Front or Rear

[62Blazer]

Well said Overlander and 62Blazer. Tire pressure and good tires are the key to most situations. The best tool you have is your head. It controls your feet and hands. As as stated above, drive slow and not in a hurry use power to pull through as momentum is a good thing as long as it’s not rushed. Chain your front first and lower tire pressure in the back. If your in a 2wd truck you do one front left and one rear right as that’s your drive tire and it’s better to be able to stop then go. Just my 2cents.

One thing about most vehicular activities is weight is not a good thing. The lighter you are the easier it is to do anything, stop, go, and change directions. With most trucks being heavy, and that being a good thing to help with controlling heavy loads. The same isn’t true on snow or i slippery situations. More weight needs more friction (traction) to move that weight. In limited friction environments aka slippery, we use mechanical traction as in sipping on tires to hold more snow, chaines/ studs to force grooves into ice and snow.

Sorry venting a little information. But adding weight to the back of a truck only causes the tires to bulge out like with a heavy load. But now you have that extra un-needed weight to move as well. You could ge the tires to do the same effect by airing down. It also makes the tire softer so it will get more traction on bumps, won’t upset the already limited traction as much on rough spots. It should also help soften the ride for those in non power wagons or 1500s.

Again sorry venting. But recap chains on front, air down rear, go slow and power through turns or slides. And use your head, get out and test in safe areas so your head is ready for the snow too.

Can't say I've ever heard somebody suggest putting a chain on just one side on the front and on the opposite side of the rear. Sounds like you would get some really funky handling! In regards to the comment about the right rear being the drive tire, I think it needs some more explanation. On an open diff, or even any posi or locker, it attempts to provide equal torque to both sides. If you put a chain on only the right rear tire that would just make it so the left rear tire would spin more in the snow.

Completely agree about the lighter weight comment. If the roads are just slick with a layer of ice and snow I would much rather drive my 3,500 lbs. front wheel drive car versus my 8,000 lb. 4wd truck. The car is much easier to control. The only time I want the truck is if the snow is actually deep enough where the car will "belly out" and get stuck.

In regards to putting weight in the back of a truck. For a 2wd truck, putting weight in the back during winter definitely helps all around. Biggest thing is simply traction. My dad had 2wd work trucks for years and adding even a few hundred pounds in the bed during winter made a big difference in traction. It also helped even out the weight distribution for handling. Growing up in a rural farming community it was common practice to add weight to 2wd trucks and personally know it makes a big difference.

 

[RAMPO]

For the drive tire watch drag racing it is on the Extreme end but your axle pushes down and up on the other from rotation of the pinion. I have seen several people use chains staggered. Granted most who use them are on the drive axle only. As for the weight in the rear of 2wd it works by flexing the tire to get more traction to over come the engine heavy front that is flexing the tire. This does work but most people still run high tire pressures because the door sticker said 80psi. Well that’s so they can tow their 30k trailer lol. One of the reasons drag racing cars have smaller thinner front wheels is to limit friction on the track so the rear tires don’t have to over come pushing the non powered front tires. Yes there other reasons like lighter weight and such but that is one of the big ones.

You could, granted it doesn’t work as well and highly don’t recommend it. But you could inflate the front tires to high pressures reduce friction think sand paddles and the smooth fronts. Low friction so the rears have less to over come.

Like I said there are meany ways to skin a cat. The best way is to use your head.

 

[4xdad]

A light foot and touch are necessary. A little bit of common sense is required to.

 

[soapy]

I always prefer to put chains on the front first so I can steer and use them to pull the vehicle forward if the rear end starts to slide.

 

[ppine]

Usually when you need chains on a 4wd rig, conditions are not good. If you are towing chains go on the back. Most times chains go on the back. In bad conditions you really need chains on the front and the rear.

 

[Fselrahc]

GREAT information and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you all for the feedback!!!

Again, my only chain experience was in a front wheel drive "car". I chained the front and could pull and steer that car up snow covered roads driving around others that didn't make it.

I'll set the PW up that way. Chains in the front, reduced air in the rear, removing sand bags from bed (MPG is bad enough without it). Clear head, best advice.

We don't get much snow in Seattle, but if it comes, I'll report back with results.

 

[ppine]

I used to live in Seattle and have family there. Once in awhile it snows for real. When it does the town is paralyzed. It is hilly, there is little snow removal equipment and West Siders don't know how to drive in snow. I came out once from Wyoming around Xmas. No one in the cul de sac could leave home because they could not get back up the hill even with 4wd. Some people used 4 wheel Low. Some just had a heavy right foot. Once I showed them how to drive they could all make it.