Lets talk Binders and Chains

[HooperSSII]

I have a set of heavy duty tire chains. But, they fit 31" tires. I need to get them extended to fit 33" tires.

But, I have heard folks say chains are bad on 4x4's.

I would put them on the front if I used them.

They appeal to me now, with the BL SOA, much easier to get on. Much less likely to slap the body or wheelwell.

Pro's and Cons?

I mostly want to have them so that if I need them, they are there. I am thinking sidehills, etc. Especially when I am out playing in the snow with my wife and kids. Or when it gets really icy around here, as it can do sometimes.

[oldjeep]

Pro - work pretty good on the road
Con - work like crap on the trail, besides that, they are dangerous. Chains arn't made for crawling on a rock or spinning furiously to get traction. Better off to get yourself a nice set of mud tires.

Chuck (MN the land of ice and snow)

[HooperSSII]

Originally posted by old jeep:
<STRONG>Pro - work pretty good on the road
Con - work like crap on the trail, besides that, they are dangerous. Chains arn't made for crawling on a rock or spinning furiously to get traction. Better off to get yourself a nice set of mud tires.

Chuck (MN the land of ice and snow)</STRONG>

Umm, I have a good set of mudders right now.

Only place I use chains is in deep snow, where I am on the snow, not the rocks.

And, Chained or not, I try not to spin the tires much anyway.

If I use them, it is on the FS on the way to the sledding area.

What's the best way to lengthen a set?

[nwmud]

Hooper,
We have a full set of chains, front and rear, for the Big Bronco. They were custom order from Les Schwab to fit those 36" TSL's. We knew that at times going over pass you have to have chains and we bought a set for that purpose. Then we got another pair for xmas last year. Never used them but they are always loaded in the truck during the winter Just In Case.
Ritch

[HooperSSII]

Originally posted by nwmud:
<STRONG>Hooper,
We have a full set of chains, front and rear, for the Big Bronco. They were custom order from Les Schwab to fit those 36" TSL's. We knew that at times going over pass you have to have chains and we bought a set for that purpose. Then we got another pair for xmas last year. Never used them but they are always loaded in the truck during the winter Just In Case.
Ritch</STRONG>

That's the other thing. Sometimes, you have to have chains to go over the top, although I can't imagine why I would want to go over the pass in my SSII in the winter!!! <g>

[tsm1mt]

Originally posted by Hooper:
<STRONG>That's the other thing. Sometimes, you have to have chains to go over the top, although I can't imagine why I would want to go over the pass in my SSII in the winter!!! <g></STRONG>

Don't they often have "chains" *OR* "M/S Tires" and/or M/S Tires + 4x4?

Seems to me chains are not *always* required when they claim to be "required".

If you can find and read the fine print, you probably don't need 'em.

[HooperSSII]

Originally posted by tsm1mt:
<STRONG>Don't they often have "chains" *OR* "M/S Tires" and/or M/S Tires + 4x4?

Seems to me chains are not *always* required when they claim to be "required".

If you can find and read the fine print, you probably don't need 'em.</STRONG>

Nope. No fine print. Chains required. Studs, snow tires, etc, not enough. Must have chains to go over the pass, sometimes.

[oldjeep]

I'm always amuzed when we go to colorado by the chains/4wd requirements on some days. We were leaving Keystone one day to go back to MN and they were shutting down I-70. At the time we were driving a Ford Taurus station wagon - chains? Nope, pretty much illegal in MN. We got through before they closed it to non 4wd or chained traffic - what a joke, a foot of snow, no problems at all. In MN that's a nice spring day <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: old jeep ]

[rpenner54]

Originally posted by old jeep:
<STRONG>I'm always amuzed when we go to colorado by the chains/4wd requirements on some days. We were leaving Keystone one day to go back to MN and they were shutting down I-70. At the time we were driving a Ford Taurus station wagon - chains? Nope, pretty much illegal in MN. We got through before they closed it to non 4wd or chained traffic - what a joke, a foot of snow, no problems at all. In MN that's a nice spring day <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: old jeep ]</STRONG>

The joke really is, is they don't close the road to the yuppies in the brand new 4wd station wagons that think they can drive 90 miles an hour with 4 wheel drive and end up causing all the problems. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> I have only needed chains once here in Colorado going up I-70 and that was just because I had a 2wd Truck with an empty bed! I have never seen a time when you really need chains in snow. Heck you can throttle out of most stuff with 4wd!

