wallytoo Posted March 14, 2015 Report Posted March 14, 2015 glad i had them today. bought a set 3 or 4 years ago, but hadn't needed them until today. during the winter, i keep them in the cab (in a bag) on the passenger floor section. rain much of the day, and temperatures dropped down to about 31. the roads and ground are still frozen anyway, and the rain froze on contact. the dirt road was covered with about 1/8" of solid ice. i pulled to the side of the road, lifted the dump body, and put the chains on the outer rear wheels. i then drove in 1st low, which i usually only need when hauling a heavy load, and went down the fairly steep hill. only broke traction once, and it was the front that lost it, but i was able to power it through, and regained control. ran it the rest of the way down the hill at 2000 rpm, which worked better than idling down the hill. got to the end of the dirt road, took 'em off and tossed 'em in the dump bed. drove the paved roads without incident. well worth the $200 investment. Quote
desoto1939 Posted March 16, 2015 Report Posted March 16, 2015 I would think that most of us would not remember how to put chains on a tire since most of us and I say that loosely had not had to put any on their cars or trucks in a long time. I remember as a kid and I am now 64 my dad having a set of chains for his cars, but I never had the opportunity to put a set on a car. Who would remember how to put a set of chains on a car tire. I do also remebr the little slip single chains that went throught the slot inthe rims and the chain provided you with some traction. these were more of an emergency quick snap on chain. I do remember that the chains had a rubber brand that the chanins hooked to via a clip of some sort. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com Quote
Don Coatney Posted March 16, 2015 Report Posted March 16, 2015 In high school in Indiana/Ohio I used chains many times as it was fun to drive when nobody else could. Then 25 years later I was relocating from Buffalo, NY the snow capital of the country to sunny California. I never had chains in Buffalo. Starting around Reno, Nevada there were road warning sings indicating that chains would be required. I first paid no attention and passed by all the cheep tire chain sellers. The signs became more prevalent the further west I drove. So I stopped and bought chains. About a mile from Donner Pass the highway patrol closed the road to all unless you had chains so I stopped and installed them. The first mile of driving with the chains the road was clear and dry. Then suddenly there were a few inches of snow but in my opinion chains were not required. A short time later one chain came off so I stopped and removed the other one. Drove the rest of the way with no trouble. That was the last time I used chains. Quote
Young Ed Posted March 16, 2015 Report Posted March 16, 2015 I would think that most of us would not remember how to put chains on a tire since most of us and I say that loosely had not had to put any on their cars or trucks in a long time. I remember as a kid and I am now 64 my dad having a set of chains for his cars, but I never had the opportunity to put a set on a car. Who would remember how to put a set of chains on a car tire. I do also remebr the little slip single chains that went throught the slot inthe rims and the chain provided you with some traction. these were more of an emergency quick snap on chain. I do remember that the chains had a rubber brand that the chanins hooked to via a clip of some sort. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com Someone just created an emergency "chain" that is basically a large zip tie that put a few of through the slots to get unstuck. Quote
TodFitch Posted March 16, 2015 Report Posted March 16, 2015 . . . Who would remember how to put a set of chains on a car tire. . . . I carry cable chains (low clearance car doesn't have enough clearance for the old fashioned chains I had for my truck or later my Jeep). Most recent use was in Arizona on New Year's morning. About 6" of unplowed snow from the driveway to the main road and then about 30 miles of icy roads to the hospital. Near as I can tell, I was the only one that had chains. Certainly the half dozen cars that were in the ditch that I passed along the way did not have chains on. Also the ambulance had no chains which meant there was an extra 1/2 hour or so for them to get unstuck in the driveway. Quote
IanT_Qld Posted March 17, 2015 Report Posted March 17, 2015 Beleive it or not. I had to use them last year in Australia. (I was in the Snowy Mountains) Similar experience to Don, once out of the icy car park the road was fine. Quote
Paul Beard Posted March 17, 2015 Report Posted March 17, 2015 The cable chains they sell today are for radial tires. I have used full tire chains on my truck around 1981 only time I needed them. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 17, 2015 Report Posted March 17, 2015 long many years ago I loaned my tire chains to a bud going north in winter...he encounter a tad of snow..stopped, put them on...sad to say I never saw the chains again...though he passed through that small snow without probably need for chains..he continued the remains of the trip north at high speed, chains on against , you guessed it....interstate highway...being an original nother resident for his first 20 years of life..I thought the man knew how to use tire chains...I WAS WRONG... Quote
MBF Posted March 18, 2015 Report Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Remember them, hell I've even got chain pliers to replace broken crosslinks. I need them on my old Blazer that I use to keep our road open. The 4 wheel drive hasn't worked in years. Really needed it this year. When I was driving tractor trailer it was fairly common to have to "sling iron" when headed up through the mountains of New England during the winter.. The '46 dump that I bought last summer had an almost new set in a burlap bag under the seat cushion. Edited March 18, 2015 by MBFowler Quote
wallytoo Posted March 19, 2015 Author Report Posted March 19, 2015 used chains on my 4runner last month. good thing i put them on before heading out, too. packed snow from snowmobiles on the road caused the back end to slide sideways, and i couldn't get it to straighten out. ended up with the rear in a ditch. however, with a shovel, and the chains on all four tires, i was eventually able to get out. Quote
Dan Hiebert Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 My Dad kept a set of chains in the trunk of our family cars for years, even though I only remember living in Texas when he did that. I think it was habit from his growing up in Illinois, and they come in handy for other less than ideal traction situations. I've never had a set. The main thing everyone does for winter driving around here (if anything), is to have a set of winter tires they put on their cars in December. Quote
wallytoo Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Posted April 7, 2015 had to use chains again last week. took pics of them installed. 1 Quote
Jeff Balazs Posted April 7, 2015 Report Posted April 7, 2015 Wow! And here we are having the warmest driest winter on record. Go figure. Glad to see you are out having fun with that truck. Never fails to put a smile on my face. Jeff Quote
TrampSteer Posted April 9, 2015 Report Posted April 9, 2015 Had a set for the wife's '67 International when we still had it. Put them on once to make sure they fit. Never used them in the 20 years we had it. My Dad used chains every year however. Put them on the tractor loosely to plow the farm road in Winter. I remember the jingle it made, like sleigh bells. Quote
wallytoo Posted April 9, 2015 Author Report Posted April 9, 2015 Wow! And here we are having the warmest driest winter on record. Go figure. Glad to see you are out having fun with that truck. Never fails to put a smile on my face. Jeff right. and we got 3 inches of snow last night, with more on the way tonight. spring is here! wally Quote
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