Tire Chains Part 2

[vezePilot]

Hey Guys ... think your truck is pretty capable off road and in difficult trail conditions?
Put a Full Set of Tire Chains on it.

Ohh. YEAH!

I was up on these trails two weeks ago, when I didn't have the chains, and conditions were bad. But I had my winch and I talked to people in Jeep CJs with Big Tires, in case I got into trouble.

Today, I put the full set of chains on in the "parking lot" area. It's a real chore, not much fun at all, and probably takes a little longer than Airing Down. But WHAT A DIFFERENCE it makes! This thing was UNSTOPPABLE today, in MUCH WORSE conditions. Trails are Deeply Rutted, with water, slush, snow and mud. More snow off the side of the trail, as well. My Trail Boss kept wanting to leave the trail and go off into the woods.

All I did was just stop --even in really bad spots-- and slowly back up. And then either pull out slowly or really get some momentum. Also used the Down Hill Speed Control again. These ARE real mountains, after all. It's also nice to have 375 HP.

Doggies just love going up there. They get to run around until they drop.

That is a full-grown, adult German Shepherd dog. The ruts are deeper than she is tall.

Traction is Just MONSTER with these chains and 4WD Low. Stance with 1-1/2 inch spacers is good, too.

Not quite 9,000 feet MSL.

I really love this truck.

.

 

[Jmzvet]

It’s Amazing the difference a set of chains make

 

[Coalster]

Hey Guys ... think your truck is pretty capable off road and in difficult trail conditions?
Put a Full Set of Tire Chains on it.

Ohh. YEAH!

I was up on these trails two weeks ago, when I didn't have the chains, and conditions were bad. But I had my winch and I talked to people in Jeep CJs with Big Tires, in case I got into trouble.

Today, I put the full set of chains on in the "parking lot" area. It's a real chore, not much fun at all, and probably takes a little longer than Airing Down. But WHAT A DIFFERENCE it makes! This thing was UNSTOPPABLE today, in MUCH WORSE conditions. Trails are Deeply Rutted, with water, slush, snow and mud. More snow off the side of the trail, as well. My Trail Boss kept wanting to leave the trail and go off into the woods.

All I did was just stop --even in really bad spots-- and slowly back up. And then either pull out slowly or really get some momentum. Also used the Down Hill Speed Control again. These ARE real mountains, after all. It's also nice to have 375 HP.

Doggies just love going up there. They get to run around until they drop.
View attachment 2681

That is a full-grown, adult German Shepherd dog. The ruts are deeper than she is tall.
View attachment 2682

Traction is Just MONSTER with these chains and 4WD Low. Stance with 1-1/2 inch spacers is good, too.
View attachment 2683

Not quite 9,000 feet MSL.
View attachment 2684

I really love this truck.
View attachment 2685
.

I have a stock 21 LT boss dealer and manual says not to use chains to use cables because chains can cause damage have you had any issues I’m not really liking the cables I’d rather have chains

 

[Jmzvet]

Yes. If a chain breaks and starts flapping around, it can cause more damage than a cable. But the chains will get a lot more bite than a plastic covered cable

 

[vezePilot]

Choosing a high-quality brand such as Piedmont or Security or better is a good idea.
Fitting wheel hub Spacers for greater clearance seems reasonable. I installed 1-1/2 inch spacers.
And, I keep the tire chains in four separate plastic tubs; I dry them off soon after any use; and I spray them with WD-40 so they don't rust.

It seems that using tire chains by farmers, loggers, truckers, first responders and the military has continued despite the possibility of chains breaking. It probably doesn't happen very often. Videos I've seen of tire chains breaking were specifically examples of using cheap knockoffs.

 

[PHXPHOTOG]

Even in Arizona we get a chance to play in the snow once in awhile. This was last weekend. I totally agree with VezePilot. I went out on snow packed FS Roads and was sliding all over the place wishing I had chains. The ruts were no where close to the picture he showed. I had to turn around a couple of times to avoid getting stuck in the forest with 3 female passengers in my truck.

During my years as a firefighter in the Rocky Mountains we chained up all the time. Everything from 4wd trucks to the big apparatus. The big rigs are easy to mount chains on. You just pull the inside dually up on block and chain up the outside tire that is off the ground. We also ran the star shaped bungee cords with them to keep everything snuged up. When getting to your destination is not optional, chains are the way to go. Especially on ice packed paved mountain roads. I would have no hesitation putting a quality set on my TB.

 

[YellowStones]

how much does a good set of chains run these days?

 

[Jmzvet]

I just bought 2 pair on Amazon from Security Chain Co for $290. They have the cam locks. The reg ones would have been about $220

 

[vezePilot]

I hope that better brand, and Security Chain is the best, fits as well as my Piedmont set. Don't lose the tools that are provided for the cam locks.
But they fit so well and snug that I don't need any elastic spiders to keep them tight.

 

[Jmzvet]

No chains yet but I’ve only been driving on snow covered paved roads.

 

[That21TrailBossguy]

No chains yet but I’ve only been driving on snow covered paved roads.
View attachment 4717View attachment 4718View attachment 4719

Please send some of that white stuff to my part of NY. It’s been a lame winter here so far

 

[PHXPHOTOG]

No chains yet but I’ve only been driving on snow covered paved roads.
View attachment 4717View attachment 4718View attachment 4719

June Lake, what a great area. When I was a kid we used to camp and fish in that area. Virginia creek and Convict Lake were a couple of my favorites.

 

[Jmzvet]

I need to check it out in the summer. Probably looks different in August.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

What size tires do you guys have your front chains on?

Stock suspensions?

Are you just running front spacers or rear too, simply to balance out the front?

I'll look at either spacers or some new wheels with the proper offset.

Being able to run chains up front on my vehicles is a real priority so I don't get in a bind when on a snow covered forest road up in the mountains. Still blows me away that modern trucks designed to NOT run chains. Having the tires that inboard must have a big design advantage I'm ignorant of.

Thanks,

s

 

[vezePilot]

One of the first mods I did was install the 1-1/2 inch spacers. I do not plan to do much high-torque rock crawling, so the forces of offset wheels/spacers are not a problem. I believe that our long wheelbase and other aspects will keep Trail Boss trucks off of trails with a Difficulty rating of more than 5.5, so no Straight-Up 4 foot walls.

And this is a full set of spacers, front and rear, and full set of chains on all four tires. I have 50,000 miles on the spacers now, driving freeway 80 mph mostly, some jeep trail, lots of snow driving and a little serious rock crawling stuff.

The Piedmont chains that I bought for the stock GY Territory tires fit VERY well. So tires are the stock 265 60R20's, and 1-1/2" spacers solve the clearance problem. Suspension is otherwise stock. A new set of tires at 45,550 miles is the same as OE so my chains will still fit.