Best Snow chains

The 6 Best Snow chains

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Snow chains are mounted on tyres and are a driving aid for vehicles travelling on snow-covered roads. This driving aid distinguishes between full-fledged snow chains and snow chains as a starting aid. Snow chains were invented in 1904 by the American Harry D. Weed. The links of the chains are mostly made of hardened steel, but sometimes also of textiles, plastic or other materials. In order to achieve better friction resistance, the chain links are usually angular. In between there are mostly loose round chain links, which provide for a liberation of the adhering snow.

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Car Parts & Accessories: Snow chains Video Guide

Full-fledged snow chains are pulled as a net over the entire tread of the tyres. When buying snow chains, depending on the type of vehicle, drive chains and track chains must be obtained which are mounted on the tyres in the correct arrangement. This is because drive chains have chain pieces mounted transversely to the running surface so that they prevent the wheels from spinning. These snow chains must therefore be mounted on the wheels of the drive axle or on the drive axles, as with a four-wheel drive. In most cases, however, pure drive chains are used for tractors in forestry operations or for construction machinery. The track chains are mounted on the wheels of the steering axle to give the wheels longitudinal guidance. Spur chains prevent the wheels from slipping sideways. This is ensured by the chain pieces running in the running direction. For most cars and trucks, however, there are now also so-called combined snow chains, which consist of drive and track chains. The chain pieces run in running direction and transverse to the running surface.

As already mentioned, in addition to full-fledged snow chains, there are so-called starting aids which are intended to provide assistance over short distances in the event of starting difficulties, such as when leaving a property. After overcoming the difficult terrain, these snow chains are removed from the tyres. The journey is then continued normally without a starting aid. Nowadays, starting aids for passenger cars can be found in the form of clamps mounted on the wheels. Special belts or starting claws can also be used as starting aids. Another type of snow chains are centrifugal chains, also known as rotary chains. These are used on snow-covered or icy roads and consist of several chain strands which are attached to rotating discs with a vertically arranged axis of rotation. On icy roads, these chain wheel sets, which are mounted on the inside near the drive wheels, ensure that the rotational movements are offset and that the snow chains are thrown onto the road in front of the tyre tread. This results in higher friction and better adhesion of the tyres. The advantage of centrifugal chains is that they can be switched on and off from the driver’s cockpit and are therefore ready for use at any time. Therefore it is not necessary to put on these snow chains separately. However, these types of snow chains are usually only found on heavy commercial vehicles.

Snow chains can be attached loosely or tightly. Loosely mounted snow chains have the advantage that they have a better self-cleaning power. Firmly tensioned snow chains, on the other hand, damage the tyre surface less. In addition, the snow chains require less space in the wheel arches in this way, which is why this use is one of the preferred methods. Since not all vehicles have sufficient space in the wheel arches, it is not always possible to fit standard snow chains on winter tyres. Therefore, it is important to choose the right model for the chosen vehicle type when purchasing. Snow chains are mounted by laying them lengthwise in front of the tyre. The vehicle must then be driven onto the snow chain in order to install it afterwards. Since this process is rather tedious for the untrained, snow chain manufacturers offer simplified assembly patents, such as one in which a spring-loaded steel ring is suspended over the tyres to then drive onto the chains and connect the outside of the snow chains together. After installing snow chains, the tension should be checked after a few metres and the chains retightened if necessary.

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