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Vans in the snow ... Chains ?

ScottMP
ScottMP Member Posts: 5,883
in THE MAIN WALL
All of my vans slip and slid in the snow. We pulled one out of the snow today and another one could'nt get up a driveway.

Does anyone use chains ? Studded tires ?

Any suggestion from the wall ?

Scott " snowman " Milne


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Comments

  • Bill_14
    Bill_14 Member Posts: 345
    Until the sun melts the snow...

    Try cable chains Scott. Also, a locking rear differential would help some if you had it.

    Bill
  • Carl PE
    Carl PE Member Posts: 203
    Chains

    aren't allowed around here. You will be ticketed. I guess they tear up the roads or something.

    I haven't seen studded tires in years, probably decades. I think those are frowned upon for the same reason.

    You can try some "ground hawgs", but they howl something awful the other 362 days of the year.

    Carl "I've got a gigantic 4wd" PE
  • Glenn Harrison_2
    Glenn Harrison_2 Member Posts: 845
    I sympathise with you Scott

    had to dig myself out of a driveway today. My E-250 is quite heavy, but that just causes it to dig in in this stuff from a standstill.

    I know studded tires were outlawed at least in Illinois years ago. I can remember being a little kid 20+ years ago and watching my Dad pull the studs out of an almost new set of tires to make them legal, and he could be heard mumbling a few choice words while doing so.
  • Uni R
    Uni R Member Posts: 663
    Get good snow tires...

    Maybe get something like 4 Blizzaks with an extra set of rims to make the spring fall changeover easier.

    http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselector/dpp/glamourindex.asp?passproductid=503
  • Big Idahoan
    Big Idahoan Member Posts: 43
    studs rule

    > All of my vans slip and slid in the snow. We

    > pulled one out of the snow today and another one

    > could'nt get up a driveway.

    >

    > Does anyone use

    > chains ? Studded tires ?

    >

    > Any suggestion from

    > the wall ?

    >

    > Scott " snowman " Milne

    >

    > _A

    > HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

    > 237&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

    > Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

    > "Find A Professional"_/A_



  • Jeff Lawrence_24
    Jeff Lawrence_24 Member Posts: 593
    uh....

    Move South?

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  • Big Idahoan
    Big Idahoan Member Posts: 43
    studs rule

    we're finaly getting some snow here in idaho, when we do it usually turns to ice until spring. we have 2 4-wheel drive service trucks their tires are siped and studed,(we do alot of work in the mountains year round) and 1 service van for around town.

    if you can stud the tires i definitely would, i think they have more than paid for theirself.
  • lchmb
    lchmb Member Posts: 2,997
    :)

    Thank god I live in a state with few rules! My company offers the tech his choice. Heavy snow's with or without stud's. I (having a lousy driveway) have studded tire's and they help alot. It doesn't cure it all but they do help...:)
  • jbplumber
    jbplumber Member Posts: 89
    Ice

    Virginia, the Carolinas and parts west have that nasty black ice and ice storms. you maybe better off with light fluffy SNOW. Best Wishes J. Lockard
  • Uni R
    Uni R Member Posts: 663
    Studded tires

    It's been many years since I've heard the sound of studded tires. They are only legal here on bicycles. Maybe some of the commercial truck body installers should add sand dispensers right in front of the back wheels like many buses had back in the 50s and 60s... What's old is new!
  • Jeff Lawrence_24
    Jeff Lawrence_24 Member Posts: 593
    We get

    Ice more than snow.

    The northerners that move down here scoff when everything shuts down because of a little white stuff. If it is actually snow, it'll sure be ice the next day.

    Jeff



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  • Carl PE
    Carl PE Member Posts: 203
    www.mattracks.com

    image
  • oil-2-4-6-gas
    oil-2-4-6-gas Member Posts: 641
    .

    what kind of van do you have--i have a 1999 chevy -with all-seasons and haven't had a problem yet --put it in L2 and i can get up some decent hills ,stopping and steering are a little tricky but not too bad --but my personal van 1990 dodge conversion--i will not even try to drive in the snow i put 2 different sets of tires --the blizzaks type and the old style lugged snows --it doesn't move even w/4 80lb cement bags over the rear axle --go figure
  • Bill Nye_2
    Bill Nye_2 Member Posts: 538
    What a day

    I have always done ok with one ton and 3/4 ton chevy vans. Stopping and starting suck, but once you get going they do Ok. Providing you have snow tires of course.

