ok, tired of searching threads now.

[Andylad13]

anyone ever run tire chains on a dually? i just had a ride of 5 hours long in the snow for a trip that usually takes 40 mins, and there were some hills i had to back down and give it another go. there was a time i thought i wasn't making it home but the diesel made it. i want it to be a more of a guarantee next time!! any thoughts?

 

[SHIP4BRAINS]

I'd think it would be sufficient to run them on the outside tires only.

 

[SIKPUP]

I run them on the outside tires only, I also carry some blocks of wood to pull the inside tires up on , so I can put the chains on easier. don't need a jack.

Mike

 

[Andylad13]

thats a good idea about the blocks, but why only the outside ones? i would think that the ones that are for both sides of the axle covering both wheels would be better. however if i do both tires, i cant do the block thing. id like to try this with weight in the bed and chains. if it doesnt work im gettin a 4X

 

[93turbo_animal]

most chains are for one tire way easier to put on besides your gonna have way more traction then you had before and no sense in having the extra work

 

[Andylad13]

ok, thanks for the info guys!

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Real genuine dual-wheel chains are easier to put on than el-cheapo ordinary single-wheel chains.

The good ones also cost a lot more; which is probably why you don't see them very often.

Cheap chains have little simple hooks and flimsy little cam-latches that lack the necessary leverage to draw the slack out of the chains, hence the flopping and flying around.

The good kind have four big evenly-spaced circular steel plates, with long sweeping cam-action slots, and a 1/2" square-drive hole for turning them.

By the time you get the first two tighteners cammed over and latched, you can actually see the chains start biting into the tread as you tighten the remaining two tighteners.

Once everything is on, evened out, and tightened, you can drive across Monarch, from Salida to Gunnison, and never hear a chain start slapping.

 

[RLDSL]

Get a pair of these things to put on the outside tires and a pair of 4x6 wood blocks to run the inside tires up on, and with a little practice, you'll be able to chain up in a few minutes and be good to go. They cost a bundle but they're well worth it.

The alloy those things are made out of is insanely strong and the diamond design keeps them tight. i've got a set for my car for emergencies if I don't have the studded snow tires on, and I used to run the big truck version of those things for a few years and they were great. I never broke a link on those things ( normally on big truck chains at that time, it was pretty common to snap one or two links everytime you had to run the things, I went a few years on those things without breaking any) and I drove hard and fast on them.
On the big truck I ran single chain on outside tires on one drive axle and same on one trailer axle and ran more miles on ice and snow than most folks will drive in their entire life and never had a problem .

Another big plus is they are way lighter than regular link chains, so no hernia dragging the bag out.

Don't waste your money on cable chains. Those things are fine on loose snow, but on ice they are pretty worthless, they give you just enough traction to make you think you can make it when you should have stayed put

-------Robert

 

[diesel4me2]

i just have a dozer at work dump a load of snow in the bed. not for everyone, but it works for me
chris

 

[Andylad13]

roger that. i have seen the diamond style set before and i did like them but the set i bought yesterday in a fit of rage looks like regular chains, but has an added feature. on the side of the chain that is in contact with the road, it has a barbed wire style to it. it says basically i will have a 230 or so % increase of traction in starting, and a 50% increase in stopping. i like those odds. and im going to throw sand in the bed. im looking for around 700 lbs.

 

[Andylad13]

the damn local gravel pit was closed yesterday, so i opted for another choice, quickrete.

home depot 3.79 a bag, 80 lbs bags. bought 10 bags and put them right over the axle.

that plus me and my brother's tools, (carpenters) without us in the truck, truck weighs 8160.

now when my damn snow chains come in approx christmas eve, we'll see how she does!

 

[Andylad13]

I got my chains in yesterday. they are for the outside tires only and have the v bar on top of the cross chains. threw them on, tightened them up, and the truck is going places it never has before in the snow.

thanks for the info guys, this turned out to be a great investment.