If you get the right size chains for your tires they will ride half way between the tread surface and the wheels rim or about dead center in the middle of your sidewall. Looks to my like you have plenty of clearance. On my track you can barely get your finger in between the upper ball joint and the tire. Yours are significantly closer to the center line of the wheel hub.
Tire Chains Specifically for Mud
- Thread starter Nickofthewoods
- Start date
Yeah. My upper control arm/ball joints are well below the inner diameter of the wheel. If nothing goes below the sidewall, there's nothing laterally for several inches. Seems like the most likely incident might be a loose chain ripping off the ABS sensor wire. That would be a risk worth taking if it meant getting out of a situation where I'd otherwise be stranded.
Here are the chains I am running. Bought them on Amazon. Look towards the bottom right of the pic and see where it says "New and Used (3) from $90.01". That's a set someone returned or the box has been damaged. Hard to damage the actual chains. The heavier set are on the rear, lighter on the front to get more clearance at the wheel opening. May or may not be an issue. You'll have to turn your steering wheel almost all the way to get the front tire positioned where the outside of the front tire is closest to the rear of the fender opening. On my truck that is where the front fender mud flap attaches. You'll want at least 1 1/2" clearance here. Because it's close on my truck I could not fit V bar chains.
Attachments
Yeah I'd only run mine at very low speeds to get off the forest service roads and only the rears unless it was really bad. On my truck I am most likely to have a problem with the front chains so they are far emergency use only. I got the cam lock chains but also run the rubber bungees criss crossed on each wheel. I also mounted mine up and cut off a link or two on the ends so nothing would be flapping around.
dukeball33
FNG
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Chains will grab your speed sensor cable, dash lights up like a Christmas tree! Mainly the excess links that can be zip-tied or wired. Not supposed to run on new trucks but what are your options if you want to get back to civilization???
Maybe I just need to add a spare sensor cable to the kit bag
Cut off any extra links, make sure the chains are tight and run tire chain tensioners or bungees and maintain 1 1/2" clearance between chain and everything mounted to the truck. Drive slowly and go easy on the skinny pedal. Stop often and make sure chains are still tight.
dukeball33
FNG
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- Jul 14, 2020
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Didn’t have any problem getting back to town, in my model truck an year, but was out trac control, stabitrac and abs... you know the things you need, jk, haha
rayporter
WKR
chains are great. if they fit they should not come down near the rim, but you dont want many loose links flopping around on the inside.
personally i dont use the v-bar chains and i get around fine. are there situations where they could possibly be necessary, yes, like ice. this past month i had about 2 inches of ice and then several inches of snow and i got around fine with out the v bars. one thing they do is help with wear to make chains last longer.
edit to add , put them on and off a few times to make sure they fit and you know how to get them on. deep in the snow or mud is not the time to figure it out.
personally i dont use the v-bar chains and i get around fine. are there situations where they could possibly be necessary, yes, like ice. this past month i had about 2 inches of ice and then several inches of snow and i got around fine with out the v bars. one thing they do is help with wear to make chains last longer.
edit to add , put them on and off a few times to make sure they fit and you know how to get them on. deep in the snow or mud is not the time to figure it out.
Wow. Stock 2015 Sierra 1500 w/ 275/55/20 (stock size*) have VERY LITTLE clearance when turning. When turning out, there's just over 1" of clearance between the rear of the tire and the fender splash shield (pics 1 & 2), and around 1 1/2" clearance between the tire and speed/ABS sensor cable. When turning in, there's only about 1 1/4" clearance between the leading edge of the upper control arm and tire.
Wheel spacers would make the clearance between the tire and splash shield worse.
Wheel spacers would make the clearance between the tire and splash shield worse.
Lots of guys use a heat gun and bend the plastic inner fender back and zip tie it. Not sure if that will help on your truck. Wheel spacers would make it worse.
wildwilderness
WKR
I lived on the Western Slope for 10 years a know exactly what you are talking about! Been stuck a few times and called a buddy with chains to pull me out. I soon bought my own set! great for snow as well on those late hunts I had one hunt on the Book Cliffs and almost slid off the road! I quickly put my chains on and made it home that night back to Fruita.
