I like the type of chains that can be put on without moving the vehicle. tirechains.com has those type. watch some videos on how they go on. otherwise you need a jack or you better plan on putting them on before getting stuck, which umm hardly anyone actually does.
IMHO if you have decent winter tires on a 4X4 truck, and you have to put chains on, you have no business being on the road.
Not saying chains can't be a god send, but after 18 long winters (the last 8 with a 2500 ram 4X4) I've learned there are times where I'm better off just staying home than chaining up.
BTW, I will be picking up two sets of V-bars for my truck before we move to our new digs as water on top of an icy 2 mile windy road does demand chains before they sand truck shows up.
IMHO if you have decent winter tires on a 4X4 truck, and you have to put chains on, you have no business being on the road.
Not saying chains can't be a god send, but after 18 long winters (the last 8 with a 2500 ram 4X4) I've learned there are times where I'm better off just staying home than chaining up.
BTW, I will be picking up two sets of V-bars for my truck before we move to our new digs as water on top of an icy 2 mile windy road does demand chains before they sand truck shows up.
What happens when you are 4-5 miles off the main road ,back in hunting and it snows on you before you can get out. Sure can't wait until it melts off. Or you are on a trip thru Colorado and all the roads are good, except the mountain passes which have chains required law in effect.
Sometimes you just don't have that choice of staying home. I know ranchers that put chains on in November and don't take them off until spring thaw
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
I have chains for all four wheels on the 2010 F250 18" tires that I used to have. I'll make someone a great deal if you need them. Shipping might be too costly, not sure. Brand new never used. They were an insurance policy I never needed to use.
What happens when you are 4-5 miles off the main road ,back in hunting and it snows on you before you can get out. Sure can't wait until it melts off. Or you are on a trip thru Colorado and all the roads are good, except the mountain passes which have chains required law in effect.
Sometimes you just don't have that choice of staying home. I know ranchers that put chains on in November and don't take them off until spring thaw
Having spent about a decade driving through Donner Pass in the winter before moving up here, I'm familiar with mountain passes that have heavy snowfalls as well as every other sort of winter driving condition.
My point is, if a highway is not driveable with a 4wd with good snow tires, it really is time to pull off at a rest stop and wait until the plows can catch up vs. chaining up and hoping for the best. It is still possible to get stuck with chains, and that's not a situation you want to be in. Not to mention going off the pass because the visibility is 0.
Chains work much better at a cost than studs. Here a good snowtire with studs will do ALMOST anything you need to do on a real road. Are they legal in Montana? Do they work out well? My wife had a 92 Tbird and with studs it would go better on some icy hard pack than a four wheel drive, without studs/chains
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
Why is everyone thinking roads? Studs suck anywhere but iced pavement.....
Yep,I keep studded snow tires on my wife's Tacoma, but my Dodge Ram has snow tires on,no studs. She would be driving on mostly pavement where icey roads are more of a probability. I on the other hand would be driving on dirt or gravel roads or no roads at all. I don't even have chains for her truck, but my chains are cut down semi tractor ones.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
I understood the OP to say for the drive to Montana and "the long haul across the northern US. Off highway is a clean different deal. Was throwing the studs out there and wandered as to their use, in a reasonable application, in Montana. I too use cut down chains. They can be bought cheaply used, and are much heavier than most automotive chains.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
You might remember that couple from Canada who actually believed the GPS in their van and took off across the so. Idaho and northern NV desert and mountains a few years ago. Some hunters found the woman alive and still in the van 7 weeks later. Her husband had taken off to walk for help. Other hunters found his body a year later.
Anyway, from the pictures I saw of the van, they got stuck in a place that didn't appear to be all that bad. A set of chains should have got them right out but they didn't have them. A teaspoon of common sense would have kept then on the pavement in the first place.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
No doubt. We have 'no winter maintenance' roads around here. We dont often get the blizzards and most are only a few miles long. However one does realize that they can be a problem and you are on your own. I guess folks from more "civilized" places dont even know when to be afraid
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
Doesn't anyone use camlocks? That's all I run on my 4x4's if and when I need them. However, for the OP I strongly suggest a good/excellent tire that has proven itself as a great winter/snow tire. Here is a good tire that works great in the snow and it won't break the bank:
They should work great on your Ram 2500. Here' a video representing how well they work on a pick-up like mine:
Frankly I'm surprised he's asking us, as I know the area he lives in since my dad grew up 25 minutes from Johnstown as well. They get a lot of snow there.
Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.
The last time I chained for highway use was going over the old Whitebird hill when I was in college in the 60's...but that road was one hellacious SOB in the winter. I wasn't a bit sorry to see it go. I've chained plenty of times for back road use, though, quite often all 4.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I understood the OP to say for the drive to Montana and "the long haul across the northern US. Off highway is a clean different deal. Was throwing the studs out there and wandered as to their use, in a reasonable application, in Montana. I too use cut down chains. They can be bought cheaply used, and are much heavier than most automotive chains.
Well... I was wanting them for the drive, but wanted them for hunting back in the nasty places like the breaks. Thats not going to be a issue though. Friday I got diverted back to Albuquerque. I'm not too happy about it. Still going to buy chains while I'm back at my parents place picking up my truck. Like I said before, northern New Mexico clay can get NASTY when it gets wet.
I've almost been trapped a couple of times during archery elk hunts when a quick monsoon has popped up.
Last edited by jmgraham1986; 01/12/15.
Lifetime member: Backcountry Hunters and Anglers & Wild Sheep Foundation
Frankly I'm surprised he's asking us, as I know the area he lives in since my dad grew up 25 minutes from Johnstown as well. They get a lot of snow there.
Never in my 18 years of growing up there, and spending a lot of time in the 'mountains' have I ever seen anyone with chains on a truck.
Skidders, tractors and if I think real hard, maybe a logging truck or 2, but never a pickup. One of the reasons i'm a dumb-dumb on the subject.
Lifetime member: Backcountry Hunters and Anglers & Wild Sheep Foundation
