Tire chains?

[Wally]

I had to use the chains a few times in the past week. They suck. Is it the clips that are no good, or are the chains weak, or both? Seems like they have been breaking rather quickly. I noticed that they are too long too for the newer trucks. I think the tires are thinner.

For you new guys, take a hint. Always carry extra clips in your jacket as insurance. I do.

 

[Indecisi0n]

For you new guys, take a hint. Always carry extra clips in your jacket as insurance. I do.

All I need to carry is my cell phone to call the tow truck.

 

[Anonymous 11]

It's also always a plus to have an endless supply of hillbillies in trucks with a chain or a strap just dying to tow you out.

 

[Wally]

The trouble with the tow truck is you are charged with an accident.

 

[Anonymous 11]

The trouble with the tow truck is you are charged with an accident.

That's why I like the hillbilly option.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

25 years and I have yet to have to put a set of chains on. That's not to say I have never been stuck---I have----but the locals, especially on my country run, were always willing to help.

You will get charged with an accident only if it costs the company money.

 

[3 done 3 to go]

Happy to say 10 yrs since I used chains. I just don't go where it looks like I cant get out. Plus hillbilly option if needed.

 

[oldngray]

I had to use the chains a few times in the past week. They suck. Is it the clips that are no good, or are the chains weak, or both? Seems like they have been breaking rather quickly. I noticed that they are too long too for the newer trucks. I think the tires are thinner.

For you new guys, take a hint. Always carry extra clips in your jacket as insurance. I do.

There are a couple of different sizes of chains and I think different ones fit the newer smaller tires. I agree the newer chains frequently break. They are cheap junk. I usually used those traction strips if possible.

 

[Indecisi0n]

The trouble with the tow truck is you are charged with an accident.

We are not charged with an accident for getting stuck in snow here.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We are not charged with an accident for getting stuck in snow here.

Even if it costs the company money?

 

[oldngray]

We got charged if a tow truck was called so we did everything possible to get ourselves out. The new trucks suck in snow. I would get stuck once or twice a day if it snowed an inch or two. Not stuck bad. Throw down traction strips and get out quickly and repeat. I got stuck in middle of road if it snowed about 6 inches. My city streets seldom saw a snowplow.

 

[brownmonster]

Even if it costs the company money?

No. Supe got towed once. That ended the accident thing.

 

[toonertoo]

We get charged with an accident if a tow is needed. I havent been stuck in ions. As long as I can move, Im not going to get stuck. If I am having trouble moving, I dont stop.
I have never used tire chains, never will. If its that bad, we need to go in.

 

[cachsux]

It's also always a plus to have an endless supply of hillbillies in trucks with a chain or a strap just dying to tow you out.

Lonely UPS guy stuck in the country. Yea, sure, giving you a tow is just what they're dying to do.

 

[soberups]

I have never gotten "charged" for an accident for getting stuck in snow or mud and needing a tow truck, and its happened to me probably half a dozen times during my 27 yrs.

As far as tire chains go, we are fortunate here; our shop buys the PEWAG brand heavy duty chains and they are seriously bad ass. They cost about $300 per set but they dont break, the links are specially hardened steel. I have yet to ever need to install a repair link on one.

The best investment I ever made was the $5 I spent on a used tow rope at a garage sale. I have been pulled out of the snow and mud many times with it, virtually everyone on my route has a tractor or a 4x4 pickup and if I get stuck all I do is connect the rope to the bumper and just stand there, the first person who passes by in a rig that can tow will always stop and pull me out.


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[BigUnionGuy]

The trouble with the tow truck is you are charged with an accident.

We are not charged with an accident for getting stuck in snow here.

Even if it costs the company money?

Only if it causes.... some sort of damage.



-Bug-

 

[soberups]

We get charged with an accident if a tow is needed. I havent been stuck in ions. As long as I can move, Im not going to get stuck. If I am having trouble moving, I dont stop.
I have never used tire chains, never will. If its that bad, we need to go in.

Different rules for different areas I guess. I chain up several times per year on average. My state does not allow salt on the roads, and only the main roads get plowed, so chaining up is a necessity.


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[Xexys]

I was never charged with an accident after a tow and I was towed at least 10 times in my driving career. Once, the tow charge was $700. The tow company had just painted their vehicle and it wound up getting scratched to high hell after towing me out of a nasty 1/2 mile tree lined driveway.

I think also that your standing with your management team is taken into consideration.

 

[soberups]

I had to use the chains a few times in the past week. They suck. Is it the clips that are no good, or are the chains weak, or both? Seems like they have been breaking rather quickly. I noticed that they are too long too for the newer trucks. I think the tires are thinner.

For you new guys, take a hint. Always carry extra clips in your jacket as insurance. I do.

My experience has been that 99% of the time chains break because they arent properly installed. Most people dont hook the inside loop tight enough because its hard to reach, so over the course of a day the chain will pull crooked and the inside of the tire will start running on the outer chain ring. They also break if you dont properly untangle them. Do yours look like this?

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[oldngray]

My experience has been that 99% of the time chains break because they arent properly installed. Most people dont hook the inside loop tight enough because its hard to reach, so over the course of a day the chain will pull crooked and the inside of the tire will start running on the outer chain ring. They also break if you dont properly untangle them. Do yours look like this? View attachment 11273


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Mine didn't. Yours look a lot better designed. Our chains were just for emergency use to get unstuck then you take them off, not to drive around on. And they only covered a small patch of tread to give traction, not the whole tire.