Tire Chains

[RobK]

I am looking for tire chains for my 2022 Rebel 30r

 

[RangeMaggotBob]

Soooo....what's the problem?!? Hard to find?

 

[Rich W.]

With chains in any situation you want a tight fit - tight as possible. Anything else will lead to the chains moving, slipping, wearing early, and coming off, which if it just means losing a chain is fine, but if it comes off on the inside, you will damage stuff like brake lines or anything else in the way.

So when considering chains on an expensive RV with fragile body work and close tolerances and duals, you need to be very picky about what you use. Any over the counter chains will require adjustment and most are cheap imported junk meant for light, occasional use, with a ”no returns” customer satisfaction policy.

The only chains I would put on my RV would be custom fitted and/or custom built (by me) with good quality materials sourced from a good chain shop. And you only need to chain up the outside rear tires - dual chains are a low speed off road work truck thing. Yes they maximize traction, but all you are doing (hopefully) is driving on paved roads with a few inches of snow safely as possible, and/or satisfying chain control.

So you could buy truck chains for your tire size and custom fit them to be really tight (put them on drive for 1/8 mile or so and readjust) or measure and buy side chain and cross chains and make your own. Whatever you do, don’t buy inexpensive or light duty chain(s), and drive slow when they are on. Theres too much at stake for chain failures on an RV.

I lived in snow country for over 20 years (4200’ in the Sierras) at the end of a 2 mile dirt road that I had to plow myself with very little help from neighbors, and I went through a lot of chains. I usually just went out on I-80 at the beginning of a new storm and collected a half dozen new chains that fell off big rigs (because they didn't fit or were installed wrong), and cut them down to fit my plow truck tires. But if I were buying new for an RV, I would only use Pewag chain made in Colorado from US steel. Either from the materials I noted above or for your tire size and then custom fitted. They should fit tight enough to not need rubber tensioners to take up slack. Use the fold over side chain fasteners along with 3 or 4 cam-type adjusters (see pics).

The other option, if clearance is more of an issue, would be tight fitting cable chains if you can get them for your size wheels/tires (19.5?). They don’t offer as much traction, but they fit in tight locations and will get you passed chain control. Just don’t expect too much from them and like chains, make sure they fit tight, re-adjust after driving a short distance, go slow, and try not to spin your wheels. You do not want this stuff coming loose while driving.

That’s about it for chains. I’m glad I dont live in snow country anymore and I‘m not interesting in driving a RV in the stuff. I’ve done it several times and have never enjoyed the experience.

 

[RangeMaggotBob]

This guy has said it all! Concise, accurate, informative, and just plain good information. Thank you. If you need to use/purchase chains, you need to read this.

Mod: this post should be archived. Somewhere.

 

[RobK]

Soooo....what's the problem?!? Hard to find?

I am on my way across country to pick up the RV and want to get chains before hand as Washington state makes you carry chains between Nov. and April. I haven't seen the side walls.

 

[Rich W.]

Yeah when I picked up my Bay Star in Feb 2019 in Grand Rapids, I hit snow on the way home in the Mid-West which was ok since it was too cold to stick (2°F) but it warmed up to about 20° in Wyoming and that combined with a stranded motorist and a well meaning Statie sent me into a very uncomfortable four wheel drift for long enough to conjure up my understanding of my insurance policy on newly acquired vehicles.

Chains would have made the difference and I ended up limping along to SLC behind plow/sand trucks as much as possible, whereupon I turned south on I-15, got out of snow country (for the most part) and went home Via Las Vegas. I also carried chains on my previous rig, an aging Class C, because I could forsee the need for them traveling to NH. Since then I’ve been in light snow twice (both times unintentionally) in my current rig but fortunately no issues.

So in your case, either have someone fit them before you need them or carry chain pliers. If you have the room big rig (8mm ?) square cross chain is the best. I also like them fitted snug enough that you have one extra side chain cam that you don’t use so when they stretch you have a means to still snug them up. Best of luck - hope all goes well!

PS: My windshield fluid froze on that newly aquired Bay Star making visibility a near disaster so make sure you have the low-temp juice in the resevoir before starting out. No telling what someone else put in.

Aurora Illinois, Feb 15, 2019 - 9:58am.

The basic tools for chain work:

New Hampshire, April 1, 2017