I am from the east side of the state and I have been driving in snow all of my life. We got our first snow yesterday. If I followed the advice to stay home, I would be stuck for 3-4 months. Not to mention all of those people that enjoy winter sports dragging their trailers/toys around. With that said I am not leaving if it requires chains to start the trip. Chains are for when conditions change, or possibly when there is a short area of your trip you might need them.
First off, DRW and SRW do not handle the same in the snow. The extra surface area of the DRW means you have less PSI of contact with the surface you are driving on compared to a SRW. I spend a lot more time in 4x4 with my DRW then I ever did with SRW. Also unless the snow is deep, my car (Kia) handles better in the snow than my DRW.
I never owned chains for my SRW truck, I will not be with out chains for my DRW. Also by weight, most DRW trucks are required to carry chains in many states on mountain passes, even if they are 4x4. Here are the laws for WA,
https://www.wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/up...quirements.pdf My DRW 3500 has a GVWR of 12,000.
Front vs rear. For on road use, especially with weight, rear or all 4. For plow trucks or off road front chains have the advantage of having the weight of the motor to help performance. However for on-road use if you need to use 4x4 and all 4 chains I hope it is to get out of a situation and not head into one.
Single chains may work, but if you are in a situation that requires chains, they may or may not work. Not a risk I am willing to take. If I need chains, I need chains and that means 3-rail is the way to go. With single it is possible to dig though compact snow or similar surface and have the unchained wheel touch the surface before the chain has anything to get traction on. I have done this in my drive with my HDT trying to be efficient since single chains are a little easier to throw. Also make sure to get chains with camlock adjuster, they go on easier and are able to fit tighter.
The next thing about chain and making sure the do not "beat up your rig" as others have suggested is making sure they fit right. Once you get your new chains that fit x size - x size, actually put them on your truck see if and how they fit. See what the actual process is to get them on, the time to learn is not at a chain up area. Once you have them on your truck with the camlock open I usually leave 1 link past where they are currently hooked and cut the rest off. Now you have no excessive chain flailing around. That one extra link will come in handy when things don't slide on right. Now when you tighten you camlock the the last one should take a bit of effort, but your chains will be tight to your tire, not flopping around. Last but not least get some of the heavy duty black bungee straps to pull anything that is possibly loose.
As others have said you will need a least a single chain on your trailer, if I put one on I am putting both on. I have the cheapest set I could find from WM that stay in the trailer.
Tire socks are awesome, but like everything else using the right tool for the right job is key. I have used them on our emergency vehicles, however for your application they aren't likely the right tool. On the highway if there are bare patches the socks will get destroyed quickly. If I had a vehicle that did not have clearance for chains I would also go for socks.
In my DRW I carry a set of 3-rail chains. In my HDT I have a set of singles and a set of 3-rail since I have 3 axles and a much bigger tool box so storage is not an issue. This allows me to choose the level of traction I need. As in my example above the single would not get me out of my situation. Also last year I was traveling to work in a new snow storm and I made it over one of the first passes without problem. Got to the next pass and it was chains required and I am not 4x4. I threw on the singles since most of the road was not that bad. It worked perfect for that application.
Those are just some thoughts form a guy that lives in the snow and drives in the snow.
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