Chains or should I say chain

[UnderPaidSucka]

After a suprise snowstorm this October in a p500 on its last leg I asked the mechanic for chains for the winter. He handed me a chain with a connector and said use this. Only advice he gave me was not to loop it where the valve was.

How many of these bad boys do I need? How many per tire? And how deep should the snow be before I put them on?

Also, I know all the basic stuff abobt driving these monsters in the snow. Or should I say sliding them in the snow.
Are there any tricks? Stay off the clutch? Low gears on hills going both up and down?
Thanks

 

[dannyboy]

i only used chains when i got stuck. i found that in our area, you were more prone to slide. an sometimes sideways as well.

d

 

[Captain America]

If it is an old 5 you can get a bit of limited-slip rear differential action out of them by using the hand brake. This won't work on newer or larger vehicles because the hand brake stops the axle, not the wheels. The trick is to only partially apply it moving it back and forth until you are moving.

 

[drewed]

two, one on each drive wheel, for duals the outer wheel

 

[chev]

lol......chains? Around here they came up with the brilliant idea of giving each driver one of those orange 5 gallon Home Depot "Homer" buckets with pea gravel in it. Chains are "too costly". Thank God they didnt try that with feeders.
Guess that's what they pay those "supersup's" to come up with.

 

[3 done 3 to go]

I use two on each wheel. Only if I got stuck. The best thing to do is when in doubt walk stop off. The old 500. So glad to be out of that. The new p 700 freightliner is night and day compared to that old crap. Make sure you get new tires on the beast. Make sure you communicate with your mechanic. Have enough chains(i have 8)clips(10) also get a pair of gloves. Nothing worse than having numb fingers to try and feed chain from the back to the front of the tire. In a foot of snow..1 more thing feel the weight of the truck when driving into a driveway. If you feel the nose of the truck going down. DON'T go any further-walk

 

[some1else]

when i had a 500 the only chains that fit where the ones with a blue nylon strap to go around the wheel and the chain over the tire.

How many of these bad boys do I need? How many per tire? And how deep should the snow be before I put them on?

i would get as many as you can. just 1 on each tire; but they will only stay on for a few miles till the strap gives out. dont put them on until you get stuck

the only upside to the 800 i got now is that "they dont get stuck" lol and they dont

 

[over9five]

I believe the chains UPS gives you are ONLY to be used to get you "unstuck". You can't use them all day, because they could fly off (causing injury or death!).

 

[upsgrunt]

At the least, a headache from the constant thumping!

 

[drewed]

Not only that.... up here atleast its illegal to have chains on your tires for extended periods of time (unless its gov't equipment).

 

[rocket man]

thats NOT YOUR JOB TO PUT CHAINS on your pkg car .

 

[drewed]

Getting stuck is an avoidable accident, do you want to report everytime you get stuck rocket?

 

[Brown54]

Yes it is your job to install chains, when you know you will need them. A tow bill is frowned upon up here. I am assuming you were given the quick links ( two strands of chain that quickly get you unstuck) These are great, fast and easy. Sorry about you in a 500. Old 500's are the worse things on the road. 26 years of driving and only 2 times in a ditch with a 500. Love my P-1000.

 

[705red]

Getting stuck is an avoidable accident, do you want to report everytime you get stuck rocket?

I call BS! If ups sends you out and 14 inches of snow comes down in 8 hours and you get stuck, its not the drivers fault.

 

[upsgrunt]

I kind of agree- Drewed, where do you get all your info? Either you know quite a bit, or you don't know squat, but you sure have an answer for every situation.

 

[drewed]

Up here atleast its an avoidable accident, snows part of life when its here 8 months a year you should know how to drive in it and get yourself unstuck if need be. Our muni runs about half the snow removal equipment while the state takes over the main corridors to get the city completely snowed out it takes 3 days (they do runs through the smaller streets just to clear them and do the cleanup the scheduled day)

 

[softshoe]

Getting stuck is an avoidable accident, do you want to report everytime you get stuck rocket?

I 've been stuck so many times in the last 31 years that I couldn"t tell you how many times I've been towed. The only driver I know who got charged with a accident was when he was stuck and he wiped out a mailbox trying to get out of the ditch. When I achived my 25 yrs safe driving, my center mgr presented me with a new set of chains.

 

[cachsux]

Getting stuck in the middle of the road because of heavy snowfall-No. Getting stuck trying to Dukes of Hazard your stop off-Yes. If they charged everyone who got stuck with an avoidable we wouldn`t have any drivers left.

 

[drewed]

how many times do you guys get stuck a year? ive driven all sorts of vehicles (not a pc) in the snow and have never got stuck

 

[705red]

You ever try doing 200 stops down side streets that havent been plowed? I have a 4 wheel trk and have no problems, but im scared to death to drive my package car in deep snow.