2x4's for chains

Maybe if you are using the ##### single rail chains.

 

Forget the chains, go with cables.

 

I used a 4X4, and yes, for single rails it works...

 

If you have chains, break them out when you have time in relatively warm and dry conditions and install them. Do it a few times. Figure out a system and KNOW YOUR #### BEFORE you have to do it "for real".

Know exactly where you stow your bungies. Make EVERYTHING efficient.

The first time I chained up it took an hour. Now can chain an go in less than 15 minutes.

Practice.

By the way, DON'T drive more than 30-35 mph with chains on. If you hear a "WACK WACK WACK!!!" of chains hitting your trailer, they are too loose. Tighten them up. All you should hear is a constant rumble of chains.

 

Practice, but unless it's to get over a pass..... Don't drive when you need chains.

 

Sounds good. I'll go ahead and just shut down and get going again next April.

 

Here's my thoughts on that.

If you practice and get good at driving in ####ty conditions, you become more valuable. Chaining up gives another level of control.

I have come to enjoy driving in blizzards and assorted challenges. In my line of work it's a necessity. By the time I get through 20 miles of unplowed dirt roads in a blizzard, getting on pavement is a blessing.

I completely understand the "captain of your ship" reasoning. IF you haven't PRACTICED driving in bad conditions, it's best to park in a SAFE place.

I learned to drive in the PNW. Part of my training was going to the local supermarket during a snowstorm, then spinning out and seeing what the limits of traction and braking are.

If you are bobtail and have time in a WIDE OPEN yard during a snow or ice storm, try accelerating with and without the power divider engaged. If you have locking differentials, try it with and without them. LEARN the capabilities of your bobtail semi tractor. THEN do the same when you are hooked to a trailer.

PRACTICE.

The thing is at SOME point in your career you will find yourself on a two lane road with no shoulder and NO place to safely park for the next hour or two, and it's snowing sideways or a freezing rain had started to fall...

... what's your plan?

You CAN'T just park in the middle of the road, put out your triangles, and curl up in the sleeper in a fetal position. You HAVE to have practiced how to handle these conditions BEFORE you get into them.

A few years ago I was driving north on I-25 from Pueblo, CO to make delivery in western Nebraska. It was the middle of the night in a blizzard going through Denver to get on I-76. No chains, just steady slow. I tried parking at the Love's in Hudson, CO because the snow was accumulating close to a foot on the interstate.

No go.

Parking was overflowing.

I continued Northeast on I-76, and within 10 miles the snow stopped, stars were out, and roads were BONE DRY.

Pay attention to weather reports. If you go another 10-50 miles, will that get you through the ####? Make wise decisions.

Download the MyRadar app.

 

Exactly HOW do you think the locals became experts at driving those roads?

 

Youtube...LMAO