Tire Chains, Mountain Roads, Towing

[Chris Callanan]

Taking the Boy Scouts to the Klondike Derby this weekend... forecast calling for Snow...    Typically if it is just me, I drive the old 4x4 up, and if they turn me around, whatever...  now I have the truck, and towing the ~5000 pound trailer...  We are coming from the valley floor, going up to around 5800 feet or so....  

 

1 - Having never put chains on a 4WD before, do you put them on all 4 wheels?  seems like you would...

2 - Do you also put them on the trailer?  I know our troop has them for the trailer, but never used them.

3 - If they call for "Chains, or 4WD with snow tires" - do I just go without the chains?

4 - If they call for "4WD with chains" should I just turn around and go home, deal with the boy's disappointment later?
 

forgive my rambling... I'm really just thinking outloud.......

 

 

[cNate]

Depends on conditions.

Here’s how it works if you’re not towing:

If your truck is 4WD with snow rated tires, then you don’t need chains in R1, you only have to carry chains in the truck in R2 conditions and you’ll have to put them on in R3 conditions.

When towing a trailer, you’re required to put chains on one drive axle of the truck and the most rear axle of the trailer in R2 conditions. It’s not a bad idea to put chains on both the front and rear of the truck if conditions are really icy. I recently towed my 9k lbs trailer with my 8k lbs truck on a slight decline over a 10 mile stretch of Highway out of Mammoth CA with chains on the rear tires of the truck and trailer. Tons of traction. Wasn’t an issue. Road was covered in snow and ice. Snow was falling at 2k ft for that storm and we were traveling around 7k ft in altitude.

Make sure you have the right size chains and test putting them on before you leave. No fun trying to troubleshoot on the side of a highway in the cold!


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[Chris Callanan]

Another dumb question - Chains vs. Cables on a truck...

 

I know on most FWD cars (and my minivan) Chains are a no-no on the front...   Pretty sure that is for clearance reasons though...    Should be able to use the same type of chains front and rear on a truck, yes?   

 

I've seen some comments where the diamond ones work better up front and ladders in the back, but not sure that is true....

[tbare54]

Don’t take this the wrong way, but if the conditions rate chains, probably since your trip is for recreation, I would suggest stopping or turning around and going home. Think about it?


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[cNate]

Camping in the snow is fun!




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[cNate]

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[Josef]

What cnate said. Only think I would add is if you only have one set of chains, putting them on the front if you are heading predominately downhill is a good idea. Towing uphill you will definitely want them on the rear axle. They give you steering traction going downhill. 

[Chris Callanan]

4 hours ago, tbare54 said:

Don’t take this the wrong way, but if the conditions rate chains, probably since your trip is for recreation, I would suggest stopping or turning around and going home. Think about it?


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No wrong way...   We are very cautious when traveling with the Boy Scouts....  no reason to put anybody in harms way...    Just trying to follow the motto.. "Be Prepared" ...    right now looks like conditions are supposed to be clear going up, but could end up worse on the way down...  but mountain weather is always a bit unpredictable...

 

 

[bshort]

When everyone tries to drive 80, and spins out, Caltrans will shut it down and you won't have to worry about it.  

[Chris Callanan]

3 hours ago, bshort said:

When everyone tries to drive 80, and spins out, Caltrans will shut it down and you won't have to worry about it.  

You aren't kidding..  Always funny to watch the news during snow storms in the Sierra..   We aren't even driving as far as Kingvale, so I *think* we should be ok for this weekend...

[i82much]

I went up to 6500 ft in remote north Idaho country for hunting season this year in my 2016 2500HD.  Drove 50 miles or so on steep, gnarly forest roads with steep drop-offs.  We had about 8 inches of snow and I used these front and rear:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H9GQR4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I was quite pleased.  Fairly easy to put on, plenty of clearance.  Not quite the absolutely perfect grip of a true v-bar chain, but much more convenient and I felt safe.  

[bwoodsmn]

 

If your truck is 4WD with snow rated tires, then you don’t need chains in R1, you only have to carry chains in the truck in R2 conditions and you’ll have to put them on in R3 conditions.

When towing a trailer, you’re required to put chains on one drive axle of the truck and the most rear axle of the trailer in R2 conditions. 


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I'm a flatlander - what do you mean by R1 and R2 conditions?  

[cNate]

I'm a flatlander - what do you mean by R1 and R2 conditions?  

These are road condition ratings issued by cal trans. You can check cal trans website for details of definitions as well as what the current conditions are on roads. CHP is responsible for enforcing chain requirements, not a bad idea to contact local CHP If in doubt after reviewing cal trans.

With any conditions and setup, if it doesn’t feel safe, then sit and wait it out until conditions improve. Can’t wreck if you’re not moving. Of course, this doesn’t mean freeze to death in your car. Sit and wait it out in a safe place.


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[bwoodsmn]

 

 

 

These are road condition ratings issued by cal trans. You can check cal trans website for details of definitions as well as what the current conditions are on roads. CHP is responsible for enforcing chain requirements, not a bad idea to contact local CHP If in doubt after reviewing cal trans.

With any conditions and setup, if it doesn’t feel safe, then sit and wait it out until conditions improve. Can’t wreck if you’re not moving. Of course, this doesn’t mean freeze to death in your car. Sit and wait it out in a safe place.


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Ah - Thanks!  I hit the google and got nothing.