The basic construction of a SF6 circuit breaker depends on the linkage system which should be made of strong and lightweight materials. For proper design, it is important to first understand the load characteristics, because an operating force with a steep wave front applies a complicated impact load on the linkage system due to factors such as elasticity, viscosity and play of joints. This paper presents practical methods to understand the load characteristics through the comparison of the simple models of spring-mass systems with the test results of three-phase gang operated breakers. A valuable design guide and cautions are presented. For example, excessive load is applied on the operating rod with the greatest elasticity of the three phase linkage systems, and equal elasticity of each phase linkage decreases the load.