To Chain or not to Chain, The Question

Interesting... your confusion has me confused.

Coming from NV on 80 I went up 395 into Susanville and took 36/44/299 into Redding. Chains were required on 44 near Old Station and on 299 east of Redding. CHP was parked in the chain up area on 299 and verified chains were required even though the roads were plowed and bare.

I don't get your point. I saw the sign that required chains and chained up like all the rest of the trucks were doing in the pull off area. The NHP officer harassing all of us to hurry up and fully chain seamed to verify I was required to chain even though the road was again plowed and ice/snow/slush free.

Maybe it will help you to know the trip was MI to Redding, CA and then a reload in Yerington, NV coming back to MI .?.

 

I know the route...in good weather...but with a storm from Reno, even though chains will be required over Donner...it is a better route going 80 to I-5 the time will be equal (or less) even though the 80/I-5 route is 53 miles farther.

As for the NV issue...they are well known for that in Elko County and around Battle Mountain.

Check out my thread in the Swift forum..."Mentors...why bother"!

 

Yeah, I'll never take that route in the winter again. I took it all summer and loved it but I thought I was gonna be berried and never seen again near Old Station on 44. I've never seen snow fall like I did that night.

 

My first trip west in early '73 found me running with a guy named named the 'Oregon Prosecutor' who drove for Ore-Met metals... we were headed west going up Cabbage Hill in a full blown blizzard when he yelled to me that I should not stop for the highway department guy who was swinging the gate to close the road.

I did just that... i waved to him as he was closing the right hand gate...

Then I saw the sign that sez 'Deadman's Pass 1 mile'.... oh crap... I'm spinning my tires in a frickin' blizzard.... I don't have any chains... and I'm going to be a Deadman!

Got to the top of the hill and the sky was clear, the moon was out and the road was 'dry and dusty'.... into Georgia Overdrive I went....

I ran with that guy a couple more times... he used to haul titanium ingots into Milwaukee twice per month... sure is funny how you remember that stuff from so long ago but you can't remember what you had for breakfast!

 

My favorite story about not having chains was a guy parked in a truck stop and stuck, he had no chains, and everyone just laughed at him, and told him he could wait for spring.

 

Friend, what is the NV issue. It must of changed since I've been there. Because in NV you ran the way you wanted and only got into trouble if you caused problems. I ran triples and only chained once because I couldn't get out of Tonopah. I'd ran what we called the loop which started in Las Vegas to Reno to Salt Lake back to Las Vegas via Ely. There where lots of ice storms and LTL couldn't stop. We could drop the last box if we wanted and I did but still with doubles it's tricky. I'd go very slow where you're talking about and pull down on the trailer brake to put about 2 to 3 psi on the set and never got out of shape. We had drivers that went the other way over Donner and they hated it because CA is so strick with chains.

 

Believe me I know all about NV...I grew up in Ely. As for the "NV issue"...read 'hunts2much' post about having to chain up over Pequop and the NHP giving the drivers a hard time about being slow. Things have changed in Northern NV...almost like CHP and CA if you get my drift!

 

Chains are for getting "OUT" of a situation! Never, ever use them to get "INTO" a situation!

 

Well I spent 6 days in Stockton, CA about 8 years ago when freight was slow around Thanksgiving.

For that entire time Donner summit was either closed or had 'chains required' for tractor trailers. If I had been loaded I can guarantee that I would have hung iron rather than sit for a week waiting for better weather.

Even the guys who went south and across 58 ran into snow on Tehachapi... if you can't or won't use chains stay east of Denver.

 

Chains Chains and more Chains....I had a run I did for a couple of years from SoCal to:

2 stops in Auburn Ca
1 stop in Grass Valley, Ca
1 stop in Truckee
4 stops in Reno, Nv
2 stops in Sparks, Nv
1 stop in Incline Village, Nv
2 stops in Lake Tahoe, Ca
1 stop in Carson City, Nv
1 stop in Gardnerville, Nv
1 stop in Mammoth, Ca
3 in Bishop, Ca

Talk about throwing on chains and taking them off! Sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. I think the most I ever did was 5 on and offs in a day. That was with getting stuck in a couple of pits even with chains on....needless to say some of them were snapped off.

The MAX speed I would suggest with chains is 40 mph, you would be better off going 35 and under.