Hanging Tire Chains

Try to keep them separated best you can. The worst thing about chains is when they are frozen and all tangled together. It is best to keep them in your side box if you have the room though.

 

The easiest way to hang them if you have a three hook rack and you are hanging triple railers is to lay them out straight then grab them from the center rail hang it on the inside rack fairly close to the end cross link then grab it in the middle of the length of tirechain and hang it on the outside hook then fold it and hang the other end on the inside hook grab both parts of the chain and hang it on the middle hook. That method is what I use and is way easier shown than explained maybe I will make a video of it later on.

 

May I ask what it was that you pulled that weighed 200k? (oops, looks like the "quote" function does not grab the info in the signature, for those wondering now WTF I'm talk'n about!)

 

For singles, lay them out flat on the ground so the hook ends of the cross chains are toward the ground. It may take some time to untangle them, but it's better to do it now than when you need them.

Pick up the end of the chain by the first cross chain and put it on a hook.

Skip the next cross chain and pick up the next one, hang that one on the hook.

Repeat this until you don't have any more cross chains to grab.

If you have a two sided rack with three hooks on each side, hang a pair on each of the two inside hooks and a single chain on each of the remaining four hooks.

Look for straggling ends and use a bungee cord to tie them up. Remember we are not allowed to have metal objects hanging below the bottom of the rims where they meet the tires.

I will post pics when I have my big computer up. I'm posting this from my phone.

 

Not just getting the chains out and checking them for hanging. Don't forget to practice actually putting them on the tires a couple of times. Below freezing in a blowing snow storm is the wrong time to try to remember how to throw chains.

 

I don't have pics of the process, but I do have of the finished product. My chain rack is on the right side of the truck. My two pairs of singles are hung on the front three hooks, two singles on the inside, one each on the other two, as described above.

My rear three hooks have my "rails" or double chains on them. Haulhand already explained a very effective method of hanging rails, which is not the way I have them hung, so I will not confuse the issue with an explanation of how mine are done, although they are hung by the center lengthwise chain. His method actually sounds more efficient than mine and I would be very interested to see it and give it a try.

It is difficult to get a decent angle of my front hooks because they are a bit close to a hot exhaust pipe and I can't fit behind the side fairing, but here you are.

 

Buy a small propane torch. It will thaw frozen chains rather quickly.