****attention**** all 4x4'ers..... TIRE CHAINS, pics and description of what to buy!!

[gingerbreadman]

I was out hunting the other day and since winter has come early this year there was over a foot of snow in my prefered hunting area so i chained up the front of my pickup.... My rusty wore out old set of car chains i used were just not cutting the gravy that day.... Well my hunitng buddy made comment on this and said he knows a friend of a friend who can get me a set of chains at wholesale.... So i jumped on it.... i got this set of chains here, they are presized (almost) for the tire i said i have and they are the slickest thing i have ever scene... they call these "cam lock" chains, they are a normal heavy duty truck "v bar" chain but they have 3 cams on the outside chain that when loose allow you to buckle them up and once there on you give them a twist with the supplied wrench and it sucks them right up tight... no more need for bungy cords to keep them tight i also found that when i started going above 20 mph with my old chains centrifugal force would pull my chains outwords and slap around.... with these new chains i cant see that happining now

I also lucked out on a set of heavy duty regualr "v bar" chains for the back for free i just gotta size them up........


here are some pics.... very very cool stuff guys... note how the cams work.........

-gbm-

 

[crushnut]

Looks pretty slick to me, nice find

 

[70stangcoupe]

Good find!

 

[SuperDave]

I have a similar set for all four wheels of my 4X4 and they work great. Last Saturday, I went Christmas tree hunting with my son. He had another slick set of chains that I'd never seen. Between the lateral chains across the tire was an chain "X" between each lateral.

We still managed to get struck however but that's why you ALWAYS carry a shovel. After all, it's no fun until you get stuck and have to dig your way out!
4X4's with chains all the way ariund still get stuck! This I know for a fact!

 

[Ozsum67]

Nice chains G-Man, however, FORD doesn't recomend you use them on the front of any of their 4x4 applications. If you do, you just might need that compass to walk your ass back to town.

 

[SuperDave]

Nice chains G-Man, however, FORD doesn't recomend you use them on the front of any of their 4x4 applications. If you do, you just might need that compass to walk your ass back to town.

Oz: We seem at odds today but I'd like to understand the reasoning behind that. I've had three Ford F-250 4X4's with the appropriate manuals for each. I've never read or been told of that advice.

I have run these trucks often with chains all the way around as do others here in WA. My current truck has traction-lock diff's (Off Road package) and at no time have I needed a compass or a walk back to town (except when I got stuck which was MY fault)

I understand the functional aspects of 4X4 better than most. Help me understand, please.

 

[Ozsum67]

Oz: We seem at odds today but I'd like to understand the reasoning behind that. I've had three Ford F-250 4X4's with the appropriate manuals for each. I've never read or been told of that advice.

I have run these trucks often with chains all the way around as do others here in WA. My current truck has traction-lock diff's (Off Road package) and at no time have I needed a compass or a walk back to town (except when I got stuck which was MY fault)

I understand the functional aspects of 4X4 better than most. Help me understand, please. [/QUO


I believe I read it in my 97 F150 owner's manual. They don't go into a lot of detail, but I presume it is because of the added torque and traction that they are afraid of you twisting something in 2. I once owned an Izusu 4x4 and the Japs said the same thing. May not be something to worry about in your HD 4x4.

 

[SuperDave]

Thanks for the response.

My truck is also a '97 but an F-250HD with off-road diffs. I don't believe in pounding it to the limit but I do use it for it's intended purpose. I'm running 265RX16 Firestones and I have ditched the automatic hubs in favor of Warn manuals.
The biggest problem that I have is "wheel hop" where the wheels jump up and down in heavy snow. It is pretty much done climbing when the diffs start to drag in the snow. The type of snow is also a huge factor. In powder, I can go over the front bumper in snow but in wet, sloppy stuff where traction is limited I' hesitant. I also am concerned about staying on the road when it is banked with a nasty ditch or hill adjacent.

By no means am I invincible when driving this truck in the woods. I want my truck to last me for many years and to still look as sharp as new.

 

[Ozsum67]

I was in East Glacier Park, Montana during the worst winter in the last 50 years. It was powder......46 inches in that many hours. I had chains on the rear and would go to a point where I was plowing the snow higher than my headlights. Then it would hop. I'd back up, get out and stomp it down, and be going some more. I once "disappeared" into a very high snow bank, only to imerge on the other side and when looking in the mirror, saw a big crowd of onlookers cheering. It was only then that I was done as my belts started slipping.

 

[Ozsum67]

I think it was the same winter that you guys lost all the boat dock roofs due to snow weight. 7 years ago or so.

 

[SuperDave]

The problem in driving blind into a snow bank is that you can't see where you are going! Obstacles like parked cars, stumps and even buildings have been known to "appear" suddenly and then it is too late to avoid them!

