I have one set of two winter tire chains. I don't want to go spend another $125 for two more at this time.
I have a Dodge 2500 short bed with Cummins and 4wd.
I need to go up to my cabin, and there should be a good bit of snow.
Question: Can I use one set if I put them on diagonally? I only have 1/4 mile or so to go using the chains, the rest of the way, I can do it on the road with 4WD. Or do I need to bite the bullet and go buy another set of chains?
What would you do?
Steve
No, if you only have 2 chains to put on a 4 wheel drive, put them both on the rear wheels and drive reasonably. Paul
I'd put both chains on the back . The front has the weight of the engine and all that to help with the traction . I'd also have a couple hundred pounds minimum load in the back , centered over the axle .
Consider the problem of stopping. For that you want the chains on the back. I always thought that the capability of stopping when desired was more important than getting started
Bill K7NOM
Buy the second set, put your first set on the rear. If you make it to your cabin, return the second set.
If you can't make it with one set, at least you'll have the second set.
Don't forget the shovel.
Good Luck,
Chains absolutely on the same axle, and the rear if it's only one set. Diagonal chains and 4WD with "open" diffs would in all probability put you in the ditch in seconds.
A couple hundred pounds won't do much on a 2500. On my Chev 3500 dually I regularly put a full layer of the 4x8x16 concrete blocks in the bed in the winter, somewhere around 1,200# and perhaps $40. The nice thing is the bed was still readily useable since it was a nice even 4" thick layer.
Pete C.
You might think about securing them with a tied-down layer of plywood.
They don't slide around since it's a full layer. Any accident severe enough to launch them and I'm dead anyway so why would I care? Amazingly enough they have little to no effect on mileage.
Pete C.
Id hit the second hand stores. They always have tire chains kicking around
Gunner
Political Correctness
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
You can survive a roll over if the blocks don't hit you.
Wes S
Perhaps laying them with mortar would keep them together.
Not when your medical directive is "Do not treat".
Pete C.
Actually, added weight is more effective the farther back from the axle it can be loaded (as on an open tailgate) This is awkward for a full winter season, but is better when the traction problem is temporary.
Randy
Except that any weight you load aft of the drive axle removes weight from the steer axle. (Think teeter totter.)
"Roger Shoaf" wrote in news:1167077595.425533 @news01.syix.com:
Given the weight of SteveB's Cummins Diesel engine, that's not a problem at all.
Unloaded, his truck has about a 75%/25% weight distribution.
Deliberately aft-loading 1-2 K Pounds would, likely, improve the steering.
However, with a short-bed, that could prove a bit difficult.
FWIW, when towing my trailer, the 2800# hitch weight (centered over the rear axle) only adds about 100# to the weight on the front axle.
It is your life. Waste it your way.
On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 20:26:49 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, snipped-for-privacy@lycos.com quickly quoth:
Waste? I'm a full body donor (when I die, I'm donating my body to science fiction) and my medical directive states "Do not resuscitate." I'd much rather move on to another life (the ultimate recycling: reincarnation!) than suffer the consequences of today's medical facilities and burden the taxpayers with yet another million or two in debt.
-- Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Turkey and Drive --
More or less, however I intend to rot in peace and in one or more pieces. I'd much rather be dead than a victim of "modern medicine".
Pete C.
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