Don't know where you are but Delta Rigging and Tool in GJ had a good selection and price.
Don't know where you are but Delta Rigging and Tool in GJ had a good selection and price.
Mine are made of what feels like felt (for sound deadening). Zip-tie or screws may help, but I don’t think a heat gun will.
At least for the kind of mud the op is talking about they work very well. Once I was coming out with an f250 and gooseneck horse trailer. It had warmed up enough that the snow was melting and making mud. Had to go up a small hill and could get no where with just 4 wheel drive and that was with the horses unloaded. Put a set of just regular chains on the rear only and it crawled up like nobody’s business.
Tod osier
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- Sep 11, 2015
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Trimming the inside to the exact link is the way to go, makes it easier to get them on too just knowing to put the hook on the last link.
I leave the outsides long to give some leeway and always have cable ties to put on them.
bigmoose
WKR
If you have the room to run them, go with the V bars that you mentioned. You can also look at the Pewag (square) type chains. I have used double linked truck chains for years and they work great. Something to think about is going into an area early in the morning chained up when the ground is frozen and then trying come out later in the day after it's warmed up. If you have some steep downhill and it gets real muddy, you might have wait until dark for the road (trail) gets frozen again just to be safe.
I've hunted Colorado and Wyoming and know how bad the roads get. Chains are a necessity to get around. Even if it only rains a little the roads can turn nasty. I always feel better chained up all four. The Jeep in my avatar has the double linked truck chains on.
I've hunted Colorado and Wyoming and know how bad the roads get. Chains are a necessity to get around. Even if it only rains a little the roads can turn nasty. I always feel better chained up all four. The Jeep in my avatar has the double linked truck chains on.
Blackstorm
Lil-Rokslider
At the end of last years hunt (4th season) while in Colorado I wisely picked up a set for all 4 tires. All the guides had them on their trucks and they just drove down the roads while everybody else was sliding around. Its remarkable that we get more snow where I'm from and driving is treacherous, but not like out west its a whole new ball game.
Adam Gibbs
WKR
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- Aug 28, 2017
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- 598
What is a decent brand to go with? I appear to have clearance and wouldn't mind throwing a set in the truck. We're headed to Eastern Montana this year and I hear horror stories about the mud out there
dieselchessy
WKR
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2015
- Messages
- 1,090
I usually run Peerless, or Quality Chain Co. (local to me). I'm not sure it matters much for actual chains for recreational use. If you get into cables or commercial use, then brand probably maters more.
I wouldn't recommend the cleated chains. They tangle easy, twist on tire, are overly aggressive. Not that they aren't good, but they have always seemed to me to be a bit overkill. The extra hassle never seems worth it.
I carry a set of cables for most winter driving and then a set of chains when getting serious. The cables ride much better on hard pack and ice on paved roads. You can go faster without them trashing your rig. Chains ride much rougher and are harder on your rig when they break or throw off.
I always chain the front first. Only chain the back if its nasty or I'm tired of the back following the ruts. The front does the steering and most of the braking.
I don't at all understand the guy who earlier said he chained one front and one rear tire. Might work in a locked rig or with electronic traction control. But seems like a really odd way to go about it. Maybe I missed the sarcasm.
I wouldn't recommend the cleated chains. They tangle easy, twist on tire, are overly aggressive. Not that they aren't good, but they have always seemed to me to be a bit overkill. The extra hassle never seems worth it.
I carry a set of cables for most winter driving and then a set of chains when getting serious. The cables ride much better on hard pack and ice on paved roads. You can go faster without them trashing your rig. Chains ride much rougher and are harder on your rig when they break or throw off.
I always chain the front first. Only chain the back if its nasty or I'm tired of the back following the ruts. The front does the steering and most of the braking.
I don't at all understand the guy who earlier said he chained one front and one rear tire. Might work in a locked rig or with electronic traction control. But seems like a really odd way to go about it. Maybe I missed the sarcasm.
If you only have 2 chains, one front and one rear is a good option to keep both ends of the truck on the road. My PW had lockers front and rear so it's a good option for me. However I have done it with open diff and even seen it done on 2wd vehicles with success.
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