Has any one with wheel well liners used chaines? Was wondering if there is enough clearance.

 

Yes, get them on snug just like as if you never had them.

 

Thanks Festus

 

Just make sure you don't have much of an extra tail of chain on the inside.

I cut the extra off the inside of mine so I get them on the correct link, anyway.

 

get the Z cables, i had them on my peterbilt and the faster i drove, the tighter they got. they were killer!

 

going over the blues in oregon all the time and they are chain ****'s there! never had a problem with the cables and they did not get close to tearing up the truck like chains can

 

Do the cables work on icy roads? I never heard much good about them.

 

I was gonna say cable chains are useless............but I'll edit the rest so I don't have to explain myself.

Whoops! I guess I did say that out loud.

 

I was thinking of getting chains for off road use, mud, gumbo, snow with a few sticks and rocks thrown in. Cable chains seem a little light duty for this so was leaning towards regular chains. Clearance could be a problem if inside links are not tied back properly. Wider tires would make the problem worse. Anyone have any actual experience? How about chains on all four wheels?

 

Have a lot of experience chaining up tractors and trailers from driving OTR and a lot of experience chaining pickups and trailers hunting, fishing, and working in remote locations where there necessarily aren't roads by most peoples' standards. I currently have 3 sets of chains for my current pickup - I always have multiple spares for the places I occasionally go and need them, along with chain pliers, extra cross members, and ***** links for repairs. Which experience would you like? J/K!

For pickups and the subsequent trailers they pull, I prefer what's called a V-bar style chain. As long as they're ordered to fit the tire they're going to be run on, usually no issues if snugged up properly and any extra links are tied back (both inside and outside) - after prefitting on dry ground (usually my driveway) I usually cut off any extra links on the inside rail of my chains except for one, so I don't have to worry about tying it back with regard to damaging my brakelines - along with using the tighteners (if your chains have them...usually special order for pickup chains) on the outside rails, I usually put 2-4 bungee cords, in an "X" pattern across the diameter, on the outside in case a tightener opens while driving - without tighteners, they keep the chains snug and centered. If you have mudflaps, it is a really good idea to tie them back.

I highly do not recommend steering chains unless you know you will be driving in a straight line - even be leary with that unless you have a lot of clearance
between your tire and mudflap / fender - turn you wheels a half turn left and take a look at the clearance between rear, outside edge of your driver's side tire and your mudflap / fender -- nuff said there!

Fords are notoriously bad for this.....we've had numerous newbies decide to chain up the front of their pickups, even after they were instructed not to, where I had to go take pics and do the incident investigation afterwords, and call in a flatbed to haul them out. On the Ford SD's steering chains have a tendancy to peel the front fenders right off / Ford places all their electronics on the inner fenders in the engine compartment / it usually tallies up to an $8000 repair bill.

IMHO, if you are driving fast enough to require a steering chain, considering the weight of the front end of our trucks, you are driving too darn fast. 35mph should be max if wearing any jewelery and drive with windows open so you can hear early if crossmember breaks and stop before your truck gets damaged......too badly anyway - one slap usually next to nothing for damage / multiple slaps = big repair bill.

 

Thanks, Festus. I would only put chains on the front in extreme situations, after already having them on the back. There would be no speed involved unless I had to make a run through a mud hole or slick section where I needed the momentum to carry me through. Steep winding snow covered logging roads is another situation where chains front and rear would be handy, to keep from going over the edge.

I'm going to have to check the clearance around the front wheels before I use chains on them. In the owners manual it says not to put chains on the front axle. Will look for the heavy duty V-bar chains, not the light duty ones they sell at Canadian Tire.

Thanks again, Hart

 

Chain up my 04 2500 4X4 to get through snow and ice out where there are no roads, just big paths. Use heavy truck chains. Never had a problem.

Mike B

 

I also have wheel liners. Only had to do it four times but have had no problems chaining all four tires (and one set of cables on the trailer). Donner pass wont let me go with cables on the truck, has to be chains because of my street tires. In Utah, I got stuck in mud outside of Moab. Cables would not have gotten me out with the trailer. Taking the chains off was actually messier than putting them on.

 

The zbar cable's are killer. run 65mph on ice and never look back. never had a problem, they don't weigh as much as a chain and are easy to install.

 

Sorry.........I fail to comprehend why one would want to run 65 mph on ice.

Listen to how that sounds and contemplate the consequences that could happen.

But then again maybe it's just my twisted sense of logic. Or maybe, my current work just allows me to see enough death and dismemberment caused by actions I have to shake my head at.