So I now have 4 boring tire chains bought in bags and 4 more very fancy looking tire chains bought in buckets because Washington State is a pita.... I used the 4 out of the buckets to get over a pass and wrecked 1. Putting on and taking off were about as easy as I figured. Wrecking 4 cross chains on 1 was unexpected. The other 3 drive tire chains and the 1 trailer tire chain were all fine. So. Are some styles of chain more durable? The 1 I broke is kinedyne with the gold cross chains. I put all 4 on the same way. Bungeed all the same. On the other side of the hill 3 came off looking like new. 1 came off looking like it went thru a shredder. Is this operator error? Is it worth repairing these?
Do the boring chains in the bags look any heavier duty than the one in the picture? That one looks a little on the crappy side.
I saw their long handled pliers but gagged at the cost.... I suppose I can get Mr Boss to get some and have him maintain the chains at the shop but I'm not back that often and prefer even less often in the snow LOL...
Honestly the bagged ones don't feel much or any heavier. And they both feel about the same as the ones I had with the mega fleet but we weren't encouraged to use them just have them for an inspection if needed. So no idea how durable those were.
It is possible to repair that one. Is it worth it, hard call. The cost and time may not be worth a repair. Personally I would just replace it. You would most likely buy a new set and that would give you a spare if needed. Chains will break, it happens. They do need to be centered across the tire as much as possible.
Were your drives spinning? Because that's what that damage looks like. Unless it's just a crappy chain.
I don't think there was any spinning. Drives were locked and honestly it drove up that pass so easy I was shocked. It was really awesome traction!
Chains take a little maintenance. They'll stretch so its good to trim the excess links off the side chains so they don't whip around and beat the truck up. Could always talk to the boss about having a 2nd set of chains at the shop and just swap out a set that needs repair and grab the other set so you aren't waiting around.
