Tire Chain Storage

Most idiots put a crosslink across a couple of hooks, and keep looping crosslinks over hooks until the chain is off the ground.

This just about guarantees tangles and makes the chains hard to separate and take off. Rails will always be twisted with this method. Twisted rails is what ruins chains. Twisted rails makes getting chains proplerly tight impossible. Cheap Chinese chains twisted on the rails will bust long before they get properly tight.

Lay out the chains flat, get all twists out of the chains. This is harder than you think. Cheep Chinese chains always come twisted in the bag.

After untwisting the three rails, fold them in half at center rail and put them on first. Start at the inside hook and drape the chains on the rails, not the crosslink. When you use the three hooks on one side just fold over chain and start on outside hook on the other side. In the case of three rails you are draping the chain on the center rails to get more chains on. Drape on outside rails to get off easier. With six hooks you should be able to get a chain hung without doubling back. The goal is to have all chains hanging, twist free, above the edge of the rim, if that makes sense.

Single rails simply hang on the rail not the crosslink. Try to get loose pigtail or the cam lock hook, above the lowest edge of the rim. Lowest edge of the rim is as low as the chains can hang without risking a ticket.

Do it right you can gather all the chains with one bungee, no hooks or chains hanging below the rim, and they are easy to get off the rack with no untangling and twisting.

 

Go to YouTube their are many videos on the proper way to store chains

 

The more organized you are when you hang them up the less you’ll be hating life when it comes time to use them. The last thing you want to be doing at a chain up area in the snow is untangling a tangled up mess of chains.

 

Oh, you all would hate me then. My dad ran Wolf Creek for years and he always had his chains perfectly in order. Me on the other hand, I have an open center section in my double drop and that's where I throw them in a pile, of course I don't use them very often. Just a true confession.

 

Got my 2 milk crates full of tire chains sitting in the corner of the shop. I only grab them when I'm heading to a state that requires me to carry them. They were put on 1 time in front of the shop to make sure they fit then they've lived in those crates for the last 10 years.

I don't chain. Couldn't if I wanted to unless I get out tools and unbolt my fenders.