Abstract: To facilitate adjusting the length of a heavy cargo hold-down chain on a transport vehicle and for positively and safely locking the chain after adjustment, a pair of identical slotted plates are employed in reverse overlapping relationship and are detachably secured by releasable fastener means with chain links captured in their slots. The cooperating plate elements are formed to transmit chain tension on a straight linear axis with the releasable fastener means subjected to shearing stresses rather than to bending stresses.