This is a great video, thanks for sharing it, lots of good information on it.
What tire chains?
- Thread starter DoubleGobble00
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This is a great video, thanks for sharing it, lots of good information on it.
Mackinaw BOB
Well-Known Member
I think everything has just about been covered here. Common sense will get you just as far into the mountains.tire chains will not turn your truck into a D-6 dozer. I work in the mountains all winter were chaining up is mandatory. Chains some times make guys think they can go anywhere.
ofbandg
Well-Known Member
I live in the snow belt and hunt in the mountains so chains are important in my life. I drove all kinds of rigs for thirty-five years and every one of them had a set of chains. There were times I was throwing chains on and off half a dozen times a day. "V" bars are good, trigs are better and hardened square links make good side chains. Cam locks are handy but guys keep loosing the wrenches and it's tough trying to use a screwdriver to tighten them. We mostly built our own chains from pieces we ordered or scrounged and made them to fit each individual rig - leaving only one or maybe two spare end links. As an old retired goof-off I now drive a one-ton diesel and the chains I made up for it are "V" bar super-singles for the back and standard crosslinks for the front. I would have put the "V" bars on the front too except it's too tight a space and I didn't want to hit any of that fragile automotive stuff. I use bungies for tighteners and very simple hook-ups on the chain ends. Crawling around in the slush trying to make complicated hook-ups fit the inside chain-link will make you speak evil words about whoever invented it. When you first put chains on it's best to drive a couple hundred yards and then get out and check them because they loosen up quickly and any problems show up in a hurry. I haven't heard anyone here talk about it but chains should also be put on trailers if the roads are slippery. It's a bad feeling when the back end of your trailer is trying to pass you on the downslopes. We use a lightweight diamond style crosslink chain on our trailers because it always had contact with the road surface. Your don't need heavy duty chains for trailers because you aren't applying any torque to the wheels. You just need them to pull straight. Before you put any chains on stretch them out on the road and make sure there are no twists or inside out sections. Either of these shortens them and they may not fit like you think they should.
I highly recommend a Hi-Lift farm jack. It will get you out of all sorts of trouble. I've even used it to turn my truck around by jacking it up several times and pushing it off the jack. If you are already stuck, (usually when I decide to put on chains) lifting the wheel out of the mud makes it much easier to put on the chains. Use bungees, or the rubber chain tightners. I live in the desert, so by the time I put on chains the tightners are usually rotted away from the heat. If you have your chains come off and wrap around the axle, in freezing mud, you'll start carrying better chain tightners. I highly recommend the KO2 All Terrain Radial by BF Goodrich. They are a great compromise tire. Decent for highway and off road both. A little or a lot of extra weight in the back end will really help in snow, and mud if it isn't bottomless.
Yep, the Li-Lift jack is always on the list, as is a good winch; if you can spend the bucks that is, We took our F-350 Super Duty diesel/Camper this year to Alaska a couple of months ago for 6 weeks just driving and looking... fishing that kinda stuff... up to Coldfoot and Atigun Pass then back by a different route... I put on a 12,000 heavy-duty Warne, you know'..., for that just in case thing, but the Hi-Left was always on the truck. I actually used both'..., as well as my portable air compressure to help other people, I was lucky, and so were they that I had the equipment on hand. Think about what you might need'..., then double down.
Bingoc
Well-Known Member
All good advice, but there is a laundry list of items together with chains that you'll need to ensure that you can get out of the mountains during a snow storm. The best thing that you can do is take a little time and visit the back country search and rescue group or the forest service and get some advice on gear for the area that you plan on traveling But you first need to invest in a four wheel drive vehicle and practice installing the gear that you think is appropriate for your travel.
Clem Bronkoski
Well-Known Member
I agree in getting the best set you can afford. Also don't forget the tensioning rubbers to keep them tight on the tires. And another piece of advice, put them on as soon as you think you're going to need them. Having 4WD for as long as I can remember I still remember the last time I needed my chains. Going up a snow/ice covered hill and my pickup fishtailed and the rear tire went into a ditch. What a time my dad and I had putting a chain on that tire! Even with 4WD I carry a set of those rubber chains just in case I ever need that extra grab.
Another thing being that you only have 2WD. IMO you should invest in a winch or at the very least a good come-a-long to help you out of trouble.
Another thing being that you only have 2WD. IMO you should invest in a winch or at the very least a good come-a-long to help you out of trouble.
Nickie.01
Active Member
Practice putting your chains on, and taking them off before you leave town. Adjust them for your tires. Don't run them too tight! Radial tires flex more in the sidewall and over tightening wrecks tires and chains. As someone else said run them a couple hundred feet and adjust. The cams on the inside and outside have to be adjusted to keep the chain running centered on the tire. Always link the ends to the side rails, if wire or bungee cords fail you have a lot of damage before you can stop. If you can get someone with experience to show you how to put them on your truck and adjust them you will learn more than I can type. Lots of people have shared their experience here, and would help if you live close.
Like others have stated good chains aren't cheap. I ordered a set(4) yrs ago for hunting trips to Colorado . From a co in Oregon . If you keep going out west in the mountains with a two wheel drive it is going to bite you in the butt (eventually)
Bret White
Member
i wouldn't go anywhere with 2 wheel drive chains or not this time of year in Wy
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
It is amazing how far you can get in 2WD, chained up with weight, weight being a key, if you have a locker in the rear diff it's almost as good as 4x4.
You won't find a handy man jack any where near me, my trucks or place, they are more dangerous than any situation you could be in, I've been knocked out by one and I know two guys who are vegetables because of them, they are a crap solution to a problem that there are safe tools for a solution, it makes me sick to my stomach when I see them being used and someone is always trying to keep them in place so they don't tip or blow out, they are from the devil IMO!!
You won't find a handy man jack any where near me, my trucks or place, they are more dangerous than any situation you could be in, I've been knocked out by one and I know two guys who are vegetables because of them, they are a crap solution to a problem that there are safe tools for a solution, it makes me sick to my stomach when I see them being used and someone is always trying to keep them in place so they don't tip or blow out, they are from the devil IMO!!
memtb
Well-Known Member
There's a good reason that they're often called "widow makers"! memtb
