I popped my chain cherry.

Ya!! LOL, the bad area kept him too busy for photos!! Good boy!! lol

"looked like he was swatting bee's in there"

 

I was going to point out that the chains in the picture are inside out, but I was a bit late to getting to that

 

I remember popping mine heading over Floyd, got to other side, 3 gone 1 wrapped around axle. Worked deal with dispatch to never need chains again, win win! I just didn't care, I knew I'd never waste time running those routes anymore, found better money avoiding that area of country(and not by running east coast!).

 

My advice, not that it means ####, but I have put a whole lot of chains on: Never use bungie cords, tarp straps, or that expensive rubber octopus they sell at the truck stops. That stuff does nothing if the chains are tight. Just a waste of time and money. It is best to work to get the chains tight the first time; they last longer and don't slip on the tires. If I have to run chains more than 10 or 15 miles I will stop and retighten. But, it is possible to tighten them up hard the first shot.

I always start out with good gloves but a some point the gloves will have to come off to get the chains hooked. They are wet by that point anyway. Multiple gloves are kept in the truck so I can swap out as the others dry.

High visibility rain gear is the best investment for chaining. Most of the time the DOT will have you chaining up long before the you hit the actual solid snow. You are usually in that rain/snow slop that is impossible to keep dry in. Your are also almost always in low visibility conditions; get hurt and they won't find you until the snow plow comes through. Working on the side of a icy, slushy, slick road, at knight in a black hoody, with four wheelers flying by while checking the snow report on the cell phones is just too stupid!

If you got tightening cams, keep plenty keys around. They break all the time. Better yet get a large 1/2" screwdriver bit and put it on a breaker bar.

No cams, use a mini-binder to snug up the chains.

The way you store your chains on the truck makes the greatest difference how fast your chaining day goes. I Keep mine in a specific order. Best drive chains on chain rack last; first to be used. Followed by trailer drags: older chains. Spares are last, all arranged so I don't have to waste time untwisting them. Twisted chains are hard to tighten, dig in the tires, and are the first to break! Enjoy!

 

I have to disagree about the bungee straps. They might do nothing, but they do give peace of mind.

 

Do like I do, chain law comes in. I park.. I love oversize rules...

No load is that hot you need to chain up. Find a nice spot and wait

 

So true but when it does come up and you are 21 miles from the house, you are going to throw the chains, unless you have that oversized load,...LOL

 

Oversized or not. Hot load or not.

Donner had the chains up for 4 days this week. If i parked it like the rest of you all do. I would be spending my Christmas in Reno still waiting to deliver my load NEXT week. Or at the 49er truckstop outside of Sacramento.

I'm going in. I"m getting out. I'M GOING HOME. An hours worth of work isn't going to stop MEEEE from doing my job. I certainly have no intention of waiting 7 days to deliver.

 

God what a thought, spending Christmas at the 49er! I wouldn't wish that night mare on anybody! That's the same as coyote ugly..............