Snow chains Info. What tires do you chain and when?

I didn’t run where they made you chain on bare pavement. I didn’t go to OR and WA much, I was mostly in MT and ID and up into Canada. I imagine they would ride pretty rough on pavement but would be fine if you kept your speed down.

 

Yeah i tend to run alot of UT, ID, OR, WA and CA and theres too much running on bare pavement at times. All regular pavement, no off road stuff, think ill just stick with me regular pewag square links.

 

I liked them. I didn’t do any offroad stuff but when I chained it was usually deeper snow on secondary roads. The Pewag’s are probably better for general highway chaining, these are just what was hanging on the truck when I got into it.

 

I picked em up last Winter from the local Kenworth dealer in SLC, if i remember right they were around $200 a pair, can't remember the exact price, just remember they were more expensive than the cheap crap you can pick up, but they've lasted good and are still in good shape.

 

I carry 2 sets of Pewags on mine, one set of older round chains, and one single Pewag. The Pewags seem to hold up much better, normally I eat two sets of chains every winter. The first set of Pewags we bought broke an outside link and were scrapped. The second set I still carry one of two, the other one, I accidently drug one of the cams on the ground for 40 miles and ruined it. Boss bought me two new sets at the start of the season, I've used them 7 or 8 times, both are still holding their shine. I have noticed they seem to bite better, I've not spun a single wheel with them installed.

Also, Pewags are not "Chinese chains", they are made in Pueblo, Colorado.

 

Those chains he has are actually not highway legal in the US, they have a studded edge and can destroy asphalt and concrete. In Colorado, if you get caught with them by the highway dept, they will have you cited and may even confiscate the chains. One of our customers sells them, I asked a few years ago about buying some, they explained the rules to me.

 

I don't know about never on the steer tires when hauling fuel pulling a 53' 5 axle and a pup behind that in the mountains in Alaska after a rain in the road is coated with ice sometimes I put a drag chain on one of my steer tires and chain all my drive tires and then one drag chain on every other axle on the trailers and Dolly alternating from one side to the other.
I guess it just depends of the severity of the crap you get in and the wimpiness of your truck like a lot of you guys down in the lower 48 don't have lockers most trucks and Alaska have double lockers and are at least 310" wheelbase, way better on ice then those little short truck stop friendly trucks you guys drive.

 

Kind of similar in Alaska hauling doubles on ice sometimes, when it's slick I will turn off the brakes on the back trailer because they do more harm than good in the mountains on ice roads.