2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Winter Chains - Advice Requested

[JJW_ND]

Observations from ND

Chains are as rare as seeing Elvis up here. We don't have mountains so we rely on speed and momentum to bust through snow. Did I mention we have a little wind to sort the snow out in nice even piles.



I did have the pleasure of spending a weekend hunting with a V10 Ram chained up (tractor chains modified to fit pickup tires). While it was pretty awsome the snow we went through it was all at lower speeds. We still got stuck and it took hours more to shovel out. The chains just allowed us to hunt areas we should have been walking.



They have a place in Mountains but when you do not have elevation, side slopes, or mud and rocks I will stick to good siped snow tires. If you show up in ND with chains don't ask for help putting them on as few will have a clue how!



The winter of 96/97 I did 20K in the winter months pulling trailers back from KS. Drove through an increadible amount of snow. I still do not own a set a chains.



jjw

ND

 

[dan_gilson]

jkoehler:



Chains like insurance, you just have to carry them.



I got a set of chains from www.tirechains.com. They were easy to work with and answered all my questions. I have a set of v-links for the duals in the back and a medium duty set for the front. The v-links are pretty aggressive.



I also plan on going to 19. 5 wheels.



When my chains came they were a little long for the 16" wheels. I have 215/85R16's. I have the smallest 19. 5's on order. The data sheet says that they are less than 1" bigger then the 16's. I have 3 links to spare on the chains so I should be fine. I will test when Rickson ships my new wheels and tires.



Adding a link is not all that bad. You can use either a split link or a carabeaner type.



Another things to think about. Here in CA even a 4x4 with M/S tires is required to carry chains. They normally close the highway before you are required to mount them but if you do get stuck without them you can normally get yourself unstuck with them.



What may work fine on the highway may not work at all in a parking lot that has not been as well maintained. Getting stuck sucks. Having to wait and pay to get unstuck really sucks!



You need to think about storage of the chains in the truck. Unless you have a club or extended cab and have big plastic bin under the back seat, you probably will not want them in the cab. Getting road dirt and possibly rust on the carpets would not be good. I have a platic part bin in the bed and the bed is covered with a hard cap.



Keeping the chains straight is also important. Unless you like spending a hour or so in the cold trying to get them in order. Think about those cold hands!



I got a heavy duty painter's drop cloth and cut it into strips. I got my wife to sew over all the edges so they would not unravel. The chains get put on to the canvas and the canvas gets rolled up and tied. Then the bundles get put in to the parts bin.



Just to help out a little more I painted one side of the chains. That way I can visually see that they are not twisted.



I also sprayed the inside of the canvas with LPS3, a oil based rust inhibitor.



You might also think of knee pads and yellow slicker bottoms for the bin so you don't get wet installing them.



I hope this helps! Better safe than sorry.

 

[jmtandem]

4x4 and chains

One thing to remember is that 4x4s are not four wheel drive, they are typicaly one wheel in the front and one in the rear drive. There are times when (off road) the wheels cannot get sufficient traction when on a gullied or rutted dirt road or trail. Without chains or a 'locker' system you may not go. My exerience on relatively flat roads not plowed is that at about 18-20 inches of snow even a 4x4 is struggling to make good forward progress without chains. The interstate and other mountain roads are requiring chains so early to keep accidents from occuring and closing the road. If a small car spins out it might be an anxious moment for the driver and others around them, but if an 18 wheeler jackknifes it can close the entire road with impatient people trying to get around the clog. Carrying chains is a good idea even with a 4x4; if you want maximum traction use them on the front climbing and the rear descending. Or, if you are just using them to satisify the chain control most likely use them on the drive wheels (rear for our trucks) and use 4x4 as needed to keep stress off the driveline. Generally, in California if a 4x4 needs chains on a public highway over the mountains the conditions will be so bad you might rethink your need for the trip, the time it will take, etc. Many times it is the agressive 4x4 drivers that are off the road as they think that because they can go better they can also stop better---not so. Going downhill a 2x4 with chains on might be under control better than a 4x4 without chains especially on ice. Just my observations after many trips over the Sierra's.

 

[JohnE]

<blockquote>... regarding the rather snide comment made about Seattle area drivers... </blockquote>

I resemble that remark. I would also term it blunt more than snide. I lived in the Seattle area for over 16 years. I know the common sense of winter driving rules. The worst snow flakes in Seattle are the idiots behind the wheel, chains or no chains.

I drove a 76 Chevy &frac12; ton van from Seattle to Snoqualmie to Stevens to Whistler without major problems and without using chains. I carried a set of chains to comply with the law. I used them once to break trail through 18" of snow in my apartment complex parking lot .



I'm back in the flat snow country where people know how to winter drive.

 

[illflem]

Problem in Seattle is that they only have something like five plows to do the whole city since it doesn't snow much. Most of the time it's melted before they even finish.

 

[TowPro]

I am from PA, where we get our fair share of ice, but I used to travel the US pretty heavy installing Cell Sites. I can remember several ice storms in the South. No offence intended, but it was pretty funny coming down a road to find somebody running around like they were crazy trying to stop me "You can't go over that bridge, you will crash!" There was around 6 cars all stuck into the railing of the bridge. I guess they didn’t see those signs that said "bridge freezes before road surface".



My wife is from Macon Ga, we have been down there when it snows 3", and the town Stops! We have come up 77 around charlotte in an ice storm, cars are stuck trying to go down hill! Like you said, it’s all in the preparation of your vehicle (read no bald tires) and the knowledge to drive in it. The more practice you get the better you will be.



My wife thought I was crazy when she drove in her first big snow. I took her out to a parking lot and made her do doughnuts, power slides, locked brake slides, etc. Now she knows what to expect if something happens in the snow. (PS, Her new CR-V does lousy doughnuts. )

Originally posted by HC

I've used them to travel more safely through some pretty horrendous Southern ice storms (ice is ice; it doesn't really care what state it's in),