Has anyone ever used a turn buckle to tighten tire chains?

I have a full set of heavy duty chains for my F350 and can't make more than about 5-8mph before the cross chains hit the fenders (centrifugal force pulls the cross chains off the tire).

I am thinking about using a cable weaved through the side chains attached half way between the cross chains tightened with a turn buckle. This way I can put a wrench on it and get more tension going than any stretchy tensioner (rubber band style or spring style). I am not entirely sure how to weave the cable though. It would make sense that the turn buckle crosses the diameter of the wheel, perpendicular to the cross chains as opposed to sitting parallel to a cross chain.

The idea here would be to put as much tension on the outside side chain as possible so the cross chains pull away from the tire less. Thoughts? Ideas? If I can get up to 15mph I'd be a lot happier, though if I can get going faster that would be even better. Making miles on forest roads at 5-8mph is a LONG day.

 

I don't have much experience with tire chains, and no recent experience, so I was hoping someone better qualified would chime in. But with no other activity I'll offer what I can.

I never used tensioners of any kind. I always just got them as tight as I could, and then tightened them again after driving slowly a few hundred feet.

Another thought is how wide are your tires and how much clearance do you have between the tire and fender? All of my chain experience was with my Dad's 2wd Ch*vy Suburban, lots of clearance over stock size tires. And with narrow tires there wasn't as much deflection possible in the cross links (I could see it being a bigger problem with wide tires).

But to your question, if you aren't getting the chains very tight I could see a turnbuckle working better than a bungee. I'd think that ideally you'd want to be either be pulling directly in line with as many cross-links as possible (lots of cables going across the diameter of the wheel, maybe one between every other cross link?) or else just used to pull the outside chain tight. The point being to get the outside chain pulled to as small a circle as possible to pull the cross links down so they aren't at all loose.

 

I use to use (even on the commercial rigs) the "rubber bands" and there was a lver type tensioner/tightening lock type lever on the outside with just a hook on the inside. I use to place the chains over the top of the tire bringing them forward and tucking them very neatly in front on the tire, then drive forward until the tire is just forward the 1st row...which is at the rear, now hook em up...

this does several things..

1. Keeps me dry

2. the chains are almost perfectly positioned on the tire with almost all the slack removed...easy to see exactly where they need to be hooked up at, then install the rubbers...on the big rigs, we used 2 sets of rubbers per wheel........could easily travel at up to 25 mph with no issues.

 

Thanks for the info. I always run the chains a hundred or two hundred feet once I put them on to seat them on the tires, then go back and re-tighten the side chains. Even as tight as I can get them doing that I still get the cross chains touching the fenders, more so when I turn as the angled tire eats up some of the clearance between the tire and fender.

I suppose the strongest way to lace a cable would be through the side chain links that the cross chains attach to so the tension puts force directly in line with the cross chains. Though, going in between the cross chains would cut the contact between the cross chain and tensioning cable in half. The same theory would hold true here also - run the chains a bit then re-tighten once everything seats, then check routinely to make sure it is all holding up.

 

sounds to me like you have the wrong size chains.

 

I have heard other people say that, but I disagree. From what I know about chains you have to size them up to the tires. The width is most important so the side chains are well inside the diameter of the tread, but not so far as to be interfering with the rim/wheel. In most cases the chains come way longer than you need, then you trim to fit by removing cross chains and cutting the side chains to length. To me, that is the standard/normal fitment process - they don't "fit like a glove" out of the box.

I ordered this set not long after I bought my truck (winter of 2011 I believe) from tirechains.com per the size tire that is on the truck. If you watch the installation videos or read some of the guides they describe the same process as above. Below is a link to what I have, a generic page showing the type of chain used in the construction.

HEAVY Duty Tire Chains

Here is a better picture of the fitment of the chains after running several miles - they aren't "loose" as you can see. I just think there should be a lot more tension on them than what I can get closing the cam latch after running them in.

 

Steve...when I look at the pic on the front tire it appears there is a pretty good gap where the links connect as compared to the rest....which look evenly spaced.......having worked at an ol fashion gas station in the mountains as a college job days, I have installed a few hundred of these and (plus working on big rigs in the mountains) and those don't look right to me.....even the should chains seem to be a little too close to the rim. Its probably too late to exchange but IMHo, I would take one link out of the crossbars and I bet that will make things line up a lot better.

 

You are correct - there is a wider gap at the joint between the ends of the chains - the last cross chain would have interfered with latching the ends together so I pulled it.

I just thought of something - I bet if I run the chains in with bungee chords between the cross chains (10 cross chains, so 5 bungees/wheel) I might be able to seat the cross chains better and get another link on the latch. I wouldn't think the bungees would hold what little slop there ends up being, when running, back (centrifugal force on the cross chains is going to be quite a bit), but having that extra pull as the wheels slow to a stop may seat the cross chains a lot better. If that's the case, that would be a great start to lock the position of the chains with a cable/turn buckle cranked down...

 

i still say they are too big for the tires, especially after looking at a pic of them.
granted i have not put a set of chains on in close to 30 years, but the ones i used were no where near the rims like yours are.
as beech said, try shortening them one link at a time and see if they get tighter.

 

Them chains are most definitely too loose.

If they are tight enough, you should be able to run 45 mph without a issue.




Here's my chains, I put them on, drive a 50 yards or so and re tighten them. I use the semi style cam tighteners on my big tires, but should be able to get them tight enough with the cheaper style. You could add a cross link like I have done to chains before. Like these here

 

What kind of ends are on them to hook them together?

 

Hook on the inside side chain and a latch style hook on the outside side chain that pulls the last link of the side chain over to pull tension. One more link in and I can't get the outside hook to fold over. That is why I am looking for ideas on other tensioning methods.

I see on the one picture of the chain in the mud there is a single cam style tensioner at about 12:30 (hour hand around the tire clockwise). That should be a very similar style type of tensioner as to what mine is, the difference is you probably have a tool to get some more leverage on for locking the cam. That doesn't solve the problem of seating the cross chains properly, though - the cross chains next to the cam link will hang up in the tread and be the source of the resistance on the cam, as opposed to the tension balancing around all the cross chains through the tension placed in the side chain when closing the cam.

Can you show how you are using the cam style semi tensioners? Are these chain binder levers/cams you are referring to? Or the cam built in to the side chain I commented on above?

 

From what I understand about your chains from what you have said, they have a hook (#2 in pic) and a lock like #1.

These kind are a bit tricky to get nice n tight. I've found a channel locks and a screw drive work pretty good. Or there's a tool that fits in there too to help get more leverage to close it up. You kinda have to walk the chain from the center to the two ends to get the. As tight as possable. Also sometimes tightening the inside a link helps a lot!

The tentioners on my good chains are like in #7. There's 5 or so far n the outside of the chains so can get them really tight with a "T" wrench that fits into the little slot.

 

Thanks for the info Dave. The latch I have is a steel wire style latch, it mechanically functions the same way as number 1 but wire like the hook in number 2 (which 2 is correct - that is the same style hook I was referring to on the inside).

 

I worked on the chains some today just to do some fitting again. I jacked up one wheel, I know - thats cheating. It did work a lot easier, though. I don't have anywhere I can run with them on to let seat after putting on normally so I made do.

The rod end to my emergency jack (end that goes in the jack crank socket) fits the cam slot so I used the tire iron and the one rod as my T handle. I think that is the tightest I have ever had a chain.

Looking at the first picture I posted and now the gap is less between the cross chains.