Tire Chains

[Jay Man]

Just wondering if anybody uses them on the ice? Thinking about buying some for my truck. Looking for opinions good or bad.

[Whopper Stopper]

I also use the Peerless V-Bar, I hang iron on both the front and back. The only other thing I can offer is if you have them don't get lazy, put them on before you need them. It is twice as hard to get them right when you are already stuck.

[Gissert]

If you have deep snow, or heavy crusted snow, they can be a big help. They will cut down, but not eliminate rear axel hop. If the snow is deeper than your frame rails, or you might run into slush, I would avoid driving in thos conditions if possible.

I have had good luck with the Peerless V-Bar chains that Fleet Farm sells.

One thing about chains: Make sure you get them tight. After initial installation. Drive a hundred yards or so and retighten. It also is a good idea to wire up the tag ends so you dont snag a brake line, and to sacety wire the clasp shut to prevent accidental opening. I use bungee cords on the outsides of the tires to help keep the tension snug.

[icehousebob]

The guys covered it pretty well. I also bought mine at Fleet. Must be one of the few places to buy them. I have a two wheel drive Silverado with limited slip differential and with chains on, it is really great for ice fishing. Just keep your chains stored in a very handy spot in you vehicle. I made the mistake of storing my chains under all my gear and portable once and didn't put them on when I should have. Stuck on MilleLacs.

[Jay Man]

Thanks for the info!!!

[Ishmel]

Anybody try the cable type chains? I saw a great deal on a set of four that will fit my explorer, but I'm not sure if they'll have enough bite for the deep snow.

[oilguy]

cable chains are junk, don't waste your $ on them

[efgh]

Buy heavy duty truck chains v-bar type and cut them down, you will pay more, but you will never wear them out.

[Ishmel]

Do you guys run these on all four wheels of your trucks? Or just rear? just front? What do they get for a set of them, where do you get them?

[Gissert]

If I have a nice clean spot to put on all four, I'll chain up all tires at once. It really stinks when you have to chain up in lousy conditions, ie big hard snow drifts. A parking lot at a public acess is a great place to put them on.

I have just chained up my fronts on elk hunting occasions, but when running on lakes I much prefer to have all tires chained.

Peerless chains will run about 50 to 80 bucks a pair, depending on tire size. I have bought mine at Fleet Farm.

One little tip my dad taught me was to have a square piece of 2 x 6 lumber in one of the chain windows prior to driving onto the chains. Drive the vehicle onto chains so the tires are resting on the block of wood. This allows you to wrap the chains around the tire and secure without the vehicles wieght on the chain. This almost always gets them tight enough so you wont have to drive a bit and then retighten.