Snow Chains... what are you using?

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

Shopping for a set of snow chains for the shop truck: a 4WD Toyota short bed, short cab on a fresh set of 31 x 10.5 / 15 BFG AT ko2's wrapped around Toyota alloy's.

We need to be able to get around the steep terrain of our area when it snows, freezing-rains, melts & refreezes, etc. The Ko2's are great general purpose tires, and pretty decent for a bit of packed snow & ice on roads that don't have much more than some mild inclines, but what we really need is to have the ability to go up and down +/- 45% grade ungraveled/unsanded ice skating rinks with confidence.

I don't need the absolute quickest to install here... this truck sees only a few hundred miles each year at best, and the plan is to leave it chained up on all four's in one of the shop bays for several months each year, just so we always have something ready to go when needed. I also don't need the cheapest chains in the world, although I'm not looking to spend $1k on snow chains either. What I'm after here is the best steep terrain compact snow & ice traction that I can get. FWIW, speeds with chains installed could be up to around 35mph on the plowed/graveled flats, but more often than not, under 25 mph. On the steeps, we'd be crawling... of course.

So what are you folks out there using for snow & ice chains? What works great, what works okay, what is a total waste of time, money, or the effort of even installing them?

 

[evilfij]

Cable chains suck.

Rudd is the best.

The snowchains.com type are ok.

Basically you get what you pay for with chains. I have gotten all of mine on craigslist for very good deals.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I have a set that started from tirechains.com probably got them in 1998 or so. They've been lengthened from 30x10.50 to 33x10.50, shortened back to 30x10.50 and I'll be reworking them again for 235/85R16. They've been fine for what I do, non-commercial and mostly recreation. I have the standard duty twisted cross link with the cams.

In my experience what you need to buy (or source from Craigslist) are chains with the cams mostly. A great source for the side chain and cross chain are truck chain stations. You can usually harvest more than enough thrown chains to make or repair just about any configuration you need.

My technique isn't too bad for speed, although I only probably chain up a couple of times a year anymore.

Cut a couple of 4x4s that are as long as your tread is wide.
Lay out two chains for an axle.
Put the 4x4 in the middle of the ladder.
Drive up on the 4x4.
Wrap chain around tire.
Works even better if you use a couple of 4x4s per chain to create a platform.

If you want to get slick, put the 4x4 on a larger plywood base to prevent it from sinking, but they keep the chains stations around here plowed well enough that it's not critical. As a bonus the 4x4s can be part of your normal cribbing for recovery, camp leveling, etc.

 

[dman93]

I have the Peerless (I think) brand from Walmart. Carry 'em, but have never needed 'em on multiple 4x4's. They are the "diamond" type that zig-zag across the tread, with the quick install design that you wrap around the contact patch. You still should drive forward a bit after they're on to get them squared away before tensioning them for the 2nd time. So much easier than using blocks or the old type you lay down and drive onto. Note that though I've never used this style on my 4x4's, I have used them with cars and even on the front wheels they are much smoother than crossbar-only chains. Traction seemed good too.

 

[Inyo_man]

I tend to only use chains when off pavement in the winter as conditions/terrain demand.

These work well for my needs, but it sounds like you want something more heavy duty.
http://chainstop.com/truck-tire-chains/grip


One of the fellas I wheel with got these last year. They work very well. Although they are pricey, it would be money well spent for the type of usage you are describing.
http://www.rud.com/en/products/tyre...rking-machines/detail/rudprofi-greifsteg.html

 

[sargeek]

The problem these days is that most vehicles do not allow the use on all 4 tire. My 2006 Tacoma, and 2015 GMC 1500 only allow the use of chains on the rear axle. All wiring for ABS/Traction control come into harms way when running chains on the front.

I like V-bar chains for on pavement ice covered roads - http://www.tirechain.com/VBAR.htm

For off road I like larger sized cross link:http://www.tirechain.com/HEAVYTRUCK.htm

For super severe applications (logging business, snow makers at ski resorts, or the bad-***** off road chains) I have made DIY Chains - essentially the acquire four pairs of tire chains and take the cross bars off and combine everything making a killer set for the truck by doubling the cross links. These chains ride smother, and provide increased traction and don't slip on the tire as much . I have seen some super cool sets with the thicker mud chain alternating with the v-bar chains. Best to buy a solid set that fits your tire size and then find the donor chains (Craig's list, garage sales, thrift store) and start removing the cross links reattaching them to your base set. The problem with these once built is that they are super heavy and take up a lot of space when not in use.

I received a set of diamond chains for free but never got to use them. The interesting part is that a lot of the diamond chains are not recommended for "Off-Road" use or for "Plowing".

 

[Webfoot]

For super severe applications (logging business, snow makers at ski resorts, or the bad-***** off road chains) I have made DIY Chains - essentially the acquire four pairs of tire chains and take the cross bars off and combine everything making a killer set for the truck by doubling the cross links.

