Stupid question but could be a factor...

34 years and never put chains on. Not because I park it when it snows (Im from Minnesota), but I never go west. Well, never in the winter.

 

That's simple to fix just run the I - 5 and I - 10 freeway routes no snow down there and very little on the I - 5

 

Chains are not allowed in Ontario. Only time I run chains is if they are required on privately maintained ice road. Done the mountain stuff,,not worth the aggravation as there is no extra compensation for the time spent chaining or waiting for avalanches to be cleared.

 

Only thing that bothers me about guys who park instead of chaining is when they park in the chain up area. Few times last winter on Lookout everyone who was chaining had to do it on the shoulder because the chain up area was full of guys waiting out the snow.

To the OP, the guys telling you it snows bad enough to need chains in the summer are pulling your leg. It may snow high up but the heat from the ground will melt the road off. Even if you’re not comfortable chaining up you need to at least install them once so that you know how and to make sure they’re sized properly. That way you can get yourself out of s bind and get parked somewhere if you need to.

 

• All four tires on the main (usually front) drive axle
• The two outside tires on the other (usually rear) drive axle
• One tire on each side of the trailer (front or rear axle, or staggered OK)
• No chains are required on the steering axle.

Here's a link to current chain laws in US.
2017-2018 Chain Laws

 

I have never thrown a set of chains, not even with four years in the ND Oil Fields. It gets that bad, I park. The oil field, I had great tires and did not drive like a donkey hole, I prefer the shiny side up.

 

Depends on where you run, but for some of us chains are just a part of the job. We run the NW states and Western Canada so the paychecks would be pretty thin if we didn’t chain up. The good thing about doing it, sometimes a couple times a day, is that you get fast. Lol. Unless I’m running where drag chains are required I only ever throw a set of 3 railers on the drives and go. Less than 15 minutes and you’re back trucking.

 

Oh trust me I know where you are coming from... I know how to chain, and yes I carry a couple of sets, and I rarely leave MI. My reply was to the original poster, not everyone has to chain, as others pointed out. Depends, like you stated where and who you run for.

 

My opinion, they’re for getting you over a mountain or back to the pavement if you’re off-road. If I was in the Midwest or in an ice storm somewhere I’d be parking too.