I need a set of tire chains for my Dodge. It's been a long time since I have bought any: anything new out there or should I stick with thr tried and true????

 

There are cable type "chains" and the old style with a few updates. Straps on's also. Check any autoparts place for latest. If you really need to go in the deepest stuff.
I have done a lot of plowing(25 years) with an 82 Dodge and now a 98, and have driven through pretty deep snow.I Never put on chains. I have had to shovel a time or two, but not much, and just a wheel.
I would say that having one set of chains for real emergency use is OK but you can do a lot of damage with them, if they break and start to wrap or when a cross link catches a brake line etc.
The front axel is also not a good place for chains because so much weight is forward that it might be better to let them spin a little.
Just my opinion and local wisdom. Not sure what it is like where you live.

 

Wow! How do you plow without chains??? That's amazing. We live in the mountains with lots of elevation changes and deep bar ditches. Where do you live? The snow plow I pulled out today was chained up but even that didn't get him out of the ditch.

 

When I lived in Colorado, there were chains in every vehicle. It's just part of the way of life out there. Now I'm REALLY missing living out west...

 

now this is my opinion stay with the tried and good some of the new style chains are really not that good for me i like the real chain type not wires or with studs on chain too hard on the heavy front end and those old style chains not to big are good for me

 

I live in the "hills" of upstate NY, until this year lots of snow. Good agressive snow tread tires. Works for me.
The weight of the lifted plow also helps front end traction I suppose.
The truck you pulled out appeared to have chains only on the outside dual wheel on each side. Often that lets the inside wheel spin on a "padding" of snow or ice. The outside chains don't get much down force.
Maybe I have just been lucky.

 

I thought it was customary to put a chain on the outside only on a dually? I grew up in southeast MO and lived in CO the 4 dry winters (99-03), so I never encountered much snow, and have NEVER installed a snow chain. Around here it's mud in winter, you just sink.

 

Check out www.tirechains.com. I have purchased from them and they have a great selection of all styles.

 

When I lived in the Sierra Nevadas in CA, I had chains. Those of you who'r familiar with R3 restrictions know what I'm talk'n 'bout. Out here, they plow without chains (and a crap load of sand and salt )- it's all flat though. No one sells them; however the fire department does order thier ambulances with the rotating-chain-mechanism installed underneath. I've only used my chains here for one storm that was really bad. I passed a cop stuck in the snow... you wouldn't believe the look he had on his face unless I had a picture .

After driving all over the country for three winters, plain old regular chains are my personal choice.

 

what he had are single chains you can get single with ice studs on them and also double for both wheels double with a divider in the middle easier to keep in place and double with ice studs around here we get a lot of snow and ice

 

I've got doubles but I've never used them. They were a Christmas present a couple years back. I'd rather have had just single chains with bars to make them very aggressive. The nice thing about just chaining the outers on a dually is that you can drive the inner up on a brick to make chaining the outer a snap.

 

I used to work in a quarry that had several older mack r model triaxle trucks that we only used offroad as site haulers. In the winter, we would put chains only on the inner duals of the rear tandems. There is more weight concentrated on the inner dual than the outer dual. Like said before, just drive the outer tire up on a couple 2x8s, throw the chain on. Also, in this case chians on the inner duals were way less likely to catch anything like rocks or anything the truck might come real close to while drivving under the plant

 

Before you throw your money down check your state Motor Vehicle Regs. Last time I looked CA didn't allow studded chain, only studded tires. Only the regular old style chains or cables are allowed.

 

That's what's nice living in the wild Southwest. Nobody cares here! I could bolt on a round bed-of-nails instead of tires and the cops would give be a big thumbs up!

 

Hey Ontos, where you at in NY? I'm just north-east of Binghamton. I've never needed chains here in NY either. It truly is a different world out west.