Tire Chains

Has a dodge with big tires and I got a couple sets of semi chains cheap off Craigslist and cut them down to fit my oversized tires. They did not fit my newer Chevy Silverado as they don’t have much clearance especially up front had to go to cable chains there.
Always carry a bunch of good quality bungee straps to keep them tight.
 
I am also surprised to hear so much trouble with cams. I wouldn’t have another set without em.

My truck has 40’s and I regularly chain up all 4.

Built a jig out of diamond plate and 2x6’s in a ladder configuration. Put chain on jig- drive on, install chain. I lock my cams with a set of tiny D-ring shackles, never had one come undone.
Don’t use any of those spider bungees, despise them- they are good for a year before the rubber is rotten and they fall apart.

Just my experience


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Not a cam chain lover. The one and only time I used them, one of the cams came open and I ruptured a brake line. 1100 miles from home in the middle of nowhere Montana.
 
I don't like cams either. Had gas to the floor this year getting out of some deep snow and drifts and I had to retighten several times. Looking into a no cam chain for next year. Luckily, the only thing I tore out was a wheel speed sensor.
 
Once open a time I got my chains really tite on my old truck. Now granted, I did do quite a bit of ass hauling. But the chains actually rubbed about 50% of the way thru the sidewall rubber. It was superficial.
But none the less seemed a bit much.
 
Cams, a handful of zipties, and wire cutters seems to be a good compromise.
 
So if you don't have cams, how do you tighten the chains?
You just have to get them as tight as you can when you hook them together. Using bungees will pull all of the excess slack out of them after you drive a short distance. Then you can readjust if necessary to get the chains tighter. I get the inside rail as tight as it will go initially and usually don’t mess with it when I go to adjust. The bungees will pull the slack to the outside rail.
 
So you guys that have had trouble with the cams, was after lots of wheels spin? I dont think I have ever used them that way, or in the mud. My one experience with lots of wheel speed and chains resulted in a chain coming off of a rear tire and barely missing a friends head......never found the chain......young and dumb. Chain never touched the truck, had been rocking back and forth to get unstuck, with friends pushing and as soon as forward movement started going, must have gotten a little throttle happy.
 
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