My Chevy 4500 Duramax is as helpless on soft ground as a newborn baby. The front wheels sink a little and the back duals will spin as if greased and there I sit. I am thinking of building a set of chain on "spades" for quick on/off to get me out of a jam. My idea is to press a half section of 4-6" pipe flat to match my 19.5"s and wide enough to cover both wheels, weld on 3 lengths of 1" angle iron across it, and run a chain through the spokes and over the center of the axle and pull them tight 180 degrees across from each other. I tried this with just a chains on both sides and they got me out. Anyone seen anything like this available or tried before and if so, do I waste my time building them?
Please give it a try, post pics,and let us know how it works. Sounds good, and interesting, to me.
Old school truckers have used this principal with a chain through the rim hole for years. Easy on easy off is the key.
I use a chain on the outside duel on my f550. No room between caliper and rim on inside tire. Like to see something that would cover both tires that u can put on after u are stuck.
Would this do the trick for you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Pc3xsqWjgzY
joispoi; kinda. I used chains which got me out(barely) and was thinking of something of the same idea but better. Once stuck, full wrap chains aren't an option. A pair of shoes on each side with some extreme traction would be almost a get out of anything idea I would think. A toy I remember when I was little gave me the idea. It had claws that came out of the wheels that would make it go anywhere. I have the material together and will get started on it during our next monsoon this week then maybe go try them out
I know what toy you're talking about.
Not to be argumentative but I have applied full chains while stuck in snow many times. It is no fun but sometimes the only option. Hang the chains over the tire, connect the back side at the very longest link and connect the front side with a heavy bungie or whatever you can find. Rotate in intended direction of travel 1/4 turn, and reattempt to attach both sides to solid links. It is slow and tiring but nice that you eventually end up with full chains on without having to move the truck very far. Around here where the snow is deep and wet, that is usually what you want to do anyway.
My 70 IH truck dosent have room between the springs and the inside tire for a tire chain.The single chains have always worked good but I use chains so much that i will be looking at this on my nexted truck. Has any one used the diamond pattern chains that can be mounted with out moving?
that's why all the new EMS trucks are using the automatic chains!! flip the switch & they are on flip the switch & its off.... or it could be all the employees on the dept are to fat& lazy to get out & put a set on!!!
I ordered a set of correct fitting V-bars all around for my 2000 F550 with 4 wheel disc brakes and have had no issues. Are your chains oversized and coming down to far on the tires? I do run two sets of tensioners on mine to keep them good and tight. We normally end up running chains for 10 days every fall in the mountains so they get a good workout.
Those may work fair on the highway, but off road they are just another useless item dragging in the muck helping you to get stuck. I hope I am never at the end of a muddy road waiting on EMS equipped only with these.