Tire Chains - Snow in the Mountains - Yes You

[JLS]

I didn't realize there was machismo in not ever needing chains, thanks RT for sharing that with me.

What some of you folks may not be taking into consideration is not just snow, but the ice that can come with it.  When I was younger, smarter, and braver, I made it over a pass in Montana without chaining up.  Boy, was I cool.  Then, I started down the other side.  I hit a shaded north slope where the roadway was covered in about an inch of glare ice, topped off with several inches of fresh snow.  I tapped the brakes and instantly became a two ton bobsled.

When I finally got stopped and pulled the seat out of my clenched butt, I put on my chains.  I had to wear ice cleats on my boots to keep from falling.  Even with the chains, it was a white knuckle affair getting down the next two miles.  Without chains I would have certainly wrecked, or left my truck there to block the road for the next poor soul who had to cope with my stupidity.

There are not many occasions when I have truly NEEDED chains.  In the times you do, you'll either be thanking the Good Lord Jesus you have them, or praying to Him because you don't.

YMMV.

[Wazukie]

I should clarify that I don't drive anywhere I need chains, if chains are required, I'd just as soon stay home.  If you Drive the Columbia Gorge much in the winter, I'd suggest you have chains with you. 

[DRobnsn]

Just a heads up to all you late season hunters. Please take your tire chains with you hunting. Also, make sure they fit your tires. If you only have one set and you drive a 4WD, put them on the front. Better yet, put chains on all 4 tires. Traction and steering! You might also need some bungee cords to hold the chains tight so check this out before leaving for camp folks.
I'm going to air my opinion now before this years late archery elk frustrations. I am darn tired of having to drive out of the ruts and part way into the woods every time a truck comes down the rd with no chains. A $50,000.00 truck with another $10,000.00 in over size tires & wheels, shocks and lift etc but can't afford chains??? Just stupid. Be considerate of everyone else out there and be prepared. If you can't afford chains, hike from camp. DO NOT drive down the middle of the road expecting everyone else to pull over for you. 
Thank You for reading.

Sako could you clarify what your talking about here? To me it sounds like your talking about OFF HIGHWAY situations am I correct?

[snowpack]

I'm one of those that needs chains.  Steep, wetside log roads with snow on them have been impassable without and still a pain in the rear with them.  When driving on the layer over layer of mud-ice-ice-ice-snow, I prefer to have the tires/chains break through and try to grip the lower ice sheet or mud.  Chains don't make it fool proof, but a little bit of sliding every now and then beats trying to get out of a ditch ten minutes into a trip.  The log roads tend to be single lane with a steep ditch on the uphill side and a steep drop on the other.  I chain all four and it is good as long as I go slow.  When going slow, if something is starting to happen I find it has been better to speed up a little and brake farther ahead than to try to just brake.

[sakoshooter]

Just a heads up to all you late season hunters. Please take your tire chains with you hunting. Also, make sure they fit your tires. If you only have one set and you drive a 4WD, put them on the front. Better yet, put chains on all 4 tires. Traction and steering! You might also need some bungee cords to hold the chains tight so check this out before leaving for camp folks.
I'm going to air my opinion now before this years late archery elk frustrations. I am darn tired of having to drive out of the ruts and part way into the woods every time a truck comes down the rd with no chains. A $50,000.00 truck with another $10,000.00 in over size tires & wheels, shocks and lift etc but can't afford chains??? Just stupid. Be considerate of everyone else out there and be prepared. If you can't afford chains, hike from camp. DO NOT drive down the middle of the road expecting everyone else to pull over for you. 
Thank You for reading.

Sako could you clarify what your talking about here? To me it sounds like your talking about OFF HIGHWAY situations am I correct?

Off blacktop driving.

Two years ago, late archery elk season in the Nile, I(chained up all 4) was driving up the 1601 to a spot for the afternoon hunt in the usual compact snow/ice and was very tired of driving into the woods or ditch to allow all the non-chained trucks to pass since most of them couldn't get out of the icy ruts running down the middle of the roads. Here comes another full size lifted truck with over size tires and wheels on it coming down. I stop in the middle of the road till he pulls over since he had two wide spots in front of him to pull into on his side and I have none. He passes both and runs right up to my bumper. I roll down the window and ask what the hell he's doing and he says; "You've got the chains, move over". Nice. Seems to be the mentality of many so I thought I'd make a simple post on here just to remind folks to bring their chains. Watching trucks without chains turn their wheels without it making a bit of difference in those icy ruts is why they're needed. And to prevent an accident.

