Learn to use your chains!

Hear a guy on the CB the other day talking about it. "I'm from PA and we don't chain up. I just take a nap in the chain up area untill it clears. Etc..."

Just the way he was talking about it I don't think he was trolling.

 

What are "chains"?

 

Alot of drivers will tell the company they know how to chain then they get out in the Rockies and don't have a clue.I imagine it gets costly paying other drivers to do it for them.

 

Oregon needs to learn how to update chain requirement status in a timely manner. Again several days ago, meacham and ladd and maybe baker valley were all chain required. Trouble is there was mostly 2 lanes wet pavement the entire way during a rapidly improving late morning stage with sun. Maybe 2 miles where one lane had a little ice to run on. Ridiculous. Chains laying everywhere. The mowers must spend a fortune repairing broken equipment when they start mowing over chains in the summer grass that were put there with snow plows.

I wrote the state of Oregon an email and I suggest others do too.

 

I've only ever had to use them once and I thought of a question.
What actually breaks the chains? Too loose or too tight? The one time I had to do it was east over Snoqualmie. Put them on at start of chain area drove up maybe 1000' and got out and tightened the crap out of them. While I try my best to avoid using them I certainly am no expert. Didn't lose any though and had 4 outside drives and 2 outside trailer tires chained...everything I had.

 

The problem is the desk jokies there opinion is you shouldn't ever chain cause if you need to chain you shouldn't be driving... I always tell them well how you expect us to get parked when it comes out of nowhere then they say should of checked the weather... Ya? Well let's see what dispatch says when I call them and say hey weather is great right now but I heard there is some snow up ahead so I. Going to park it now...Well what's the snow going to be like? Well I don't ####ing know but we aren't supposed to chain so I can't go figure d out cause it MIGHT be bad...

 

I haven't chained but once... About a mile from customer cause a red light ran off with my momentum!!!
Approached a red light with a hill in front of it plows hadn't been by trued to get uphill barefoot but spun out interstates were great surface streets not so great. So hopped out threw 2 chains on drives and was able to make it rest of way took about 15 min for the 2 cgains

 

I see you already covered it, but I was going to post that one should actually practice the chain-up procedures on a nice, warm, spring or fall day at the terminal or in your driveway. Much better to learn (trial and error) when the weather's nice as opposed to laying in 6 inches of slush and slop on the side of the road trying to learn...

 

Yes! So necessary to practice and hang your chains so they don't need to be untwisted before next use.