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I drew a Montana breaks archery tag- can’t wait to get out thier. I keep getting advice about making sure I have chains for the gumbo if it rains. I’ve never owned any tire chains nor do I have any idea how to put them on. I have a 3/4 ton dodge with 275/18 tires. Any recommendations or advice I would appreciate before I make a purchase
https://www.tirechain.com/
there are a lot of old threads about this......here is one. https://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=475234&forum=5
most trucks these days don't have enough room for chains on the front.....that dodge might....
Chains won't make a difference after the first couple miles. Just be prepared to sleep and eat for a couple days no matter where you are.
I have Square link chains but I have no idea how they would work in that crap. Try these, they look serious.
I have never been to the breaks but chains work well when there put on correctly. I use the circle bungees on the outside of the tire and straight bungees on the inside of the tire to put on the chains. I would suggest practicing putting them on a couple times before your trip. Find a dirt road pull over put them on and start out slow. If you have loose chains it will mess up your truck pretty quick. Adjust bungees as needed. I lay mine over the top of the tire and drive onto them. Just takes practice to do it efficiently on the side of the road in the slime or snow. I’ve heard the cable style are good also
If you will be running through gumbo mud in a remote area, (just in case you don't already have these items), I would strongly suggest also having at least one high-lift jack, long handled shovel, and a winch. If your spare tire is mounted under the bed, I would take it out and put it in the bed of the truck before driving a muddy road. If you get buried in mud (and have a winch) , you can always bury the spare tire off the side of the road in front of you and use it as an anchor for the winch.
Definitely practice installing the chains, and keep in mind that you're practicing under ideal conditions. Conditions out in the field will make it much more difficult.
The link above is for mud chains, which are a huge improvement over snow chains in the conditions you may experience.
If it’s a truck newer than 2010 check your owners manual. Most do not have enough clearance in front for chains or it voids the warranty. I was surprised to find this out as we always carry chains for the front on 4 wd. You can put on smaller tires and wheels and reprogram the computer if you want to chain the front.
I’ve got a 2014 F150 and there in no where near enough room to run chains.
I want to try a set of offset rims, maybe 1-1.5” off of the factory to see if that gives me the clearance to run them, but $1000+ in new rims is a e pensive experiment if it doesn’t.
Anyone try this?
I've gone to these instead of chains for those few times I have been stuck.
I hunted Montana 482 Sheep a few years back and had those rainy/mucky day travels and I never did get stuck, I just was lucky I guess.
I took me like 3 months and about 20 washes to get all that mucky mud off/outta my truck and wheel wells...…
Good luck, Robb
Chains will enable you to do what is unbelievable at times.
Get a set of swampers, then get lockers.... Seriously, it is amazing what a good mud tire with horse power can do... I always hear everyone talk about chains and how vital they are, but when you look at their tires they run junk...
I totally understand how bad mud can get but horse power throttle control and a good tire does wonders...
The engineers that decided that they would stop allowing room for chains in the front are idiots. If I could put chains on only one axle, the front would be where I would put them. You have the weight there and also steering.
You do not want chains on the front only after you reach the top of the hill.
If your already stuck in that gumbo mud getting chains on and tight enough on a late model truck is going to be next to impossible. And putting them on before being stuck is a smart idea, beware you will go a little deeper or farther than with out chains and then get stuck your screwed. Been there done that. Been using chains for 40 some years, and yes I agree a truck should accept chains on all four corners. A 3x4x6 inch block is very helpful for installing chains before being stuck. Lay out chain on ground put block in between cross links a third of chain lentgh. Then drive truck up onto block, this makes it easier to get them tight the first time.