    My boss won't buy snow tires for my truck. I was stuck at an intersection for almost ten minutes. I had to back up an 1/8th mile to level ground just to go forward.

    I would never expect anyone to drive in winter with out good tires. He told me "Just drive slow". In my personal van I have passed 4 wheel-drivers who were stuck. Good tires and a lot of weight.
  • paul sr
    paul sr Member Posts: 39


    i found that the e350 is a little better in the snow (heavier truck) than the e250. stops better too (bigger brakes).a few winters ago,at about 3 in the morning, i got my old 250 stuck on a deserted backroad in a small town. i had 4 more calls ahead of me and was up the creek. i had new snows on and still couldnt move.

    know what i did? i got out the cordless drill and put about 50 quarter inch zippy screws in the tread. that little 250 came out like a hot knife through butter.

    keep it in mind when your in a pinch. it really does work
  • ed wallace
    ed wallace Member Posts: 1,613
    vans and snow

    I drive a 99 chevy astro awd van no problems in snow or on ice
  • DaveGateway
    DaveGateway Member Posts: 568
    \"Tow/Haul\"

    My 2001 GMC Safari does well in the "tow" gear.

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  • Dave Bush
    Dave Bush Member Posts: 155
    I use cable chains

    In the Poconos. When the roads get REAL bad.

    I run a 12' cube van, with dual rear wheels. Good all-seasons all the way around get me through all but the worst.

    Putting ANY kind of chain on that thing is a pain, though...

    We're allowed studs during the winter, but they have to be off between mid-April and mid-November, I believe.
  • Weezbo
    Weezbo Member Posts: 6,232
    i'd say chains....

  • Leo G_99
    Leo G_99 Member Posts: 223
    Try these Scott

    http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/noname29.html

    Leo G
  • Ted Laythe
    Ted Laythe Member Posts: 8
    Studed Tires

    I put on a set of studded tires on my E-350 and so far I'm pleased. I have the "Un" limited slip rear axle and became less that thrilled with the prospect of digging out the van after I finish the service call. Studs provide more control. They don't cost much to install in new snow tires, and I pull off the snow tires in the spring because they kill the "fuel uneconomy". My old snow tires I put on a new E-350 that has a limited slip axle. Now they're on their fourth winter!

    I like the tip about screws in the tires. I wish I'd thought of that.

    TED
  • hr
    hr Member Posts: 6,106
    Good snow tires

    make a huge difference. Not to be confused with all season tires :)

    I agree with mounting them on extra rims so the get switched and possibly a few seasons.

    The good snows will have aggressive button tread and siping. Siping helps a lot on black ice,cools the tire and extends milage. Grabs better than studs in many conditions.the Tire Rack has good selection and prices www.tirerack.com, I think.

    But, at some point the snow will get deep or wet enough that chains may be the only option.

    We ran 2WD Ford Super Duty cube trucks in the Mountains of Utah for years, they all had a set of chains hanging inside for those worse case days.

    Keep spare bungees to assure the chains stay tight. Nothing screws up a fender or brake line worse than flailing chains :)

    We had Greivstake (sp) a German chain on our skid steer for snow removal. Very hard chain with a X shaped pattern to give better sideways slide control than the plain ladder type.

    hot rod

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  • J.C.A._3
    J.C.A._3 Member Posts: 2,980
    John NY

    I've told all the Guys who drive with me about the "tow/trailer" button on the dash and how it works. It changes the shift points in the transmission and seems to give a bit more low gear than the regular drive.


    My apologies to Scott. I guess I never told HIM about it. Sorry Boss, not all the vans stink in the snow. Then again.... knowing HOW to drive in snow is worth more than any flipping tire there is. We have a few guys that absolutely panic every time it snows and they are usually the ones that require a tow truck at least once a winter. It takes time to master. I've been at it for a while and the only off road excursions I've had were caused by being rearended by someone driving WAY beyond what the conditions demanded.(Usually some @$$#0($ in a FWD vehicle that thinks they're invincible....4 wheels slide just the same as 2 do,when overdriving for conditions, get with the program!!!!) Chris
  • John Conway
    John Conway Member Posts: 64
    ice vs. snow

    I lived in Vermont for a couple of winters - doesn't make me an expert, but driving on snow seemed more like driving on dirt. Ice, at least down here in the sunny South, is like driving on tiny ball-bearings in a sea of 3-in-1. Nothin' to do but go drink cofee & wait for the @%#&amp; stuff to go away! (Beer after a certain hour)
  • John Conway
    John Conway Member Posts: 64
    ice vs. snow

