donner pass chaining

haven't been out here for awhile. last time was 11 years ago. and they had guys with cards telling drivers what to chain.

i'm here now. no snow scheduled till thursday morning.

 

depends if it is max chains or min chains, they will give you a card to tell you what is required..

IIRC, max chains is i set of 3 railers and a set of singles on the drives and 2 drag chains on opposite axels of the trailer.

min chains is a set of singles on the drives and 2 drags chains on the trailer

 

Here is what your looking for http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/ChainRequire.pdf

You can chain just 1 side and roll through the chain check because they won't bother coming out of their hut to check. The reason for this is because they love to keep the chain law up on dry road and you will just break chains.
View attachment ChainRequire.pdf View attachment ChainRequire.pdf

 

Those cards show the chain location required for Max chains....which is no longer used!

See info about the cards above....
No one in their right mind should bother with 3 railers....to apply properly, dropping the trailer and pulling out should be done, for better access. The standard, (most common) application is minimum application, i.e. single on both sides of outside tire either drive axle, and 2 drag chains which can be either staggered front and back (one each side) or chain on both outside tires of either front or back axle.

In heavier snows, or snow that hasn't been effectively plowed, "modified max" is the regular application, not maximum. Modified max is single chain on all four outside drive tires and the same process with the trailer drag chains.

Why would you offer advice that is the kind that will get the driver into trouble? Unless you are thinking about the "chain check" truck located several miles before the "chain required check point".

The "chain check" is a CalTrans truck, stopping every big rig and asking the driver; "Do you have enough chains on board?", then hands the driver the card. The "chain inspection stop" is the point where CalTrans has all traffic stopping and they visually look to see if the operator has the correct chains applied...and most times, CHP is sitting on the opposite side of the vehicle, also, CalTrans has at times persons with flashlights checking both sides. So apply your chains correctly and completely before attempting to "cheat the system".....proceeding without the correct application could get you a $585.00 ticket!

 

Thanks for clearing that up

 

i don't see why donners should be so strict or even enforce 3 rails.

donner hits 7200 feet, and goes 40 miles on the cali side. with 5 to 6 percent grade.

70 in colorado is 120 miles long, consists of 2 hills. and hits altitudes of 11,000 feet.

parleys summit in utah is 15 miles but hits 7 percent grades.

what makes donner more special????

 

Who said they enforce 3 railers? Minimum is single on 2 drives, mod max is singles on 4 drives....the only strict part is 2 drag chains instead of 1 like others require.

Auburn to CA border is 80 miles, the chain control zone is actually 70 miles in CA. What does the elevation of the summit have to do with the issue(?)...I've had to chain up in Folsom to get to my home 18 miles up US 50, and Folsom elevation is 28 feet.

It's not "special"...it's partly the fact that the snow moisture content is higher...ever hear the term "Sierra Cement"(?)....plus the fact (actually the principal reason) that the CA yahoos from the bay area and the Sac/Stockton valley just can't for the life of them figure out that in the slippery conditions...you need to slow down!

Utah is world renown for their incredible powder, and the same (although not as advertised) goes for CO...moisture content weighs heavily in road conditions. Also, Parleys and I-70 are designed for higher speeds...sweeping turns, where I-80 Donner, has short sharper turns. Plus the fact that who is to say what formula is being used by any state to figure Percent of Grade....I know of 5 different formulas, and the one CA uses is not used anywhere else...go figure!

 

Other is 100% correct on condition of snow. I lived for many years is Big Bear Lake, CA. Same wet, heavy snow. When I started driving I-70 into Denver I thought I was missing something on what they required for chains. Then after several trips in it I understood why.

And one of the big reasons for additional chains when it is wet and heavy - the bottom freezes and you have inches of ice pack that plows can't get at. Added that CA uses no melting agent. Just cinders for traction. And the added political pressure to not shut the pass down.

 

Mt. Washington in NH is only about 6000 feet, yet has the highest recorded wind speed on planet earth, 231 mph. It can be a nice day at the bottom, and a blizzard up top. Elevation is irrelevant. (You can take a car up it in the summer, but no truck would ever reach the top, even on a sunny day, lol)