[PolarBear]

I keep  tire chains, a shovel, cable, come-along, chain and some other emergency stuff whenever I hunt late season.  Last year I parked my rig and got out and hiked an extra mile to my stand after I was building a berm of snow with my bumper (love my new Michelin tires!).  It can get hairy turning an F-350 crew cab long bed around on a logging road with 2 feet of snow on it 20+ miles from the black top. 

[ICEMAN]

I didn't realize there was machismo in not ever needing chains, thanks RT for sharing that with me.

What some of you folks may not be taking into consideration is not just snow, but the ice that can come with it.  When I was younger, smarter, and braver, I made it over a pass in Montana without chaining up.  Boy, was I cool.  Then, I started down the other side.  I hit a shaded north slope where the roadway was covered in about an inch of glare ice, topped off with several inches of fresh snow.  I tapped the brakes and instantly became a two ton bobsled.

When I finally got stopped and pulled the seat out of my clenched butt, I put on my chains.  I had to wear ice cleats on my boots to keep from falling.  Even with the chains, it was a white knuckle affair getting down the next two miles.  Without chains I would have certainly wrecked, or left my truck there to block the road for the next poor soul who had to cope with my stupidity.

There are not many occasions when I have truly NEEDED chains.  In the times you do, you'll either be thanking the Good Lord Jesus you have them, or praying to Him because you don't.

YMMV.

Excellent point.

Years ago after snowshoeing around the Table Mountain area, we began to slide down a steep section of pure ice. When I finally got it stopped, my wife had to sit and hold the brakes while I chained up. In park, the rear tires would not hold the rig. You had to hold all four tires to keep from sliding.

Just about pooped my pants on that one. Kids slept happy in back not knowing what was going on...

Always bring chains!

[rtspring]

I didn't realize there was machismo in not ever needing chains, thanks RT for sharing that with me.

What some of you folks may not be taking into consideration is not just snow, but the ice that can come with it.  When I was younger, smarter, and braver, I made it over a pass in Montana without chaining up.  Boy, was I cool.  Then, I started down the other side.  I hit a shaded north slope where the roadway was covered in about an inch of glare ice, topped off with several inches of fresh snow.  I tapped the brakes and instantly became a two ton bobsled.

When I finally got stopped and pulled the seat out of my clenched butt, I put on my chains.  I had to wear ice cleats on my boots to keep from falling.  Even with the chains, it was a white knuckle affair getting down the next two miles.  Without chains I would have certainly wrecked, or left my truck there to block the road for the next poor soul who had to cope with my stupidity.

There are not many occasions when I have truly NEEDED chains.  In the times you do, you'll either be thanking the Good Lord Jesus you have them, or praying to Him because you don't.

YMMV.

Excellent point.

Years ago after snowshoeing around the Table Mountain area, we began to slide down a steep section of pure ice. When I finally got it stopped, my wife had to sit and hold the brakes while I chained up. In park, the rear tires would not hold the rig. You had to hold all four tires to keep from sliding.

Just about pooped my pants on that one. Kids slept happy in back not knowing what was going on...

Always bring chains!

Machismo??? Ha ha ha ha   
Everyones answer is! Throw some chains on that thing!!  Nope, not needed! Did you read my post or just the part that I was talking about being macho???

I would type it out again but I doubt you would get it the second time..
Thanks for sharing machismo with me..

[PolarBear]

I would rather have a lack of "machismo" than have to hike out 5-10-20 miles in the snow and ice!

[ICEMAN]

RT, why the big hatred of chains? You can use them in heavy mud, or do you never ever get stuck? They could be used to give you the extra traction to save some one else...

You have never been stuck in the back country?

[rtspring]

RT, why the big hatred of chains? You can use them in heavy mud, or do you never ever get stuck? They could be used to give you the extra traction to save some one else...

You have never been stuck in the back country?

Nope, I was taught by my great uncle to drive in snow and ice in a 1/2 ton two wheel drive truck..  Loaded it down and we hunted anywhere we wanted to go..  I have been in the chit before where everyone was chaining up. But I never did..  I think your driving is more beneficial than the chains.  I live in eastern washington and drive on ice all the time. ( this morning included).  Never used them ever. 

Not saying they aren't helpful but they are not magic either, you still need to know how to drive.   

Would I use them ever? Probably not..  And I have came down and went up cabbage hill when that thing was nasty as ever.  Guess I was just taught a diffrent way..

