Best Snow Chains?

[doug720]

First, I live in So Cal, born and raised here, and we don't get much snow... So my experience with chains is limited at best. I have used them quite a few times over the years, but now I will be traveling to snow country for a month soon and want to be prepared.

I have 10.50X15X33" BFG KO's on my 60 and standard diffs. We will be mostly on pavement, but some on dirt roads and poss. a little mud also.

My questions are:

1) Best type of chains?

2) Best type of tensioner's - Rubber or spring? I see some pics of none being used...Why not?

3) Use chains on front only, rear only or both? I assume both is best.

4) Are the blocks you lay the chains into and drive on any help for the installation?

Thanks for the help.

Doug

 

[snowakii]

4x4 Snow Chains article by Bill Burke. These are incredibly easy to put on and they work well.

 

[Bookseeb]

I don't know what the best is, but I got the Cabela's mud tire chains with the V-bar link for a better bite.

They come with an round rubber cord that hook right to the chain to snug them up nice and easy. I personally don't have any experience with the spring.

I use them on all fours when needed, but if I did have one pair I'd have them on the front in 4WD and the rear in 2WD.

I can't tell you about the blocks, never used them.

I bought mine a few years back and to tell you the truth I've only had to use them once, on an inclined snow covered iced dirt road, I don't think I'd of gotten out of there without my chains, safely anyway. For me up here in Washington and with good tires they are rarely used, but nice to have.
HTH.

 

[80t0ylc]

.......My questions are:

1) Best type of chains?.....

The heaviest duty you can afford. They take a beating, especially when used on snow packed pavement.

.......2) Best type of tensioner's - Rubber or spring? I see some pics of none being used...Why not?.....

I use rubber, but I don't think they'll last much longer. Rubber rots with age and mine are close to breaking. A short bonji cord will work. Just transfer the hooks off old rubber ones. They should be used, especially if your running 25mph or better. The tighter the chains are on the wheel/tire, the less they wear and less chance of becoming tangled with brake lines or fenders, or etc.

.......3) Use chains on front only, rear only or both? I assume both is best......

Yes, all four is best. But if you only have 1 set, for speed & especially running down hill, install on rear wheels (assuming rear wheel drive or 4WD). For short uphill or serious low speed traction with 4WD, chains are more effective on your front wheels. Caution: Downhill or high speeds with chains on front wheels only, can cause rear end fishtale and loss of control.

.......4) Are the blocks you lay the chains into and drive on any help for the installation?.....

Never have used them, but seem like might help. Don't know how they would hold up in messy conditions. Might be more trouble than their worth.

 

[doug720]

Thanks for the reply's, I think I found 2 sets on line.

Thanks again,

Doug

 

[roalco]

X2 what 80t0ylc says. I have heavy ladder chain sets for both front and rear, and all have crosslink reinforcements. Get either straight crosslink or V-bar reinforcements, whichever you can find. They take the wear and protect the crosschains from grinding out and failing, and taking out your fenders.... They also are absolutely the best on hardpack and hard heavy ice. If you can find the diamond pattern of crosschains in a heavy commercial chain, they will give you a slightly better ride, but regular ladders chains will get you through anything. Just make sure they are tight (adjust them after they have driven for a bit, and use lots of bungies) and kepp your speed reasonably. Your rig will tell you when you are traveling too fast (your vision blurrs and your teeth chatter from the vibration!).
Had them on my haflingers (with manual lockers) too... could climb an ice fall with them!
Just fyi, sort them out early and get used to installing them in the driveway (a couple of hours practice is worth millions later). Store them in a heavy container (a marine battery box works great) and I prepare each chain individually and store them with cardboard dividers to keep them from tangling.

 

[bigndn]

I'll second (or third) what's been said so far. I definitely agree on the V-bar selection, they bite into the ice nicely. That being said, the vast majority of people will never wear out their chains. Use rubber tensioners for convenience. The spring type tensioners are for semi-permanent installation, like on tractors and skidders. Pick up a few extra sets of rubber tensioners, or some rubber bungees to use in an emergency. I only use my chains when I need to and take them off again.

