Alternatives to tire chains?

[lhfarm]

We have a very long, steep gravel drive. There are a few times each year when snow turns to ice and getting even 4 wheel drive vehicles up and down the drive is scary. So I need extra traction for 1400'. Putting chains on and off for such a short trip would be a real pain I think. I've gotten pretty good at putting chains on my tractors, but that is in work clothes and before the snow/ice arrive. Does anyone have experience with tire chain alternatives?

Been search and have seen a couple of items. This one - http://www.flextrax.com/ may not be faster than chains, but at least is a drive-on option. Anyone used a snow sock on ice? http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60481-isse-snow-socks-for-tires-deliver-traction-on-snowy-and-icy-roads

Thanks

 

[oosik]

I understand where you come from!! My drive is a mile long and has a large valley running right across the center. Its not 1400' of icy road but its enough to really raise the pucker factor when snow turn to ice during a bout of freezing rain. All my vehicles are 4WD so I have always been able to do the dirty deed without chains. I've seen a lot of folks use those "clamp on" two bar nylon things. They are easy to install, seem to work OK but probably will only last one winter. I hated chaining up my little tractor - rear chains were way too heavy - and I'm sure as heck not about to chain up the Kubota. The Kubota is more than 4X larger than the little tractor was.
You know, during those few times when everything turns to ice I use a mixture of heavy sand & chippings from my Wollenstein chipper. I spread this mix up one side of the valley and down the other. The chippings will eventually wash off the driveway but the sand will not. Honestly, when I used to work and come home in the evening, the last thing I wanted to do was put some kind of "anti skid" arrangement on my vehicle tires. I would put it in 4WD and go for it. Fortunately I never skidded off the driveway into the valley. I found the "mix" worked just about as well as chains and has kept me safe for the thirty two years I've been here. I usually do the "spreading of the mix" twice a year and that's enough to take me thru the entire snow/ice season. I'm sure sawdust/sand mix will work as well. The advantages of having wood chips/sawdust is it will float on the water, over the ice, and remain as a good traction material when the driveway refreezes.

 

[Buppies]

What about rubber chains seen them less than 300 dollars for set 17.5x24 just have no personal experience but should be less weight and minimum damage to asphalt or concrete

 

[pacerron]

The last part of our gravel driveway is rather steep, about 500 feet long, faces North, and shaded on the east by large trees so it gets icy like you described. We have a closed locked gate at the bottom and found out years ago that our 4WD vehicles with anti-skid brakes were a real cheek squeezer to get down there w/o plowing into the gate.

If it is not too icy, we can put the vehicles in neutral at the top of the hill and go very slowly down without
losing traction. We do have a fresh layer, 84 tons of #4 limestone on 1600' of the driveway which is a big help.

But on slick, thick ice, if we have to go down there, we go along the edge of the driveway in the open field on one side. The snow and unpacked surface gives us good traction. Of course that is if the snow is not too deep to make a bobsled out of the pan guard under the jeep.
We have a 65 hp heavy 4 WD utility tractor with blade and FEL that we can use if the snow gets too deep but have found it is better to just drive on it until it gets deeper than 4". Blading snow is sometimes necessary but will often actually make the surface more slippery when trying to take it off without disturbing the gravel.
It is also awful hard on my old stiff neck.

IMO I don't think the products you show would work on an ice covered hill.
I also have an old 2WD tractor that I used to put big tractor chains on, a real PITA and hard on the tires.
It would slide down the sloped driveway even with the chains on and too slippery to get back up.
So there again, the field method...

 

[SPIKER]

There are some Steel Cable versions of tire chains as well if you look for them.

Those Nylon looking things I dont see how they would work on ice and maybe make it WORSE but there could be some sort of grit built in I didn't look too closely. There are "Diamond Patten" chains/cable designs that work better than straight bar type for ice.

Then there are Studded Tires that you could put on for the winter as well, they are noisy on dry surfaces tho.

Keeping the snow off so you are not driving on it also will decrease the amount of Ice as compacting the snow into ice then a bit of freeze/thaw and that compacted snow is there longer after the ice forms.

Mark

 

[r porter]

i am going to bet that the flextrax are just as hard to install as chains.

if you practice putting on chains by laying them over the tire like the video of the flextrax you can probably install them just as fast as the flextrax. i can put chains on as kickers on the outside dual of a dually pretty fast. you just have to make up your mind you have to crawl under the truck to do it.

the trick is to have the chains laid out with the cross links all straight before you try to lay them over the top of the tire. crawl under and hook the inside and then hook up the outside. luck-ray

 

[lhfarm]

There are some Steel Cable versions of tire chains as well if you look for them.

Those Nylon looking things I dont see how they would work on ice and maybe make it WORSE but there could be some sort of grit built in I didn't look too closely. There are "Diamond Patten" chains/cable designs that work better than straight bar type for ice.

Then there are Studded Tires that you could put on for the winter as well, they are noisy on dry surfaces tho.

Keeping the snow off so you are not driving on it also will decrease the amount of Ice as compacting the snow into ice then a bit of freeze/thaw and that compacted snow is there longer after the ice forms.

Mark

Here in central Indiana, it is tough to get it right on a gravel drive. Unless you push gravel with the snow, you have to leave some snow on the ground. We had 9" of snow a couple of weeks ago, then a few more inches and lots of cold. Yesterday, we started as snow and ended as rain. I started to plow as much as I could, but I left slush. It was 35 when I was plowing and 22 overnight. I ran the Cub up and down to get the chains to at least breakup the slush. The drive is solid now.

Not sure how long the snow socks would last on gravel. All the videos/reviews have been on paved surfaces. I have a set of emergency chains and may just order a couple of more sets.

Thanks,

 

[rekees4300]

Putting chains on and off for such a short trip would be a real pain I think.

Don't have experience with alternatives. Have 900" gravel drive. Got tired of installing/uninstalling so past couple of years just been putting the chains on in December and removing them in March.

 

[RalphVa]

You could try putting screws into the lugs or heavy parts of your tire treads. I did this on the Ag tires on my Gravely but really didn't have a good chance to try it out, as I bought my JD 4wd not long after that. You just screw some approximately 3/4" (or whatever you can get away with into the rubber lugs) sheet metal screws.

Ralph

 

[pacerron]

You could try putting screws into the lugs or heavy parts of your tire treads. I did this on the Ag tires on my Gravely but really didn't have a good chance to try it out, as I bought my JD 4wd not long after that. You just screw some approximately 3/4" (or whatever you can get away with into the rubber lugs) sheet metal screws.

Ralph

I may be wrong but I got the impression the OP was talking about an alternative to putting strap on chains on his car to get up and down the hill of his driveway.

He already has chains for his tractors, thus my answer early on.

Then when I look at his web site address at the bottom of his post he has a bunch of jeeps, so I am not sure what the situation really is all about?