Tire Chains

[Tulecreeper]

Although I don't foresee myself needing any in the near future, I have always thought it was a good idea to have a set "just in case"; especially for a 4x2 truck. I've only had to use chains 2 or 3 times in the past 30 years, so if I ever did need them the odds are it would be for light use and for a very short period. I just bought a pair of these and wondered if anyone else has used them and what their opinion is...Titan Diamond Alloy Square-link. I did get the LT as opposed to the HD version because I couldn't find the HD version available to fit my size tire, but with the minimal use I would ever expect them to be used for I think they will suffice.

I test-fitted them when they arrived and they're actually pretty easy to install once you get the chains hanging correctly. It's the removal part that can be a booger. You need to try to get them back in the same position (with the green link at the top) or you won't be able to get to the part of the cable behind the tire to unhook it.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Wow, no one has used these? Surprising.

 

[06 Dodge]

Wow, no one has used these? Surprising.

I would try them out on a car but not a HD truck

 

[Mister Luck]

Isn’t The HD version $50 to $70 more ?

There isn’t much difference except the HD they can be used off-road for wet soil conditions.

I would rather use those than cables or sock type traction because they are less likely to break and last for more than one or two seasons… they can also be repaired or rebuilt , you’re not going to travel at a higher rate of speed using the HD chains you are still bound by the laws of physics.

Most the time with traction tires it’s show and go …and when you really need to put them on is in sever conditions and where there is no place to wait out a storm but that is also the time you really wished you had 4WD.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I would try them out on a car but not a HD truck

I'd have gotten the thicker ones (by about 1.5mm) but those are for much larger tires - the 275's instead of my 245's. We'll see, if/when I have to use them.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Isn’t The HD version $50 to $70 more ?

There isn’t much difference except the HD they can be used off-road for wet soil conditions.

I would rather use those than cables or sock type traction because they are less likely to break and last for more than one or two seasons… they can also be repaired or rebuilt , you’re not going to travel at a higher rate of speed using the HD chains you are still bound by the laws of physics.

Most the time with traction tires it’s show and go …and when you really need to put them on is in sever conditions and where there is no place to wait out a storm but that is also the time you really wished you had 4WD.

Actually, the HD version was only about $12 more, but the sizing chart says they will only fit the 275 size tires and I have 245's.

 

[mtnrider]

Wow, no one has used these? Surprising.

Honestly there are very few 4x2 trucks out there, especially HD's. Pair that with very few people use or need chains and your audience is extremally small so not surprised no one has tried them.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Honestly there are very few 4x2 trucks out there, especially HD's. Pair that with very few people use or need chains and your audience is extremally small so not surprised no one has tried them.

I beg to differ. I guess it depends on what geographical location you live in, and the mind-set of the truck owners as to what the ratio of 4x2 to 4x4 is. My previous truck was 4x4, the one prior to that was 4x2. Now I'm back to 4x2 because I can count on one hand the number of times in 20 years of driving that 4x4 when I really needed it - and I hunt and fish off-road...a lot. Everyone I know also owns a truck and only a couple of them have 4x4's. And just like me when I had my 4x4, almost no one uses theirs except on the rare occasion when it rained while they were out hunting and the road back was really muddy. I can drive into town 30 miles away and in a round-trip I can count 200 trucks, of which maybe 20 will be 4x4. And I live where we get ice storms that shut everything down for a couple days at a time.

And having 4x4 does not preclude needing snow chains. I had them with my last truck, and I had to use them a couple times with my 4x4 because 4x4 is not always a magic bullet to get you out of a jam.

 

[4xdad]

Here in Alberta most people drive 4 x4 s and suvs

 

[4xdad]

Other than the recent cold this winter has been nothing

 

[Tulecreeper]

Here in Alberta most people drive 4 x4 s and suvs

Other than the recent cold this winter has been nothing

It all relative. You usually live in a frozen wasteland 4 months out of the year.

My wife has a 4x4 Jeep. If I lived someplace I knew I would need 4x4 on a regular basis I would have gotten another one, also. The one or two times per year that it ices/snows here we usually know it's coming and just batten down for a couple days until it melts off again. It snowed all day yesterday and last night, and by sunset there was no traffic moving. Woke up this morning to -16C., but the sun had popped out and right now the roads are clear enough I can drive into town even though the temps won't get above 0C. for a couple more days.

 

[4xdad]

If it’s that warm you’re snow is probably wet and heavy

 

[Tulecreeper]

If it’s that warm you’re snow is probably wet and heavy

Usually, yes. And usually any snow we do get is preceded by freezing rain which turns everything into a skating rink and everything shuts down for a couple days, power goes out from falling branches, and in general it's just kind of dreary. At least this time it was already down to about 10° F by the time it started snowing so it was pretty dry.

But I live on a country road that doesn't get plowed, so even a few inches can be an issue with 10 degree temps. The first few vehicles can get through it with no problem, but they turn it into mush which immediately refreezes and then no one can use the road.

 

[4xdad]

I used to live on the Sunshine Coast of bc when it snowed nobody would go anywhere the snow was like plain flavour sluperees

 

[Wild one]

Usually, yes. And usually any snow we do get is preceded by freezing rain which turns everything into a skating rink and everything shuts down for a couple days, power goes out from falling branches, and in general it's just kind of dreary. At least this time it was already down to about 10° F by the time it started snowing so it was pretty dry.

But I live on a country road that doesn't get plowed, so even a few inches can be an issue with 10 degree temps. The first few vehicles can get through it with no problem, but they turn it into mush which immediately refreezes and then no one can use the road.

2nd gear / hammer down and let'er buck,lol

 

[kdoublep]

4x2's aren't available in FL North of Palm Beach County lol