Yellow hooks – are they legal for towing?

Do you even tow if you’re not dangling a pair of bright yellow hooks from your tow bar?

One of the most emotive subjects of late has been the use of yellow hooks to connect trailer safety chains. The emotion circles around the look, which makes many people very angry, and whether or not they are legal.

I’m here to help but only with the latter question. For the former, I suggest finding a therapist who will help you live and let live.

So, are the yellow hooks legal?

So, are the ‘yellow hooks’ legal?  Well, this is life, and specifically, we’re dealing with automotive legislation. So if you were expecting a simple yes or no, then I’m sorry to disappoint. 

I have, however, done the research, read every relevant ADR, Australian Standard and regulation I could find, and talked to several state agencies. The answer is that the yellow hooks are legal, provided they are provably rated to ADR62’s specification, which is a breaking strength (not working load limit) of 1.5x trailer ATM. 

Two very important points

Now please note two important points in the statement above about yellow hooks. First, I didn’t just say ‘rated’.   The term ‘rated’ by itself means nothing. OldMate58 could get out his crayons and inscribe ‘RATED’ on anything, and then it’s ‘rated by Facebook, signed, OldMate58’. 

For any ‘rating’, you need a standard, such as AS2741, or AS3776, which prescribes an amount of force. And then you need to say what force the thing can withstand according to that standard. For example, you can take a shackle with 1 tonne AS2741 rating. Or a shackle to a 2t AS2741 rating. Or a hook to AS3776 / G80.  Any ‘rating’ has to have both the standard and a number denoting the strength.  Merely intoning that “it must be rated” is entirely pointless. 

We’re just getting started with the complexity. The breaking strength of an AS2741 1t shackle is greater than that of a 1.12t G80 yellow hook. Both are rated. Why so?  Because the working load limit (or WLL) for AS2741 specifies that the unit must be strong enough to withstand a load of 6x the WLL. So you know that a 1t shackle is good to go for at least 6t.  The difference between the WLL and the breaking strength is a safety factor, in this case, 6.  Whereas for G80 it’s x4 = 1.12 *4 = 4.48. so the WLL may be higher, but the ultimate breaking strength is lower.

Back to what’s required for a tow safety chain, and that’s the connector must be demonstrably 1.5x the trailer ATM. You can prove that in any number of ways, and you can use yellow hooks. However, should you? The authorities clearly prefer you use shackles, due to concerns about hooks coming loose in an emergency situation. But a preference isn’t the law.

So, why exactly do people use the yellow hooks anyway?

Why do people use the yellow hooks? Is there a reason to deviate from what the authorities would prefer, but not mandate you use, which is an AS2741-rated shackle? The answer is speed.

Hooks are quicker to connect than shackles. Many scoff at the extra time, but others who do a lot of towing say it adds up. All I suggest is you look at your own situation, and not be judgemental about others.

See below for the full details

So that’s a summary of the situation. If you want the full details on using yellow hooks, with questions to the authorities and details of the documentation, then watch below and make your mind up.