As mentioned above, take the time to familiarize yourself with the installation of them. Even if they're NIB. I opened a NIB set last season and found that one of the keepers had come off. It was an easy fix, but I had to pry the link open and close it again. It wasn't fun in 2' of powder, but at least I had some tools.

Remember, chains will get you farther, but if you get stuck with chains on YOU'RE REALLY STUCK.

 

[craptabulous]

v-bar's.

i just buy cross links and chain and make my own. my quad has a set my fj has a set, had to make them at work all the time for machines . snappi hooker rubber tie downs have never let me down .

on the quad i just make them tight enough that i air down the tires and put the chains on them air up the tire . but i leave them on the quad all winter .

 

[climber8483]

I have to agree also, the get the heaviest duty ones you can afford. the "ladder" or highway chains seem to last the longest and hold up the best. V bar is great on ice. I have always used 550 cord instead of the rubber to tension the chains, but at the fire department we use the rubber bungee cords.

Look on craigslist and maybe check at your local fire department if they are surplussing any chains? I picked up a set of super heavy duty chains for the cruiser from the fire department, just had to adjust them to the size tires I run for 20 bucks for both axles.

Brittain

 

[Skidoo]

If you plan on driving off camber trail, do not use ladder type, you want modified diamond pattern like in post #2 above. Ladder type do not have enough side bite to keep you on the trail, you will just slide sideways down hill.

 

[TheJackRabbit]

I have four V-Bar heavy chains for my tall skinny 16 inch tires with rubber tensioners. They are fantastic on snow and ice but hell on black top roads.

 

[80t0ylc]

If you plan on driving off camber trail, do not use ladder type, you want modified diamond pattern like in post #2 above. Ladder type do not have enough side bite to keep you on the trail, you will just slide sideways down hill.

I was at a Les Schwab yesterday and looked at these chains. Two things came to mind, first being that they looked easier to install, which is good. Second thing, not so good, was how much smaller and lighter the links were compared with mine. Wouldn't want to run these for very long, especially if you were hitting any patches of bare pavement.

Also, these would give you a little more lateral stability on ice, but for durability and off road conditions, I'll stick with my heavier "ladder type". If there's any benefit for off camber wheeling in snow, it wouldn't be much. At least not enough to make me switch.

 

[Bogo]

4x4 Snow Chains article by Bill Burke. These are incredibly easy to put on and they work well.

I second this. I've used mine in heavy clay type mud and snow. RUD makes a variety of different styles which you can see at their web site. Most places drop ship directly from RUD. They are US made here in Iowa.

Rud Grip 4x4 and Rud Compact Grip The nice thing about the RUD GRIP 4x4 chains is they can be put on the wheels without moving the vehicle. They use a cable on the inside side and chain tensioners on the outside side. I've not seen any need for using rubber tensioners with them. I've had them on my farm field truck for the past month. I can get to some parts of the farm that the tractor can't get to. The icy sloped parts are not an issue. They just bite in and the truck goes up the slope while the 4WD tractor just spins it's wheels.

 

[Malahki]

I use tire chains at work on a very regular basis moving oil rigs in Alberta. We run chains on ice, snow and mud and you can not beat the simplicity of the ladder rail style chains. I have had to chain up all 4 duals 8 times in one day before and don't want to be messing around longer then I have to.

Also the traction and durability of the Trygg chains is very impressive. Transport Chains | Trygg . Just last week I put 450km in two days traveling on ice covered logging roads and only broke 2 cross rails. And that is with up to 20 000kgs on my drive axles.

Seeing how you are looking for chains for a narrow 10.5" wide tire, if you are on a budget, I suggest finding some used from a trucking company and size them down to fit. Lots of construction, logging and oilfield companies have piles of used chains, that still have lots of good parts.

Here is a picture of a set of chains I was sizing down and adding crossrails to, after an absent minded truck driver left them at the end of a lease road.

 

[bigndn]

First, I live in So Cal, born and raised here, and we don't get much snow... So my experience with chains is limited at best. I have used them quite a few times over the years, but now I will be traveling to snow country for a month soon and want to be prepared.

