Anyone Use Tire Chains Anymore?

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  • KLB

    Grandmaster
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    5   0   0
    Sep 12, 2011
    23,009
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    Porter County
    I remember the cool 4x4’s during the blizzard of 78, Ford Hi-Boy to name one, but the truth was my dads 64 C-10 with camper shell and tire chains went everywhere they did. Have said for years I should get a set for my truck but never do and really haven’t had a need for them like back then. Any of you still use them?
    These days I imagine they are primarily used in mountainous areas.
     

    laf

    Marksman
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    Aug 21, 2011
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    Lafayette
    Have never seen these in person but look like a great concept if you could stand hearing them clanging when hanging.


    I see them all the time on school buses for county school systems. Once you start to look for them, you'll see them everywhere. Sometimes I think I see them on fire trucks for the volunteer department too.
     

    daddyusmaximus

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    Aug 21, 2013
    8,508
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    Remington
    Have never seen these in person but look like a great concept if you could stand hearing them clanging when hanging.


    Pretty cool. It's like the air locker of tire chains.

    I like how effective chains are. I've had a set for almost every vehicle I've owned, as a "just in case", but have seldom had to use them.
    I also enjoy off roading though. There have been times in the past when I'd put them on just to be able to go out on the unplowed roads, and goof around, or go patrol for stuck people because I was bored sitting at home in bad weather. If you're careful, and stick to the more maintained roads, and don't even go out if not necessary... you'll probably never need them around here... unless we get a particularly bad storm, and you end up with a compelling reason to go somewhere.

    The best use for chains is on a 4X4 with them on all corners, when venturing forth on sloppy ground, this makes a world of difference.
     

    tackdriver

    Sharpshooter
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    Apr 20, 2010
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    I remember being ordered to use tire chains at times when I was stationed in Korea. We called them 'Vehicle Ice Skates'.

    Good for fresh snow in the mountains. Horrible when you hit the bottom of the hill and pulled onto an icy paved road. Got lots of pictures of vehicles down in rice paddies. It was really fun if we got to loiter around watching the recovery crews try to figure out how to get them out. Twice I recall they had to bring in helicopters. Good times!
     

    tackdriver

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    Apr 20, 2010
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    Didn't they make studded tires illegal in IN? Something about them tearing up the asphalt. Now the roads tear up your tires.

    That's what I recall, but it was a long time ago.
     

    Denny347

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    Mar 18, 2008
    13,417
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    Napganistan
    I run my "all season" and also my "summer" tires year round...

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
    Yup, I have summer tires on the BMW that will need replaced soon, likely with A/S. I run the summers all year, so long as there is no snow/salt on the road. It's salt season so it's hibernating currently...haha
     

    yeti rider

    Sharpshooter
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    19   1   0
    Dec 17, 2011
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    Lafayette
    Chains are great for no pavement and deep, unplowed snow....but if the roads are at all maintained, I don't see the need.

    Besides, modern snow tires are 100 times better in the snow than the old bias ply tires.

    I do, however, have chains on my plow tractor and you can't stop that thing no matter how deep it gets....not that we'll have a chance to see this year.
    I was looking at my phone pictures last week. February 2022 is when our area got 12" of snow. We haven't lost the chance yet!
     

    ghuns

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    Nov 22, 2011
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    It's Indiana, we just don't get the amount of snow that warrant it. We hardly have enough precip for dedicated snow tires.
    Says a guy who lives well outside the lake effect area. :D

    Didn't they make studded tires illegal in IN? Something about them tearing up the asphalt. Now the roads tear up your tires.

    That's what I recall, but it was a long time ago.
    They are legal from October 1 through May 1.

    ARE TIRE CHAINS AND STUDS LEGAL IN INDIANA?

    And modern studded tires are very different than back in the old days. The rubber compound in the bottom of the stud pocket is formulated to be very soft, even at extremely low temps. This allows the studs to be pushed down when driving on harder surfaces like pavement. This makes for less wear on the studs, on the roads, and less noise.
     

    bigretic

    Master
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    71   0   0
    Jan 14, 2011
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    NWI
    Not around here. We do keep them on the "yard truck" year round at the gun club tho - it's a 2WD that we haul targets with and actually use to plow the lot.
     

    duanewade

    Sharpshooter
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    3   0   0
    Sep 12, 2019
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    Columbia City
    I keep chains on my farm tractor as there is no fluid in the tires or wheel weights and the chains give me a lot more traction in my muddy woods and when I'm plowing snow.

    Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
     

    laf

    Marksman
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    Aug 21, 2011
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    Lafayette
    They wouldn't help with traction from a dead stop though I wouldn't think. Maybe they would.
    If you had them deployed and then you stopped, you stopped on the chains and they are under the tires. If you deployed after you stopped then when the wheels spin and tires are slipping the chains are flung under the tires and start to work. In theory anyway, I've never seen them in use, I just see them stowed under the school buses.
     
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 7, 2021
    2,626
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    central indiana
    That’s kinda cool, until one of them kicks up and rips off a brake chamber :facepalm:
    Good point. I was skeptical of how long the chains would last. Anyone that's pulled a trailer and had the breakaway chains drag on the ground find out pretty quickly that even heavy steel isn't much of a match for asphalt. I suppose in this case the road would be covered with snow and ice so maybe less concern for wear.
     
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