Silverado

Speaking of that, I remember days gone by when rig managers, landmen et al would shoot gophers right off their trucks on the leases they were working LOL

Don't see that much anymore I'll bet.

BearKiller

If they will clear between the trailer-frame and the inside of the tires, just use plain old tire-chains on the trailer, just like the ones on the truck.

If clearance is tight--most stock trailers are, then get some of those chains that have nylon straps that go around the tire, as the nylon straps are very thin and don't affect clearance.

Also, make a few dry runs with the chains installed on the trailer; better yet, install the chains, jack up the wheels, and spin the tires, checking for interferrence.

Grind off any rough welds and un-necessary protrusions that might snag the chains.

On a snow-covered pass is no place to learn all this, better done in a warm sunny driveway at home.

The best chains have big "cam-over" tighteners that you stick a square-drive breaker-bar in the cam and turn it tight.

Hope this helps.

By the way, what is your planned route??

Some of us might have a horse stall layover point you could use.

Gary C

Bear Killer, thanks for helping the thread and enlightning others.....

My route will be starting in Indianapolis to 65 -40-30-20-10-8 (lol) sounds like a count . If that route is hairy then straight to New Orleans to 10 to 8...

Very much appreciate the Stall but I am hauling my car to Cali... I am sure your offer would be appreciated to tohers also,,, Love it when the Horsey ppl are always so willing to help with open arms to help one another.

FAY

I like ABS and it saved me from side swiping vehicles on each side of our GMC 1/2 ton extended cab pickup that was traveling in the left two center lanes this winter. There were five persons in our extended cab and our pickup was not pulling a trailer, nor was there anything in the box. I was traveling northward on a four lanes, in one direction, highway coming toward Edmonton, Alberta. The road surface was slick with ice and packed show that had not been sanded yet. Salt would have had no effect on the ice as the temperature of the road surface was too cold. Vehicles in all the lanes were traveling about 50 mph and keeping a dozen car lengths behind the vehicle in front. That section of the highway was perfectly straight.

Without us realizing it was happening, two cars in different lanes situated three cars in front of our vehicle went into skids and stopped somewhat sideways across the lanes. Before the skidding vehicle came to rest, brake lights from every vehicle went on in front of me immediately and I pressed gently at first on the brakes as the disance to the vehicle in front steadily closed. I pushed harder on the pedal and I could hear the ABS grunting and groaning as I kept pressure on the pedal. Our vehicle, nor any vehicle in front of us deverged out of its lane. I could not release the brake and turn left or right without hitting a vehile beside me. The rear end of the vehicle in front of me closed and I thought I would hit it, but the pickup stopped about three feet short of impact. Persons in the pickup were highly aggitated.

As the ABS made noises I knew the tires were automatically brought to a non rolling position for an instant by the hard application on the brake pedal, but then automatically released as the tread started to slip on the ice. As the tires started rolling again the brakes pads slowed the tire rotation down again until slip occured over and over. There is no way I could have pumped the brakes as efficiently as the ABS did to achieve maximum braking force on the icy surface. My effort stopping a vehicle with no ABS probably would have sent my vehicle skidding to the side into a vehicle beside me. ABS definitely has its place.

D.Wiggs

No one can work the brakes as wlel or as fast as the ABS can. That's the whole point of ABS. THE ONLY time ABS is not as effective is on dry pavement in race-type conditions. In situations when you want the tires to skid a little and can control it with threshhold-braking as I often do in my Lamborghini on the track, ABS is not a help but a hindrance. In bad weather, however, any expert will tell you that ABS will help you stop better than a vehicle without it. Having a trailer MIGHT be another story, but I doubt it given that all Class 8 trucks have ABS.

StrokeThisCTD

Telling him not to pull the load is not doable, and a dumb idea.

Ive pulled 8klbs on windy roads plenty of times, being enclosed snowmobile trailer with 4 sleds, all gear and people, double axle trailer of course.