    I lived in Vermont for a couple of winters - doesn't make me an expert, but driving on snow seemed more like driving on dirt. Ice, at least down here in the sunny South, is like driving on tiny ball-bearings in a sea of 3-in-1. Nothin' to do but go drink cofee & wait for the @%#&amp; stuff to go away! (Beer after a certain hour)
  • Al Corelli - Agix Associates
    Al Corelli - Agix Associates Member Posts: 52


    2003 All Wheel drive AstroVan has proven unstoppable with the factory tires. Loads of fun too.
  • jackchips_2
    jackchips_2 Member Posts: 1,337
    With all

    those lobsta claws in your back yard, I'm surprised you haven't invented some way to attached them to the tires Scott.

    OK, it doesn't match all the great advice above but hey, I'm only a plumber.
  • Maine doug_5
    Maine doug_5 Member Posts: 2
    Chains etc

    Although I do not run a commercial truck now, I have had several E350's, an F350 and current 4x4 F250 in a variety of states and north Quebec. Here in Maine I use 4 studded snows on a set of rims that get installed on the first snowfall.
    In other areas where we have lived, I used chains when necessary to add some ice grip.

    I modified a hydralic jack to add a skid plate, about 12 x 6, with the front and back ends curved up slightly. I made an extension handle for the jack pump and for the skid plate. When needed, I slid the jack under the spring mount at the end of the axle, pumped the wheel off the ground and installed the chain. Dropped the axle and did the same to the other side. 10, maybe 15 minutes at the most.

    Whenever I purchased new chains, I fit them in the summer and cut the excess links off so there was only a link or 2 extra. I used heavy duty rubber tensioners criss-crossed to take all the slack out of the chains. Never lost one or had one beat up the wheel well and in some areas we lived, they were used frequently. When there was no snow or ice, we rode on quiet rubber.
  • Boilerpro_3
    Boilerpro_3 Member Posts: 1,231
    Yep, what HR said

    A good ice and snow tire is the way to go. Toss out the old snow tires, the new generation tires are able to provide equal or better grip on ice than studs. Once I wear out the typically crappy OE tires, I pick up an extra set of rims and mount up a set of ice an snaow tires and then some higher performance tires for summer use. I'll drive my old Ford Escort with Yokahama ice tires over my VW Jetta with traction control and antilock with all season tires any day in the snow and ice.
    BTW, if you are looking for good cheap winter tires, the old Firestone Winterfires were pretty nice in the 235-75R -15 XL size. Not sure they are made anymore as they have a new Winter tire out there now under the Dayton brand name.


    Boilerpro
  • Ken D.
    Ken D. Member Posts: 836
    Snow

    I've got a one ton Grumman RouteStar Step Van (Chevy chassis). I use good snow tires (not All season)and have not had many problems. When the roads get too treacherous, I will install the tire chains with which I can go anywhere. The one drawback is when you still need chains on the snow coverd secondary roads, the main roads are usually cleared. This slows you down in traffic, causing dirty looks and gestures from other impatient motorists.
  • doug_14
    doug_14 Member Posts: 15


    THERE IS A AUTO CHAIN SYSTEM CALLED ONSPOT THERE ON FIRETRUCKS, FUELTRUCKS,VANS,
  • jbplumber
    jbplumber Member Posts: 89
    Another good tool...

    Another good tool is the lowly tire pressure gauge. If you're stuck, dropping the drive tires pressure down to 20 pounds or so depending on the tire can be a quick cure. Just, don't forget to pump the back up first chance you get.
  • Ken C.
    Ken C. Member Posts: 267
    Impatient motorists

    That's the problem with many drivers today ... they're in too much of a damn hurry. I'd rather get to my destination five or ten minutes late, but get there in one piece.

    What really makes me laugh is when there's stop and go traffic on the highway, and some yo-yo pulls a reckless maneuver to pass you, just so he can move ahead one car length.
  • Ericjeeper
    Ericjeeper Member Posts: 179
    snow gear

    with many automatic transmissions.. if you put the shifter into second gear , when taking off from a stop in snowy conditions.. the transmission will take off in second gear rather than first. Second gear will help in taking off.. less torque. Ford called this "snow gear' back in the seventies.. I am sure not all vehicles will over ride the trannys attempt at using its first gear.. Just make sure you shift it up into Drive once you get moving. good luck
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