Dfr360cuda,
You are correct on the safety chains for the hitch.
I think that 67dart273 was meaning the tie downs for the car on the trailer when he referred to the "cross" binding of the vehicles when being towed.
I was always told the same thing as well, so today I spent a lot of time and could find anything written that says its the law. I did find an article in a Hagerty insurance page that talks about tying down your car. Her is the page I found. It refers to the tie down can be done in either manner and then the picture they put in the article has them cross binded. I plan on asking my neice who is a PA state trooper if there is any documentation of what the law is here. When I do I will certainly post.
Here is the part of the Hagerty page:
"By tying down the chassis, the car floats down the road as it is supposed to. You can cross the ratchet straps or keep them straight. Wrap the axle strap around the axle housing in the rear, and then use the ratchet straps to increase tension. Up front, wrap the axle strap around something that won’t cut the strap – like an A-arm, chassis rail or solid front axle – and use the ratchet straps to finish tying the car down. Be careful not to secure the straps around the sway bars, steering arms or the steering rack. When positioning the straps, make sure that no brake or oil lines are crushed."
The pic that is part of the article didnt copy over.
Maybe there is someone else that can help shed some light on this.
Rod