[Russ McDonald]

RT, why the big hatred of chains? You can use them in heavy mud, or do you never ever get stuck? They could be used to give you the extra traction to save some one else...

You have never been stuck in the back country?

Nope, I was taught by my great uncle to drive in snow and ice in a 1/2 ton two wheel drive truck..  Loaded it down and we hunted anywhere we wanted to go..  I have been in the chit before where everyone was chaining up. But I never did..  I think your driving is more beneficial than the chains.  I live in eastern washington and drive on ice all the time. ( this morning included).  Never used them ever. 

Not saying they aren't helpful but they are not magic either, you still need to know how to drive.   

Would I use them ever? Probably not..  And I have came down and went up cabbage hill when that thing was nasty as ever.  Guess I was just taught a diffrent way..

I agree.  I grew up in Minnesota and drove on plenty of ice and snow.  Even on frozen lakes.  I didn't even know you put chains on tires until I was in the Navy in California.  Went to South Lake Tahoe over the weekend and a big storm was blowing in.  I got stopped at the bottom of the hill by CHP asking if I had chains and I told him what are chains I am from Minnesota.  He let me go.  As I was driving the mountains I had people going in the ditch all around me.  Slow and easy best way to drive on snow and ice. 

[Rick]

RT, why the big hatred of chains?

Consider the source.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Different tires perform better or worse under various snow conditions.. there is not "best" but there are certainly some characteristics to look for if you are going to roll without chains.........If you are looking for a good off highway tire for the snow the most important qualities are Radial and Siped. Next you would want the tire to be as tall as possible. Height is far more important than width. As others have said you would also want to air down in the snow. In general I would prefer a mud terrain type tire because the larger tread generally clears the right amount of snow as it completes its rotation. There is some advantage to having a tire that holds some snow in the voids...as long as some of the lugs are clean.

The big misconception.... "Wider is always better"...given equal tire pressure/tire height and same vehicle a 12.5 inch tire and a 14.5 inch tire will have practically the same footprint area...the narrower tire will have a longer footprint while the wider tire will have a shorter footprint....what all this means is that under some conditions a narrower tire will perform better and other conditions a wider tire will perform better... but ultimately the contact patch is going to be the same when equal height tires are aired down on the same vehicle.

Get yourself a rig that can handle 41" Irok radials and you will go just about anywhere you would want to go.

[JLS]

I didn't realize there was machismo in not ever needing chains, thanks RT for sharing that with me.

What some of you folks may not be taking into consideration is not just snow, but the ice that can come with it.  When I was younger, smarter, and braver, I made it over a pass in Montana without chaining up.  Boy, was I cool.  Then, I started down the other side.  I hit a shaded north slope where the roadway was covered in about an inch of glare ice, topped off with several inches of fresh snow.  I tapped the brakes and instantly became a two ton bobsled.

When I finally got stopped and pulled the seat out of my clenched butt, I put on my chains.  I had to wear ice cleats on my boots to keep from falling.  Even with the chains, it was a white knuckle affair getting down the next two miles.  Without chains I would have certainly wrecked, or left my truck there to block the road for the next poor soul who had to cope with my stupidity.

There are not many occasions when I have truly NEEDED chains.  In the times you do, you'll either be thanking the Good Lord Jesus you have them, or praying to Him because you don't.

YMMV.

Excellent point.

Years ago after snowshoeing around the Table Mountain area, we began to slide down a steep section of pure ice. When I finally got it stopped, my wife had to sit and hold the brakes while I chained up. In park, the rear tires would not hold the rig. You had to hold all four tires to keep from sliding.

Just about pooped my pants on that one. Kids slept happy in back not knowing what was going on...

Always bring chains!

Machismo??? Ha ha ha ha   
Everyones answer is! Throw some chains on that thing!!  Nope, not needed! Did you read my post or just the part that I was talking about being macho???

I would type it out again but I doubt you would get it the second time..
Thanks for sharing machismo with me..

I get it.  I drive as much snow and ice as anybody, and there simply are times when airing down and going slow aren't going to help you.  As I said, there are times when chains are an absolute must. 

I'm not talking a band-aid for poor driving skills, I'm talking getting you off the mountain without sliding off a cliff.

To scoff at people for using them is silly.  I'd rather someone put them on and not crash as to NOT use them because they read it on Hunt WA and they pile up and hurt themselves and/or someone else.