Tire Chains?

[wa8yxm]

My recomendation is to avoid places where you NEED tire chains.

[MikeyRVNW]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

My recomendation is to avoid places where you NEED tire chains.

And when that is not an option?

[Unplanned Tourist]

[Mod edit]Some of us live North of the snow belt and decide to travel through Washington and Oregon if we just want a little month or 2 break from Winter.
We don't have to drive in the snow if we decide to wait it out.
Just sayin'.
Happy Glamping.

[igave]

And Montana and Idaho and Utah and Nevada and...
Some of us have to travel in the winter and no amount of “just don’t travel then” doesn’t work. Wish it did. I carry a set of single cable chains because it’s the law for many places we travel and storms come up quickly. With my coach the clearance just isn’t much either, so I intend to park when we get hit with bad roads rather than risk the damage. But I don’t intend to park in the middle of the highway or middle of nowhere for days either.

[Brentw]

Ha ha, spirited thread. As northern boy that hauled off Highway for a number of years, run and rebuilt a fair pile of chain. I plan on running down from BC to Pheonix to get an early spring, will be travelling in early April, 4x4 1 ton and fifth wheel.
Can some one enlighten me on the place get the regs for this?
BTW,hit an April snowstorm in Salt Lake city a couple years ago, I think if I could have made money showing a pile of the highway haulers how get chained and gone in under 30 min.

[Eagle2mo]

Washington: Traction Devices - Washington State Patrol
Oregon:Oregon - AutoSock

Colorado: Colorado - AutoSock

From AutoSock - US Map: Regulations - AutoSock

[Brentw]

Thanks,appreciate it.

[Fyrflie]

Originally Posted by daveandcarol

I thought the idea of owning a MH was that you could drive somewhere to stay away from the places where you might need chains...

Unfortunately not everyone has that kind of leeway in their schedules.

[JohnFreyja]

Auto socks work quite well. We needed to get home to Wa. from S.Calif due to a death in the family. The rig did fine in the snow but when chains were required I put on the Auto Socks and they worked as advertised but big rigs were pushing me to go faster and then when we got to bare pavement there was no place to stop (only the traffic lanes were plowed) so unfortunately due to higher speed than 30 and some bare pavement they were severely damaged. So I had to buy another set but even regular chains aren't suppose to be driven over about 30 mph or on bare pavement. At least the auto socks don't do damage to the motorhome.!

[Hgrace56]

Originally Posted by DWRichard

I would dare them to write me a ticket for not having chains on dry roads and fair conditions.

And I’d beat that rap.

These laws aren't spitefull or directed at you specifically but for the common good and public safety. These are the core responsibilities of government or society.

I have cables in my coach

[TinMan Trvlr]

In Western Canada Alberta highway regulations state tires identified as Snow tires, Mud and snow tires, or tires marked "M & S" are needed "When conditions warrant it". British Columbia requires all vehicles to mount snow tires or carry chains November 1 through April 30. Canadas National Parks highway traffic regulations require snow tires or chains on highways that pass through mountain parks in Alberta and B.C. from November 1 through April 30. these regulations apply to both the main vehicle and the towed vehicle or trailer. There are significant penalties for failure to follow these regulations. Law enforcement officers and Parks staff do check for compliance in severe weather situations before allowing vehicles to proceed.

I believe all western "mountain states" we have traveled through on our way to the southern winter snow bird belt require that vehciles have snow tires or carry chains during winter months.

As has been stated, the risk of expensive damage to close tolerance fiberglass body work and trim on RV's caused by flailing loose chain or cables is in most cases to severe to contemplate their use unless under extreme duress.

Although we own and carry cable chains that will fit our coach and towed vehicle, we have recently purchased Auto Sock sets for both the steer and drive axels on the coach, due to their ease of application, light weight, lower risk of body damage, as well as lower risk of damage to our tires than experienced when using chains. We could likely buy 10 sets of the Auto Sock for less than the repair cost of one damage incedent from a flailing chain or cable.

Our understanding is that they qualify as "traction devices" in lieu of chains in all western States and Provinces. I'm told you can save the price of two sets of Auto Sock devices for the price of one fine levied for not carrying "traction devices" or chains. Seems like good value even if we never use them.

We usually plan our travels to get to warm climates long before there is any possibility of snow and ice along our route. When not able to depart early enough to avoid ice and snow, we attempt to plan our departure when there will be at least a week of travel on dry, clear roads, even if temperatures are below freezing.

Having recently been stuck twice in warm weather on dry pavement due to the skid bars at the rear of the coach grounding out while proceeding up a ramp, I have a new appreciation for just how little traction loss it can take for my coach to be "stuck". Fresh wet snow, glare ice, or wet grass now has a new level of concern, and I feel having a way to add traction by mounting the Auto Sock to deal with at least the snow and ice is cheap insurance. A time saver too, as if we did get even a little "stuck" during a snow and ice incedent, and could get free on our own by using the Auto Sock, it would likely save 5 to 8 hours of waiting for a tow truck large enough to help us, to say nothing of the financial savings of not needing to pay for the tow.

As with lots of reasoning in these forums, your mileage may vary, but (we hope) this approach works for us. We will let you know if and when we ever get any real world experience using the new traction devices. Anyone that has already tested the Auto Sock or one of the several competing products would do the forum a great favour by relating their evaluation of the help they provided to them.

[Scarab0088]

Several posts have wandered off topic and into attacks and accusation...
...Plus several posts degraded to name calling, and we're were removed.

PLEASE, discuss the topic, not each other.

Posts in violation of the Community Rules after this warning will be summarily removed.

Thanks for understanding.
Steve as iRV2 Site Staff

[mpierce]

Originally Posted by DWRichard

I would dare them to write me a ticket for not having chains on dry roads and fair conditions.

And I’d beat that rap.

Really? Good Luck. Why do you feel you are above the law?

It is people like you who cause massive problems in the mountains. I'll bet you have never traveled them in the winter.

It can be dry and clear at nine am. It takes HOURS to get thru the mountains. By Eleven it can be snowing and icy.

So there you are, trucking up that nice dry road, into the mountains. It now turns icy, you spin out, and are stuck in the middle of the interstate. You shut it down. Others spin out, because they had to stop for YOU. Screws the whole interstate up for HOURS, and puts lots of people at risk.

Yep, do what YOU want. You will NOT beat that ticket. Many have tried. They fail.

[Waiter21]

Personally, I don't carry chains in the MH. I've driven through the Rockies and Sierras many times in the winter without chains (No storming or snow). If you get caught in a sudden storm and someone has to pull you out of the ditch, you'll probably get a ticket for not carrying chains. If the "Chains Required" signs go up and there is a checkpoint, they will not let you proceed without the chains installed. If you towing a toad (or trailer) you generally need a set of chains on the drag axles of the trailer also. Other than that, I've never been asked if I'm carrying chains..

If the weather gets bad, I pull off and wait for the roads to get plowed and cleared..

ALSO - If you decide you need to proceed, but chains are required on the wheels. Almost every one of the roadside installers will sell you a set of chains.