Snow Chains: An Extreme Four-Wheeler’s Friend

It may come as a surprise to you, but in the world of four wheeling, snow chains are essential aids.

Ardent off road fans utilize snow chains in situations that may surprise you.

If you were to check the hardware in a vehicle that is consistently taken off road you would likely find a set of two and sometimes four snow chains. These chains provide traction in such unusual situations as mud, ice, snow and loose rock.

Back country driving is generally slow and methodic in spite of television shows and movies that show 4-wheeling in a breakneck pace that would be the end of most industrial strength off road vehicles.

In fact, in most situations if you are driving in off road conditions with snow chains at a speed that exceeds 30 MPH you may be doing damage to the snow chains as well risk damaging the hub or other parts of your wheel or undercarriage.

Many off road drivers will attach snow chains to the front wheels to aid in turning and traction, except when they are going downhill. Chains would need to be moved to the rear wheels in this situation simply because the rear wheels could slide off center and actually turn the vehicle around or even flip it over. This is probably one of the best arguments for a complete set of snow chains for all four wheels. Some users will seek out chains with a crisscross pattern because they provide more off road traction. If this scenario isn’t possible they often will double the conventional snow chains to provide twice the area of traction.

Some newer snow chain designs allow installation in less than a minute per tire. Some do not even require the vehicle to be moved to complete the install. However, like all good equipment, special care should be taken in cleaning and storing the chains once they are no longer required.

You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that snow chains are an off road adventurer’s best friend - even in warm weather.

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