Where to buy snow chains for coach?

[PP]

I've carried around a set for the last 10 yrs just to be legal. I will sit on the side of the road in the chainup area until spring if I must before I will ever put them on the coach. I've seen lots of damage done by chains that come loose and not just to the vehicle that had them on. My 2 centavos FWIW
Will

[Fred Mc]

Lots of bungee cords should prevent this. It also important to keep speeds down and take them off as soon as possible.Chains are good on snow  and ice.Not so much on pavement.

[luvrbus]

They sell the rubber spiders to keep the tension on the chains there is no need for  bungee cords 

[Scott & Heather]

What cliff and Fred said, I'll be investing in a few sets of the rubber spider webs to keep that issue at bay. If I ever have to chain up, I'm not driving at speed. I'm creeping...but I'm still moving at least. Funny how sometimes we get nervous about driving in adverse conditions...the most recent accident we've seen here on the forum happened on a beautiful sunny day in Iowa...stuff happens even in the best of conditions. Slow down, drive smart, if you can't see or they close the road, take a break...other than that, I'm drivin'


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[eagle19952]

oops...
http://www.realworktrucks.com/insta-chain-automatic-snow-chains-6-chain-system.html

[RJ]

Scott -

Buy cam lock style chains, they're SO much easier to install!!  https://www.tirechain.com/cams.htm  (This is also the site where I bought chains for Tortoise.)

When the chain control is up in CA, you only have to chain the outside dual on a bus's drive axle.  I think that's pretty standard for bus chain requirements nationwide, primarily due to body clearance issues.

In the meantime, drive right up to where you can see the chain control itself - sometimes it's 10-15 miles further up the road from where the sign saying "chains required" is turned on - then pull over and slip them on.

If you practice, it shouldn't take you long - I used to be able to chain an MC-9 in 10 minutes back in my charter days, and here's how I was able to do it so quickly:

Before you start your day, lay the chains out on either side of the coach with the cams facing away from the bus and the link that you attach "to" facing the drive axle.  Stretch them out to get rid to of the kinks, then carefully scrunch them together and lay them just inside a baggage bin on that side.  Have the rubber spiders handy, too.

Now when you reach the "point of no return" and have to stop, grab the scrunched up chain and drape it over the top of the outer dual.  Position it such that the rear (tag axle side) two/three links are touching the ground.  Keeping the chain neat, bunch up the excess on the front side of the tire, making sure that the attaching links are spread out away from the tread area.  Once positioned, go around to the other side of the coach and do the same.

After you've go both sides positioned, climb back in the driver's seat, put it in gear, release the parking brake, and gently pull forward until you feel the rear axle climb up and over the bunched up chain.  As soon as you feel that, stop immediately, set the parking brake and transmission back to neutral, then head outside. IF you stopped correctly, you should be easily able to reach the inside link to fasten it first, then the outside link, snug down the cams and install the rubber spiders. (Tip: I always tried to install the rubber spider's "S" hook on the cam in such a way that it helped to lock the cam from coming loose.)

If you practice this a few times on dry pavement to get the "hang" of it (sorry for the bad pun - not!), you'll find it goes a lot easier when the time comes where you have to do it.

OTOH, if you can stay put for a few hours in order to avoid this nuisance, do so.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[TomC]

If I had to run in snow, I'd definitely install automatic chains-as previously pictured.

[Dave5Cs]

Scott you can borrow chains from
https://www.lesschwab.com
But you have to be there in person. If you don't use them they will take them back up to 5 years.

[John316]

I totally agree with RJ. Cam lock chains are the only way to go. I could hang chains on our bus in about 15mins. I would do a similar method to RJ. The only difference being I would back up, over the chains, instead of pull forward.

A little practice goes a long ways. And if they have chain control, you will totally want the chains.

Cheers,

John

[lostagain]

The automatic chains would be better than nothing, but I can imagine how they would slip out from under the tire on hard ice. Without any studs, these chains are quite smooth and slippery, and the tire would spit them out. A good set of regular chains is wrapped tightly around the tire, and doesn't slit. Plus V studs dig in to hard ice for added traction.

A pair of coveralls is essential to lay in the snow/slush to put the jewelry on. And often melting slush drips on you from above while laying down doing up the inside link...

JC

[buswarrior]

The school buses are using the auto-chains all over the place.

The Dogbus has cable style strewn all over the baggage bays in rusty heaps, so they are good for compliance.

The presence, or not, of de-icing, salting or sanding, is my determiner of continued progress.

The further south the winter conditions are, the more nervous I get, inadequate infrastructure and hesitating to get started, hoping it won't "get that bad". Here at home, highway open? Off I go.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[luvrbus]

I have a set of the cam lock style if they will fit a 24.4 you are welcome to them,they  came with bus (John316) that has 12rx22.5 even has new rubber spiders lol it tough to give away a set of chains in AZ 

[TomC]

For my 21 years of big rig truck driving, I carried cable chains that are still in their original boxes. I never hung a single tire chain in those 21 years. If it was that bad, I wasn't on the road. Most of the time, the storm will pass in a day or so.

In my truck one time, I was coming west into Amarillo, Tx and the weather was getting cold. The outside thermometer was reaching the magic 28 degrees (when roads freeze) and even though it was only 4pm, I turned into the Pilot truck stop for the night. That night it both rained freezing and snowed. I was comfortable in my truck. I slept in the next morning, which was sunny and clear to give the roads time to thaw until 10am. I then went the 78-287-385-50-I-25 to Denver. I must of seen at least a dozen trucks down in the ditch from sliding off the road. It just isn't worth it to proceed in snowy weather-even with chains. Good Luck, TomC

[John316]

I have a set of the cam lock style if they will fit a 24.4 you are welcome to them,they  came with bus (John316) that has 12rx22.5 even has new rubber spiders lol it tough to give away a set of chains in AZ 

And I even kept one set for my truck. Talk about a sweet setup for my F150 4X4. It is simply not possible to get stuck. I had to cut them down some, but they are amazing. 18" of snow, no problem.

[Jim Eh.]

another alternative is:
http://www.autosock.com/en/

A little more user friendly


From Colorado:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com