[oldjeep]

Originally posted by RPenner54:
<STRONG>
The joke really is, is they don't close the road to the yuppies in the brand new 4wd station wagons that think they can drive 90 miles an hour with 4 wheel drive and end up causing all the problems. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> I have only needed chains once here in Colorado going up I-70 and that was just because I had a 2wd Truck with an empty bed! I have never seen a time when you really need chains in snow. Heck you can throttle out of most stuff with 4wd!</STRONG>

Same problem here, but it's the yuppies in the sport utes that think that 4wd gives you more traction on ice at 80MPH. Can you say spin and roll <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Old Scout]

In the sierra there issuing stickers to locals. If you have a sticker you can drive on thru a closure the idiots from the SF bay area in there 4x4 with MS rated street tires get stopped! There only 15.00 and last a life time! It's cool driving on I-80 in a kick ass storm and it's all yours and no idiots! <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[mpietz]

Hey Old Zeus,
What stickers are you talking about? I live in Foresthill (that makes me "local" enough), and something like that could come in handy.

Last December we drove through the Eisenhower tunnel (going west), and I never saw so many flamin' <IMG SRC="smilies/pissed.gif" border="0"> a$$h@les driving at great speed over sheets of ice. Saw a few wrecks, too, from such foolishness. <IMG SRC="smilies/nuke.gif" border="0"> 'em is what I say.

To the first post, I had some 31" chains, and simply bought some extra links (and scrounged some sections from a spare chain) and viola' made them fit my new 32s. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Scout Dude]

Do you have to live in the mountains to purcahse a sticker? Where do you get them from?

[Old Scout]

The stickers are sold to Tahoe basin residents only. There available thru the local PD's and CHP. You need to show proof of living there. You need a Phone or PG&E bill and car registration in the basin. They started it last year.

[HooperSSII]

Originally posted by RPenner54:
<STRONG>
The joke really is, is they don't close the road to the yuppies in the brand new 4wd station wagons that think they can drive 90 miles an hour with 4 wheel drive and end up causing all the problems. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> I have only needed chains once here in Colorado going up I-70 and that was just because I had a 2wd Truck with an empty bed! I have never seen a time when you really need chains in snow. Heck you can throttle out of most stuff with 4wd!</STRONG>

You must have different snow out there. Sometimes when we get snow, even 4wd doesn't help. you can throttle it, feather it, whatever you want, there are times you will just go no where at all, regardless of the skill of the driver.

But we still have the idiots in big 4x4's who think they have snow tires, or mudders, or swampers, or boggers, who get out there and spin all four tires, or worse, slide right through an intersection into someone else.

Fortunately, must of the yuppie SUV's can't even get out of their driveways, so they are less of a hazard than the idiots in the *built* rigs who are ice skating all over the road.

I've pulled far more *built* rigs out of the ditch than suv's or sedans.

Something about our snow conditions, I guess.

[nwmud]

Hooper, you know what we have here. You know what our weather is like. Me, I have the chains. I have several family member that drive big rigs (18 wheelers) and they are required to chain up when crossing. If it were me - I'd fix up the chains to fit and have them just in case you ever need them.
As for driving skill - I believe we can all drive our rigs just fine. I just want to be legal and able to go when I need to.
<IMG SRC="smilies/jeep1.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/jeep1.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/jeep1.gif" border="0">
Ritch <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">