Hammer lock link

**Pack Mule** · 08-01-2018, 07:25 PM

I added some more chain today to my anchor rode using one of these hammerlock links . Hope it works .

av8r · 08-01-2018, 11:43 PM

Several of us have used the connecting link you show, with no reports of failures. A hammerlock link is something different though.
Probably more important is what kind of anchor you have at the end of the chain.

Steve Bedford · 08-02-2018, 06:46 AM

It is all about sizing (actually verifying sizing). You would want the connecting link to be close in comparison or even stronger than the chain it is connecting. You do not want this relatively inexpensive device to be the weak link in your ground tackle. Up sizing is good but getting it through the windlass might be a challenge. This can be overcome by simply hand feeding the connector (PIA) past the windlass.

Can’t argue with the comment about having an excellent anchor at the end of the chain. If the anchor does not set well in the seabed you attempt to penetrate or if it does not hold in the same seabed then the connector will not be a problem!

Steve

Roger Long · 08-02-2018, 07:21 AM

A quick look at some online info indicates the the load rating of the link you show is about half that of the chain. Hope it works too but I won't be the one lying awake wondering on a dark and stormy night.

Group9 · 08-02-2018, 07:37 AM

I rode out Hurricane Issaac (42 foot 22,000 pound sailboat) on a 45 lb. Manson Supreme and 165 feet of 5/16 chain with two of those links in it that I had installed two years before and had cruised for a year with through the Bahamas. It parked on top of us and blew right at hurricane strength for two days. They didn’t break.

I worried a lot less about them after that.

Briney Bug · 08-02-2018, 09:09 AM

Campbell Chain Co. manufactures high-strength "missing links", that fit and equal in strength G4 chain. Unfortunately, they don't manufacture these links in 5/16 or smaller. The other "G3" rated connectors are size to fit and equal in strength G3 chain.
Rudy Sechez

**Pack Mule** · 08-02-2018, 09:18 AM

My goal was to get the chain in the windlass sooner. The 3/4 “ line was piling up and not giving the chain enough fall to exit the gypsy. It was jamming up and wrapping around the gypsy. I’m hoping this will solve our problem. I added about 20ft of chain to what I already had. The anchor holds good for what we do on the Tennessee River. I’ve changed the gypsy to one that fits the chain better since I took this pic.

**Pack Mule** · 08-02-2018, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by av8r

Several of us have used the connecting link you show, with no reports of failures. A hammerlock link is something different though.
Probably more important is what kind of anchor you have at the end of the chain.

Thanks for the correction. What I used is called a forged connecting link. A hammerlock link would not go through the gypsy.