Light duty tire chains on 2500 diesel HD

[NorthwestGuy]

I've got some light duty truck chains that i had for my jeep that are brand new and they are sized for the tires on my ram 2500 but the truck is supposed to be "heavy duty". I don't want to buy new truck chains if I don't have to. I can't imagine what the problem would be using these. I'm not going to be towing or carrying a load in the bed. Will always be on snow and under 30mph. Anybody have an opinion on this?

 

[mtnrider]

I think light duty on the chain rating isn't referring to the size of the truck, it's more for light use. Not something that will hold up if you use it a lot. More of a once in a while use instead of once a week type of thing. Probably won't last very long.

With that said, I spent the last 10 years in Colorado with 2500 diesels and never used chains once. Might be nice to have them as a backup plan though

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[NorthwestGuy]

I think light duty on the chain rating isn't referring to the size of the truck, it's more for light use. Not something that will hold up if you use it a lot. More of a once in a while use instead of once a week type of thing. Probably won't last very long.

With that said, I spent the last 10 years in Colorado with 2500 diesels and never used chains once. Might be nice to have them as a backup plan though

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On the bag is says "For light truck and SUV". I definitely needed them today just to get out of my steep driveway. Just to make the issue more confusing I was told by somebody that I was only supposed to put chains on the rear but I cannot find anything in the owner's manual about that.

 

[Dinky]

You chaining up for the little bit of snow we had? You will be fine I am sure running those for awhile. Just don't go all crazy and don't depend on them for long travel. They will get you by in a pinch. Are they the cable kind or real chains? Also you put chains on your front and not your rears or all 4. Chain the front so you can stop and steer

 

[Don_T]

You should be able to check with the manufacturer but I bet when they say light truck they are referring to class 3 or less. You should be fine with them as your truck is a class two truck.

 

[22hemi13]

On the bag is says "For light truck and SUV". I definitely needed them today just to get out of my steep driveway. Just to make the issue more confusing I was told by somebody that I was only supposed to put chains on the rear but I cannot find anything in the owner's manual about that.

I’d bet money what they mean by that is not for semi truck use lol.

 

[NorthwestGuy]

Thanks guys. I'm now satisfied that these chains are plenty robust enough. I'm going to start a new thread on a slightly different twist to this.

 

[NorthwestGuy]

Guys, I can find nothing in my manual about types of snow chains allowed on my 2018 2500 6.7. I keep reading online that chains are not even allowed on the front and only a certain type on the rear. I have hoop style chains and I mounted them on the front and there appears to be adequate clearance. On the rear it appears that the chain would be somewhat close to the brake cable but would still clear. I'd really appreciate it if somebody could weigh in definitively on this or at least direct me to where I can find out. Thanks.

 

[BruceMorgan]

Factory manual link for 2018 (yes, from FCA Canada but same thing): http://www.fcacanada.ca/owners/en/manuals/2018/2018E-RAM-15_25_35-OM-1st.pdf

Search for "tire chains" and it starts on page 572. The table on page 573 says "rear only".

I too am in the PNW and the snow is looking pretty heavy. I took my 1500 out a few times and it did fine. But I'm considering chains too. I have 276/60-R20 tires, which aren't even covered in the manual.

 

[TRCM]

FCA canada is not always the same thing or manual...............

depending on the rim, you may not be able to use them on a 1500, even on the rear

 

[Dinky]

I've looked at the manual. The only thing it says is to cover their own ass. Just says chains on front could cause damage. Which any vehicle could do that. I myself have run chains on the front no issues. Just check clearance before you drive with them. Also I never used auto 4wheel drive and I always turn traction control off when running chains.

I've always prefer to run chains on the front vs rear Gotta stop and steer. Once you turn off all the bells and whistles it's just a 4x4 system.

 

[NorthwestGuy]

I've looked at the manual. The only thing it says is to cover their own ass. Just says chains on front could cause damage. Which any vehicle could do that. I myself have run chains on the front no issues. Just check clearance before you drive with them. Also I never used auto 4wheel drive and I always turn traction control off when running chains.

I've always prefer to run chains on the front vs rear Gotta stop and steer. Once you turn off all the bells and whistles it's just a 4x4 system.

Thanks, My manual doesn't mention chains at all. In my case its mostly just a matter of getting up my steep driveway and about a mile and a quarter down a snow covered dirt road. I tried it with just chains on the front yesterday and just barely made it up the driveway so I think I need them on all 4 wheels at least for the driveway.

 

[NorthwestGuy]

Factory manual link for 2018 (yes, from FCA Canada but same thing): http://www.fcacanada.ca/owners/en/manuals/2018/2018E-RAM-15_25_35-OM-1st.pdf

Search for "tire chains" and it starts on page 572. The table on page 573 says "rear only".

I too am in the PNW and the snow is looking pretty heavy. I took my 1500 out a few times and it did fine. But I'm considering chains too. I have 276/60-R20 tires, which aren't even covered in the manual.

Thanks, my manual is only 344 pages long and never mentions tire chains anywhere. It must be different for Canada.

 

[NorthwestGuy]

I've looked at the manual. The only thing it says is to cover their own ass. Just says chains on front could cause damage. Which any vehicle could do that. I myself have run chains on the front no issues. Just check clearance before you drive with them. Also I never used auto 4wheel drive and I always turn traction control off when running chains.

I've always prefer to run chains on the front vs rear Gotta stop and steer. Once you turn off all the bells and whistles it's just a 4x4 system.

Yes, it looks like the clearances are OK. If you've used them on the front thats also reassuring.

 

[Dinky]

Thanks, My manual doesn't mention chains at all. In my case its mostly just a matter of getting up my steep driveway and about a mile and a quarter down a snow covered dirt road. I tried it with just chains on the front yesterday and just barely made it up the driveway so I think I need them on all 4 wheels at least for the driveway.

That must be one hell of a driveway lol. Must be snow packed ice now eh? I've ran chains a few times mostly to pull other trucks out. 90% of the time I just air down my tires. Bfg ko2 siped do great also 200lbs of sand bags in the bed over the axles

 

[NorthwestGuy]

That must be one hell of a driveway lol. Must be snow packed ice now eh? I've ran chains a few times mostly to pull other trucks out. 90% of the time I just air down my tires. Bfg ko2 siped do great also 200lbs of sand bags in the bed over the axles

I've got about 275 pounds of weight in the back but these are still the stock firestone tires and just lousy in snow. Yes the driveway is very steep and there is a drop off on one side and two turns on the way up so there is no room for error. I just tried it again with just the front ones on and it did better going up the drive and all the way down the road so I'm just going to stick with the fronts unless we get quite a bit more snow.

 

[Dinky]

I've got about 275 pounds of weight in the back but these are still the stock firestone tires and just lousy in snow. Yes the driveway is very steep and there is a drop off on one side and two turns on the way up so there is no room for error. I just tried it again with just the front ones on and it did better going up the drive and all the way down the road so I'm just going to stick with the fronts unless we get quite a bit more snow.

Yeah factory tires suck. When you go to upgrade look at the bfg ko2s. They have 50k warranty E class load rating and have the snow flake emblem on the side. My buddy runs them on his 07 3500 and tows a lot great tire.