Alternatives to tire chains?

[bandaidmd]

I was going to sugjest leaving a chained vehicle at the bottom but someone beat me to it so i second that.

 

[lhfarm]

Lots of interesting discussion. This is the old family farm and that winding steep drive gives us privacy that we love. The part of the road shown in the picture is also an easement and can't be easily changed. When my late FIL lived here, he did keep a car a the bottom of the hill and drive an old open-top Willys to ferry folks up and down. That old jeep was the start of my and my son's love for those vehicles.

The curve is an ongoing problem and I would like to get it paved, but not sure about cost and how to maintain the transition to gravel above and below. Adding gravel during the winter might be a good idea. I do have a loader.

This thread has certainly drifted away from the topic, but I think I did get my answer on chain alternatives.

Thanks to everyone.

 

[savageactor7]

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

Agreed. We keep our chains on year around and hardly even notice 'em. I really think that would work out for you just keep a few monkey links and rubber chain straps under the seat.

 

[pacerron]

Lots of interesting discussion. This is the old family farm and that winding steep drive gives us privacy that we love. The part of the road shown in the picture is also an easement and can't be easily changed. When my late FIL lived here, he did keep a car a the bottom of the hill and drive an old open-top Willys to ferry folks up and down. That old jeep was the start of my and my son's love for those vehicles.

The curve is an ongoing problem and I would like to get it paved, but not sure about cost and how to maintain the transition to gravel above and below. Adding gravel during the winter might be a good idea. I do have a loader.

This thread has certainly drifted away from the topic, but I think I did get my answer on chain alternatives.

Thanks to everyone.

Most threads do drift a bit, some a lot. That's just the cost of free advice on TBN

Having a pile of stone is a good idea but pre-planning is required there too. You have to get it when the road is not too soft to avoid
grooves from tires sinking in from the load. It doesn't look like your lane could handle a larger 20+ ton dump truck so you might need
a couple loads from a small truck.
A frozen pile of stone outside without cover can be a bear to handle and a front end loader with stone on ice, on a hill, has its own mind as to where the tractor will go. You might really find out what a tight pucker is all about..
Blacktopping the curve on the easement might have problems as well. I much prefer stone to blacktop on an icy hill. We live east of where the Glaciers leveled the land and even though our drive has had many loads of gravel over the years, it started as a way to an oil well so the base was not properly prepared. In the spring the clay soil under it gets pretty soft in places and I have to level it up again with a blade. I think blacktop would crumble in short order.

I see I'm getting adds along the right side of this for your tire chain deals so it is time to clear the browser history and cookies.
Good luck on your drive. It is snowing here again this morning. Looks like a cold snowy winter is in store after a wet summer.

 

[MossRoad]

Studded snow tires would solve your situation. Go to a junkyard and get a set of cheap steel rims to fit your vehicle. Have the studded snow tires mounted on them. Get an air or electric impact wrench and a good floor jack. Since you get sporadic stretches of cold down in Southern Indiana, just put them on when the forecast calls for snow and take them off when you see fit. It only takes about 15 minutes to swap out all four tires. Just remember that studded snow tires actually have really bad braking on dry or wet pavement in emergency braking situations.

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/brid...!3756!3!34615902853!e!!g!!blizzak snow tires&

 

[lhfarm]

Just wanted to do a follow-up. I put chains on my '79 CJ7, which does have a top and a not very good heater. This jeep is normally parked in the barn during the winter and is used for convertible drives in the summer. But based on comments here and from a friend, decided to make it our emergency vehicle if we ever need to get off the hill in an ice/snow storm. Had a thaw/freeze this past week and did a test run with the chains on. It worked well. So feel much safer.

My second plan of attack was/is to just rough up the ice on curves and steep parts of the drive with my Ratchet Rake. It takes some time but has been effective on the two times we have had ice this month.

Maybe it is from throwing chains on the tractors, but for whatever reason, I got the chains on the Jeep in just a couple of minutes. Did need to crawl under to attach the insides, but just used a tarp. Much less of a hassle than I expected.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Pilot]

One secret to putting chains on easily and quickly is to use 2 2 X 4 blocks. Drive onto the blocks, drape the chain over the top, reach around behind to fasten them on the back side of the tire, hook up the outside links and you are good to go. Had a '78 Pinto, got to a chain up area on the way to Mt. Hood. Pulled up behind a Nova that was jacked up and had one chain on. Drove onto the blocks, wife took one tire, I did the other and we were driving off before the guy in front was ready to lower the jack.

Moss hit it right again, studded snows, but front wheel drive is good. In Montana there was a steep hill near our house. We had a '72 Saab, front wheel drive with 2/3 of the weight on the front. In the winter the only vehicles that could go up that hill were 4 X 4's, VW Beetles and our Saab. Wife got forced off Hwy 93 by someone who lost control. Snow where she ended up was about 8-10" deep. After she calmed down, put it in gear and drove back onto the highway. Studded snows!