Its easy to pull. 4x4 works wonders. just make sure you know that it takes longer to stop and you are fine.

linetrash75

Say what you will but when I stabb the brakes and start slowwing and then the abs kicks in and I resume speed prior to stepping on the brake pedal, tell me I'm not doing a better job of stopping. If I thought it wouldn't be a lawsuit I'd have my abs bypassed comepletely, I would even pay extra insurance premiums to have control of my vehicle not some stupid computer that only sees wheel speed and vehicle speed. ABS SUCKS.

Happy Holidays
Jed

XLR8R

Your abs kick in during a panic stop?

Dang, with me - it's usually my sphincter kicking in!

FAY

It does not matter what surface a tire is on, when the brakes lock up the vehicle's wheels the tire treads skid on the road surface. The slipping tread results in traction between the tread and road surface decreasing more than if the tire under brake restraint is still rolling at the threshold of breaking loose and skidding. Granted a locked up slidding tire on ice will have less traction than a skidding tire on dry concrete or ashpalt. When the brakes are stabbed firmly during a panic stop the locked up wheels are not allowed by ABS to start rotating freely again. The tires are instantainiously allowed to rotate just a small fraction of an inch to provide maximum traction as the brakes are applied again over and over. The vehicle will stop in less distance under ABS controlled brake applications than if the vehicle brakes are locked up and the vehicle slides to a stop.

XLR8R

However, threshold braking consistently outperforms most ABS systems... too bad most drivers don't know how to use it, or even what it is - that's half the reason we got ABS in the first place.

ABS was designed to better the average driver, and as such performs quite well.

FamilyDiesel

I know how you feel. I have lived and driven in snow for over 20 years. And when I first drove a something with ABS, I hated it! I felt like I was no longer in control of what was going on. But if you practice (and accept) using the ABS it really does work. And as much as I hate to admit it, it works better than I do & I am darn good at braking the old school way too! There is no way I can detect each individual wheel 30-40 times per second like the computes do.

Also the OP has a 2006. That is 8 years of research newer than your 98. The ABS has improved a lot in the newer trucks.

It still feels really weird to me to just push hard on the brake pedal in snow or ice(my 99 is probably the same as your 98). But if the truck has ABS that is the way it should stop it the fastest safest. It's just like dad told us when we were learning how to drive in snow, go find and empty parking lot and practice practice practice. If you learn how to use the ABS it works.

On towing the trailer in snow. I'd use regular 'chain link' type of chans (NO CABLE CHAINS) Cable chains do not work as good and they break real easy. As others have said in the slippery stuff, remove the anti sway(your going slow anyway). And I would go 'lite' on the trailer brakes so the trailer doesn't want to lock up & slide past you. (Cause the trailer don't got ABS)

FAY

Without ABS, as a driver stabbs the brake pedal hard and the vehicle's weight transfers forward due to the brake pads inhibiting all the wheels' rotation, then the nose of the vehicle plunges downward on rapid negative acceleration. The front treads' experience a greater portion of the force of momentum to the threshold of losing traction with the road surface as the friction of the brake pads on the rotor nearly overcome momentum forces and lock up the wheels. It is possible for an operator to repeatedly punch and release the brakes slightly to prevent wheel lockup on dry roads and accomplish a stop in a vehicle sooner than ABS would. On glare ice, whether any human without the aid of ABS could make a superior totally efficient panic stop to that of ABS is doubtful. On slippery roads with a brick wall immediately in front of a fast moving vehicle its driver does not have time to think of anything more than getting the vehicle stopped. Thinking of an efficient rhythm of brake application doesn't come naturally in the stress of the critical situation.

XLR8R

Ahh, that's not what threshold braking is...

FAY

Well, please educate me, because I do not know very much, let along everything. I do not race vehicles, attend races as a spectator, nor am I a mechanic, so how would I know what threshold braking happens to be unless you or someone else explains it to me. I only know that the I-6 internal combustion engine cylinder configuration is the most fuel efficient and strongest designed to withstand stress. Dodge has an I-6 diesel;therefore, I drive a Dodge. Looking forward to your explanation.

XLR8R

In your previous post, you were describing "cadence braking" - a technique that the ABS duplicates quite well.

Threshold braking is entirely different, and to spare myself excessive typing - here's a link for ya:

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/braking.html

... feel free to google the term, you'll find lots of juicy info!