Automatic CHAINS??? ... What???

That is a trick Ive used a time or two. The yelling has not stopped yet. I think when Im dead and gone, those old bosses purple in the face will show up in my small place in hell and continue to yell....

 

Just 'cause school busses don't run when the weather is a bit rough where you live doesn't mean that school busses in the great white north get shut down every time a "Chain up" light flashes. Some busses in northern BC have a highschool student assigned to radio check duty on active log haul roads and supervision of the rest of the students while the driver chains up.

 

Learn something new every day. I appreciated that today. Thank you Sir.

 

My highschool had students from multiple municipalities as its not cost effective to build a school in a town with less than 300 people. One town in particular was on the other side of a mountain pass. I think that bus maybe didn't go out once or twice in my whole time in highschool. I never even got a snow day (unless you count the 2 weeks in winter where the teachers went on strike).

 

If you live in the Rockies like I do you'll see them a lot. But they break down all the time or need service.

 

I think two times in all my 50 plus years Baltimore City contemplated level III restrictions which are beyond marital law in way of banning vehicles downtown and suburbs during winter.

Now considering the Rocky Mountains and remembering the winters... You cannot enjoy the luxury of banning vehciles and staying home a few days, you gotta go.

This is the flaw in my postion, Ive been too much of a City boy in Little rock where it's mud, tornado then ice and more ice. If it snows, the front passes through in the night, sun comes up by noon it's dry again. No shoveling driveway at all. I lived in our home 20 years and frankly I think Itouched the shovel once to make ready for spouse coming home after she stayed at the VA overnight in a Cot so that she WILL be at work the next morning during the great 2000 blizzard and ice storm that knocked us to 1700's technology for approx 4 weeks that it took to restore the modern world to us. That was a awesome storm. .50 cents of my electric bill to this day go to repaying the cost of that storm damage here.

 

I will add my 2 cents here.
I,ve used on-spot for 15 years now. I have them on 3 trucks and about to get a set put on my Cascadia as well.They require maintenance, grease when you grease your truck and you need to take the chain part off in the summer because dust and vibration is their downfall. They don`t break down all the time if you follow owners manual and operate them as recommended.
They are the equivalent of a single per wheel and are legal everywhere. They will not replace triples and they don`t operate well in deep mud or deep hard packed snow as the arm can`t swing out to place the rubber wheel against the tire. The proper procedure is to engage them before you are stuck, sometimes easier said than done, but even then you can rock them into place usually.
They are not cheap to buy, about $1800.00 per axle and 6 to 8 hours shop time to install and they will wear out, bearings and bushings usually and chain links eventually so I usually need to rebuild them about every second year.
Even with some minor drawbacks the upside to them is fantastic.I wll not operate a truck without on -spots.