Here’s a question we get asked in the shop, and one our own older website wording didn’t help with: if Vehicle Standards Bulletin 1 (VSB1) and the connection-device guidance talk about shackles, does that mean safety-chain hooks are no good?
Short answer: the written national guidance still describes connection devices mainly as Bow, D or Pin shackles. It does not spell out today’s manufacturer-rated towing hook kits as a named product class. VSB1 still talks shackles — the written standard lags what the industry actually sells and fits. That lag is not the same as “hooks are illegal.”
What the documents say
VSB1 (Revision 6, August 2026) sets how many safety chains you need by Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM), and that light-trailer chain must meet AS 4177.4 (or a certified cable). The section on drawbars, safety chains and couplings is marked as currently under review. It does not run a checklist for yellow G80/G100 towing hook packs.
Circular 0-1-3 (Administrator of Vehicle Standards) is guidance for choosing a safety-chain connection device up to 3,500 kg ATM. It walks through AS 2741 shackles and says there is no legal obligation to follow that guidance — but if you use something else, you may need to show the state authority it is appropriate. Its definition of a connection device is still shackle-shaped.
Transport Victoria recommends load-rated D-shackles (AS 2741) with a break load at least about 1.5 times the trailer’s ATM. It also says it does not recommend lifting hooks — clevis, Mawby, sling or eye hooks — for towing, because those lifting-style hooks aren’t designed for it. That’s an important distinction: a generic lifting hook is not the same conversation as a kit the maker rates for towing.
What’s on the market
We stock and sell rated towing safety-chain hook kits. Two of the main lines on our shelf are from Austlift:
- G80 Vehicle Chain Safety Hook Set — two eye sling hooks and two chain connectors. Austlift states conformity to AS3776-2015, AS4177.4 and ADR 62/02 (their page writes ADR6202), and lists ATM tow capacities by size (for example the 8 mm kit / code 103508: suits 10 mm and 13 mm trailer chain, 4 t ATM, breaking force 8,000 kg). The maker states a 4 to 1 safety factor (AS3775.2); treat the published ATM figure as already including that factor — don’t derate it again.
- G100 Vehicle Chain Safety Kit — same idea, higher ratings (for example the 8 mm kit / code 103608: suits 10 mm and 13 mm chain, 5 t ATM, breaking force 10,000 kg, again with Austlift’s 4 to 1 note). Same rule: the stated ATM already builds in their safety factor.
Mawby-style quick hooks are another brand customers ask about. Whatever the brand, ask for the maker’s towing rating, matching chain size, and clear markings — not a bare unmarked hook from the back of the shed. (Transport Victoria names Mawby in its lifting-hooks list; that is not the same as treating Mawby as a manufacturer-rated towing kit.)
What we tell customers
Shop default advice is still a rated AS 2741 Grade S shackle matched to the chain and ATM. If you prefer a rated hook kit, bring the trailer’s ATM plate and the chain stamp (for example 4177-25 or 4177-35) and we’ll help you estimate what suits — that’s a conversation in store, not a fitment promise over the web.
Related reading: our guide to trailer safety chain ratings.
Sources
- Vehicle Standards Bulletin 1, Revision 6 (August 2026) PDF
- Circular 0-1-3 (Administrator of Vehicle Standards) PDF
- Transport Victoria: Caravans
- Austlift G80 Vehicle Chain Safety Hook Set
- Austlift G100 Vehicle Chain Safety Kit
- BT&T: Trailer safety chain ratings
This is general information only, not legal advice. Always check your trailer plate, the markings on the gear, and the current standards.
Want your chains and connectors checked against the plate? Call 1800 486 922, text 0440 130 163, or visit Ballarat Trailers & Towbars, 4 Ballarat-Carngham Rd, Alfredton VIC 3350. Get a price.
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