 

[gingerbreadman]

guys I have always been on the understanding that putting chains on the front is a risk because the front drivetrain isnt as strong as the rear, this is a fact, now the front may still be plenty strong enough, how you drive has a factor in it aswell, My personal feeling is that all 4 wheels chained up is better then just the front, if you think about it the front has alot more traction then the rear when just the front is chained up and the front is definatly weaker then the rear drivetrain......


personnaly i dont think i can do much damage to my drivetrain with my 75 horsepower 400,000k 300i6 on propane



but yes chains on the front puts more stress on the truck then chains on the back that is a fact.....

 

[gingerbreadman]

I have a similar set for all four wheels of my 4X4 and they work great. Last Saturday, I went Christmas tree hunting with my son. He had another slick set of chains that I'd never seen. Between the lateral chains across the tire was an chain "X" between each lateral.

We still managed to get struck however but that's why you ALWAYS carry a shovel. After all, it's no fun until you get stuck and have to dig your way out!
4X4's with chains all the way ariund still get stuck! This I know for a fact!

dave i was talking with a guy and he says that the trend for logging truck chains is getting away from v bar style and going to square chain made of that hard hard metal used on skidder blades and such.... aparently its less rough riding on the roads and the square cut chain grabed just as good


have you scene those cable chains that some places sell???? my gawd what a joke eh.........


-gbm-

 

[gingerbreadman]

I have a similar set for all four wheels of my 4X4 and they work great. Last Saturday, I went Christmas tree hunting with my son. He had another slick set of chains that I'd never seen. Between the lateral chains across the tire was an chain "X" between each lateral.

We still managed to get struck however but that's why you ALWAYS carry a shovel. After all, it's no fun until you get stuck and have to dig your way out!
4X4's with chains all the way ariund still get stuck! This I know for a fact!

aint driving with chains on the front in deep snow fun dave???? its defintaly a different experiance, you almost steer more with the gas pedal then steering wheel, it was my first time driving in that much snow and at first i kept over correctiing as i got sucked off the beatin path.... but as the day went on i got alot better at it.... im gonna size up my other set of chains and head out coyote hunting as deer hunting is over in a few days


-gbm-

 

[WORTH]

From a mechanical aspect I can't think of any reason not to use chains on the front. unless they are afraid that your gonna get them caught up when you turn?

We don't have a big enough snow problem here to use chains anymore. The only chains I have now are for my little JD when I plow snow with it.

 

[Ozsum67]

Like I and the GBM said, and I suppose Ford and let's not leave out the Japs, the front end is weaker than the back. GBM brings up a good point about steering.

 

[SuperDave]

I'm selective when it comes to "chaining up". The depth and type of snow, the road or trail contour and condition, the air temperature. etc. all factor in. I start by chaining the front and then go to the rears in addition if warranted.

Driving on chains can be tough on tires and the truck as well. Speed should be kept down to minimize the possible damage. It is real simple, slow down! Chained vehicles that are driven at normal speeds are NOT safe and it was never the intention to drive more than 25-30 MPH in the best of circumstances.

Isn't it funny after a good snow, the first ones in the ditch are the brand-new 4X4"s whose drivers think they are invinceable?

 

[Ozsum67]

Worth brings up a good point. Perhaps if you are using larger than stock tires on the front, there may be clearance issues.

 

[gingerbreadman]

I'm selective when it comes to "chaining up". The depth and type of snow, the road or trail contour and condition, the air temperature. etc. all factor in. I start by chaining the front and then go to the rears in addition if warranted.

Driving on chains can be tough on tires and the truck as well. Speed should be kept down to minimize the possible damage. It is real simple, slow down! Chained vehicles that are driven at normal speeds are NOT safe and it was never the intention to drive more than 25-30 MPH in the best of circumstances.

Isn't it funny after a good snow, the first ones in the ditch are the brand-new 4X4"s whose drivers think they are invinceable?

Dave im probley guilty of chaining up more then i need to but my therie is "its better to chain up at the bottom of the hill rather than in the ditch half way up the hill........ with my old (****ty) chains i couldnt get above 15 mph without them rattiling around, they werent sized right and the bungies i suppose werent strong enough.........

dave i get a kick out of those SUV's driving down the highway in 4x4 at full speed in icy conditions..... YEEE HAAAA :canflag:

another thing people forget is that in 4x4 you do have 2 times the traction or pulling force in slippery conditions but still have the same stopping power as normal think about it


i consider myself a decent driver, ya i have been known to beat the piss outa vehicles but thats just a young guy thing....... I know the consiquences of my actions and I say "u only live once" my buds dad had a pretty wild youth and we sit around the dinner table and he tells us all these stories, i wanna be just like that..........


-gbm-

 

[Ozsum67]

The problem in driving blind into a snow bank is that you can't see where you are going! Obstacles like parked cars, stumps and even buildings have been known to "appear" suddenly and then it is too late to avoid them!

True, IF you didn't know they were there. I refuse to live my life in a shoe box or become so anal that the fun is gone before it arrives. Flying Alaskan Bush planes and sailing for 3 months at a time isn't exactly safe either....and I wouldn't have it any other way.