short link chains when they need more flexibility, when you’re deploying chains under certain conditions, say wrap around tight corner, most likely you will need short links, NACM chains won’t work under these conditions. Tie down chains are mostly seen on the trailers, most of the time for securing truck load, but you will see some other uses of these transportation chains.
Tire chains and snow chains are the same thing under most circumstances, then we know that snow chains are tire chains, but tire chains are not equal to snow chains, because you will use tire chains when its ice covered. Most of the time the tire chains are in pairs on the shelf, since you will always need to chain up tires in pairs. Most tire chains are made from steel. People choose tire chains based on their vehicle type and tire size, say you drive a coupe, you definitely need car tire chains, You will need truck tire chains if you drive a pickup with big wheels.
Talking about hardware chains, it’s a big category, there are too many chains for all kinds of purposes. For example, there are machine chains , twisted or straight link, and coil chains, twisted or straight links, sash chain , electro-galvanized and hot-dip galvanized proof coil chain , and steel decoration chains, of course there are more steel chain product. Steel Hardware chains are popular due it’s variety and applications, the general purpose proof coil grade chains are the most popular one, for instance, you can use grade 30 chains with windlass or fence.
When it comes to tow chain , there is only 5/16” tow chains with towing rig available, it has the WLL of 4700LBS, actually this strong enough for almost all cases, due to standardization of tow trucks, only a few varieties of tow chains are needed, in fact the tow chains only have 2 lengths available, 6′ and 10′, long shank J hook and sports T & J hook, since tow trucks all have same design and set up, only standard tow chains are needed, this is actually is good thing.