I have 10.50X15X33" BFG KO's on my 60 and standard diffs. We will be mostly on pavement, but some on dirt roads and poss. a little mud also.

My questions are:

1) Best type of chains?

2) Best type of tensioner's - Rubber or spring? I see some pics of none being used...Why not?

3) Use chains on front only, rear only or both? I assume both is best.

4) Are the blocks you lay the chains into and drive on any help for the installation?

Thanks for the help.

Doug

You don't need the best, which is Trygg. You need some simple V-bar ladder chains with rubber tensioners. If you're going to chain up, go all 4 or don't bother. I've never tried the block thingy you describe. I just lay my chain out, make sure it's not twisted anywhere, locate the middle, put the middle top dead center on the tire, hook the inside, hook the outside, install tensioner(s). Sometimes I'll put 2 tensioners on, staggered of course, if I know I'll be using chain for a while.

Also the traction and durability of the Trygg chains is very impressive. Transport Chains | Trygg . Just last week I put 450km in two days traveling on ice covered logging roads and only broke 2 cross rails. And that is with up to 20 000kgs on my drive axles.

Seeing how you are looking for chains for a narrow 10.5" wide tire, if you are on a budget, I suggest finding some used from a trucking company and size them down to fit. Lots of construction, logging and oilfield companies have piles of used chains, that still have lots of good parts.

Agreed, Tryggs are the best out there, but he only needs them for a month or so.

 

[PEGUSAS]

Chains - Do you air down too?

So, if you are "chaining up" for the snow/ice do you also "air down" the tires? If so, how does this effect the fit and function of the chains?

I live in Virginia. We get a wide variety of snow/ice. So sometimes we have deep snow on the side roads and then the main streets have been cleared to pavement. Question is - is it safe to run on the dry pavement with chains and for how long?

 

[CruiserStuff]

When I buy a new set of chains, I always get a size or two larger (diameter, not width) and cut them down to fit.....I usually end up with a spare crosslink or two out of the deal.

I have also been known to take out the last crosslink at one end....this allows me to drape the chain over the top of the tire, reach around and attach the hook inside and then pull the front ends together and fasten them....eliminates the need for a block or having to lay out and drive over the chains to get them on.

I like the v-bar ice-breaker crosslinks. The square link p-wags seem to be popular, but I don't see much of a benefit.

No, I have never aired down my tires in snow/ice. I would avoid running chains on bare pavement for any duration of time.....no cornering traction and wears the chains out in a very short time.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

No on airing down ( you want the chains to be as tight as practical), and severely limit the dry pavement driving. You will rattle your rig to pieces and wear the chains surprisingly fast.

 

[DrivingMissRosey]

Who the heck needs chains on blacktop? I dont mean to hijack the thread, but chains should never be used on blacktop. In some states running studs on blacktop will get you a ticket, likely chains on blacktop would be a ticket as well. At the very least, running chains on blacktop will wear the chains out pretty fast, not to mention messing up the road. I certainly don't want to have to pay the city and state highway depts. to fix the bare roads that people drove on with chains because they were too lazy to take them off. I'm pretty surprised that people thought driving on blacktop with chains is in any way a plausible thing.

 

[PEGUSAS]

Who the heck needs chains on blacktop? I dont mean to hijack the thread, but chains should never be used on blacktop. In some states running studs on blacktop will get you a ticket, likely chains on blacktop would be a ticket as well. At the very least, running chains on blacktop will wear the chains out pretty fast, not to mention messing up the road. I certainly don't want to have to pay the city and state highway depts. to fix the bare roads that people drove on with chains because they were too lazy to take them off. I'm pretty surprised that people thought driving on blacktop with chains is in any way a plausible thing.

Nick - agreed - no one should run chains on blacktop - what would be the point. However, as I noted in my original post, here in Virginia the state might get the main roads clear to something close to blacktop and the side roads won't be cleared for a week or more. So really my question was - if I chain up for the uncleared roads, how long can I travel on the cleared (pavement roads) until I cause damage to my rig, tires and chains? This is assuming that I am only using the cleared roads to get to my neighbors to help them out etc. Thoughts?