That's called a two-link-spacing (2-link) chain. They are harder to find but factory options exist.

How do you like a pair of these 2-link chains on the rear with none on the front? Can yous till steer OK?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Interesting. Didn't know about the ABS wires. Just got my Tacoma last year and this is the first full winter with it, so the chains have been fitted but not yet used. Add another to the list - reason #17 why I regret moving to a newer vehicle. Doh. I still pump the brakes and I have to unlearn that. I wonder if I could just leave the ABS disconnected. I pull the fuse when I'm off road, I pretty much hate it anyway.

 

[Clutch]

Interesting. Didn't know about the ABS wires. Just got my Tacoma last year and this is the first full winter with it, so the chains have been fitted but not yet used. Add another to the list - reason #17 why I regret moving to a newer vehicle. Doh. I still pump the brakes and I have to unlearn that. I wonder if I could just leave the ABS disconnected. I pull the fuse when I'm off road, I pretty much hate it anyway.

I don't have ABS on mine, but the chains barely clear the UCA full droop. Doesn't have enough room to make me feel comfortable.

Stock rim, 32X11.5X15 tire, 2.5" of lift.

Skinnier tire, or different offset rim would cure it, don't run chains enough to warrant changing anything.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I don't have ABS on mine, but the chains barely clear the UCA full droop. Doesn't have enough room to make me feel comfortable.

Stock rim, 32X11.5X15 tire, 2.5" of lift.

Skinnier tire, or different offset rim would cure it, don't run chains enough to warrant changing anything.

LOL, already ahead of you on that. I run Camburg UCA, 235/85R16 (32x9.5) on stock rims with 2.5" of lift so I can fit my fist between the upper arm and tire and around the wheel well. It's a little tighter than I'd like at full lock since I still have mud flaps (not stock, 1/4" rubber bolted on).



All of this was honestly because of trying to fit chains. I use them mainly for less maintained secondary roads when we go skiing. I usually chain up before parking and it's saved my bacon a few times when you come back to find your truck plowed in or a bunch of new snow a day or two later.

 

[Clutch]

Man, would like to have that much clearance, can barely get my fingers in there. Don't want to spend the money to do so. Lack of a better term, it just snow balls...trying to achieve one thing...need to change a bunch of other things. Off the top of my head that is like nearly a $2000 fix just to get a little clearance.

I dunno, if I need chains at all 4 corners, probably shouldn't be there in the first place.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Man, would like to have that much clearance, can barely get my fingers in there. Don't want to spend the money to do so. Lack of a better term, it just snow balls...trying to achieve one thing...need to change a bunch of other things. Off the top of my head that is like nearly a $2000 fix just to get a little clearance.

For once I (sort of) had foresight and since I was lifting and replacing tires on a blank slate stock truck it was intentional.

Only to be thwarted by a dastardly piece of wire.

I dunno, if I need chains at all 4 corners, probably shouldn't be there in the first place.

How else are you gonna get away from all other yahoos? Colorado is full of people like me trying to get after the goods.

 

[DaveInDenver]

You better be careful, you might get all the jackholes from CO moving there to escape the influx. Her employer's HQ is Boise and I'm lobbying for relocation. It's not as simple as all that since she's the only one doing what she does in the Ft. Collins office, so if the tables were reversed they'd be relocating her from Boise to here anyway.

 

[sargeek]

That's called a two-link-spacing (2-link) chain. They are harder to find but factory options exist.

How do you like a pair of these 2-link chains on the rear with none on the front? Can yous till steer OK?

In my experiences the chains on rear only work way better then no chains. The front drifts a bit more, but generally not an issue in snow operations. The front end unchained can become a problem on super steep down hill grades when the weight transfers to the front especially in unloaded pick-ups with a bid diesel engine in the front. The back end does not have enough weight on the tires to make a difference. Still way better than no chains. The 2-link chains are just plain better - more traction, smother ride, and just increase the performance. What they really cut down on is having the tire spin inside the tire chains - this can happen when the chain has a good bite into the surface but the weight of the truck or drag on the snow is too great.


By putting chains on a vehicle you tend to operate it way differently. Without chains - people usually use speed and momentum to get through tricky sections (similar to driving a 2x4 through rough sections); once you put chains on its like driving a 4x4 in low range. You let the gears and chains dig their way. Chains also let you do real work pulling or moving around.

We just got my wife a Subaru - limited clearance; thinking about getting the autosock as an alternate traction device. Approved in that state of Colorado as traction device in during "chains only" snow events.
http://www.autosock.com/en/

 

[DaveInDenver]

We got a set of Thule CB-12 for her car, a Mk IV Jetta, after seeing them in Switzerland on rental SEAT we had getting up to Sion. They go on super quick, no slack, fit perfect, they are the real deal. Over there they put tire chains in the rental cars because you need them. Road maintenance is a little different than here, as in there is very little of it and sometimes the traffic just stops. For a long time. The people traveling know this and are prepared.



But it was so very much worth it.