Snow season and chaining?

yes. Best advice I can give is if you're issued "used chains", go through them at the yard, one by one. Lay them all out completely and inspect for breaks or problem areas. exchange any you have reservations about and don't let the shop people give you a hard time about swapping out bad chains for better ones.

Develop a "stow away system" that works for you and your stowage system, and ALWAYS use the same technique, this will help keep chains from getting "turned inside out" at the ends and twisting. Learn to spot a used chain that was improperly handled and stowed and how to identify a "twisted chain". Twisted chains will fail far earlier than chains that are not twisted and in their natural "relaxed position".

 

And watch Otter's video. Several times.

Frank

 

Yes and also if you try and go through without chaining or don't have them it could cost you $500.00 per axle so could get expensive $500. to $1500 depending on how many axles were required to chain-up.

 

Where do you buy quality chains? I only see them for sale at truck stops, my local parts house never has them and won't order them. I need some new ones, running 11r22.5 now and have old ones for 11r24.5. How do I know what are good and what are low grade? Same as regular chain? Grade 40, 70 ? I never want to use them but I do want to have the correct tools for the job should I need to. Also, should I get 2 sets of triples? and how many singles?

What do you carry @jmroadhog ? I occasionally go over the coq in winter and *knock on wood* I have been lucky to get by with only having to chain 1 time in my career and that was back in 2011 over Snoqualmie. Coq is probably the worst I encounter as far as gradient and I want to be prepared

 

We usually carry 3 sets of singles to be legal. Triples are too heavy for me to throw around anymore. WA-OR-CA often require drag chains on the trailer here in BC singles on all 4 corners is usually good enough. Truck stops usually have the cheaper chains in stock but sometimes also have good quality ones.Out here Kal Tire usually has the good ones and also the truck dealers carry them. Another thing to invest in are rubber spiders that keep your chains nice and tight instead of using a whole bunch of bungy cords
Hope that helps

 

Chain season is October 15th to April 15th.

In some states it's mandatory to carry chain sufficiently to chain both tractor and trailer. Or all trailers in double triple etc, rocky mountains, Btrains, a trains etc.

You MUST at a moment's notice chain prior to assaulting a mountain under a winter storm. You have to be very aware of current winter storms and what passes you are fixing to cross.

Chains are wonderful. But People get lazy and less than willing to chain. That is where they get into trouble with both the Law and with all other trucks they just trapped behind them for hours when they did not chain when ordered to.

I have pretty much spent my life not chaining. But because I did not carry chains or worse, only carried inadequate cable chain set for all wheels... I have had to FLEE off the Cabbage prior to a winter storm called Willawaws that come off Alaska, explode and then cover the NW in 10 feet of everything. Ive come out of the cabbage with logs that do not compute trying to keep moving east 24/7 for three days until about Cheyenne. It's stupid. All I needed is chains but boss is cheap. So.... that's the only problem.

I advocate chains very strongly. Make sure you get a Trainer who will teach you the various Laws in various states, how to chain each and what wheel positions, again differs according to state and how to drive with them on.

Sometimes it's better to take a safe haven prior to a raging storm covering say Sherman Hill in Wyoming for about 30 to 40 hours and rest up for when it clears than to get stuck up there and spin fire. Chains do not make you super man.

 

There's been many times I chained up get over the mountain and it's dry the rest of my trip. Takes an extra hour to your trip a lil physical work in the cold. Some days it's worth the hassle.

 

Snoqualamie and Donner are great examples, they can/will have chain law up on those passes for in excess of 24 hours at a time following significant storms. The truck stops were full up 2 days ago and will remain so, so to sit for 24-48-36 hours in a mud hole somewhere because you don't want to spend a half hour chaining and 20 minutes unchaining just doesn't make sense in many cases. Weather and roads on either side are great, it's just the 15-35 miles of highest elevation on the passes that are the problem.

 

If you have the right gear, snow pants, jacket and waterproof gloves it's not a big deal. I take my time chaining up, 6 tires about 45-60 minutes (I'm getting old).
If you've done it properly a few times, you know exactly what to do.
First time I had to chain up at Donner, I was soaked and it was a pain, after this experience I bought the right gear and had no more problems.
It's much safer to drive with chains over Donner than the rest of Wyoming without chains.
I don't like to chain up, but better than sitting two days and waiting it out.
And socks you can only use on snow packed roads, Donner or Vail has often wet roads where you have to chain, socks would be destroyed till you reach the snow.

 

I'm going home in 8 weeks for the winter..you guys enjoy that winter weather..I'll be sitting by the fire praying for you.