Automatic chains

[RBowman]

Does anyone have insta-chain or onstop installed on a class 8?
How well do they work?
Roughly how much were they with install?
Thanks!

 

[asitool]

We've put them on 3 trucks. Paid $250 a pair from a wrecking yard in the mid-west. They came off of school buses. Two bolted right on, one set had to be heavily modified. It takes quite a bit of fiddling around with them to set them up.

We set the contact patch about 3.5 to 4" off the ground and about 1/4 inch ahead of the axle centerline. Set up this way, the chains cover about 75% of the inside tire. You can get more coverage by lowering the point at which the unit touches the tire, however they say that reduces the depth of snow at which the chains are useful.

I haven't used them in the snow yet, however during a build we had to juggle trucks and drove a stretched truck with no box up a fairly steep hill behind the shop. The truck lost traction (no weight on the back end), I engaged the locker, it went a few more feet, then just spun. I deployed the chains and it went right up the hill! I'd really like to try them in the snow.

 

[RBowman]

Thanks for the details on setup. Was thinking about having a set installed. Had not thought about buying a used set, but since they won't see a whole lot of use on my part, that's a great idea. I have a local garage that will do an install, not sure if the 1500-2000 labor estimate is worth it.

 

[asitool]

How difficult is it to access your rear end and what type of suspension do you have? That seems high, however it's probably what you'd expect if you bring a nice coach into a high end shop. Our guys build water trucks for a living so to them it's just another thing to cut, drill and weld... probably costs us $150 to install including hardware and air fittings. We used the air valve in the cab for the sliding 5th wheel that was no longer being used.

 

[RBowman]

Rear suspension.

I think it's pretty accessible. I can't get a closeup shot until I'm back in town Tuesday. There's a rear propane tank between the frame rails, but it's behind the axles.
I'm not sure if this pic will help. Not sure on the brand of the rear air bags, but the chassis is a '16 freightliner cascadia.

 

[asitool]

You have a nice coach! I don't think I'd want to cut corners on that to save a few dollars! Mine are pretty low budget builds by comparison. I'm installing used parts and making them fit because I have to.

I still think the installation quote is high, because you are just running air lines, installing a switch, and maybe replacing a u bolt with a longer one.

Here are a couple of pictures from one of my trucks. The school bus suspension setup is different than a class 8 truck so I wasn't able to use the brackets that came with the chains because the width of the U-bolt was longer than the entire bracket. If you ordered chains built for your axle and suspension they would have brackets that would bolt right onto your axle.

You can see in the pictures that I had to build the red primer colored brackets. If you look closely you'll also notice that the U-bolt isn't long enough because there should be threads showing below the nut. Before it hits the road it I'll have to replace them with longer ones.

Some of the original brackets had two holes in them, one for each end of a single u bolt. The others had three holes, (two for one u-bolt and one for a single end of the other u-bolt.) I felt it was strong enough to just use two holes.

Another thing that I did was run a 1/4 inch air line to one and a 3/8 line to the other (from the Tee) I did this so one chain would deploy more quickly than the other preventing them from meeting in the middle and binding. I'm not sure how the manufacturers deal with this or if it's even an issue when you're running down the road but mine would hit each other during mockup and testing.

 

[RBowman]

Thanks for the information and the pics. Looks like you did a great job with install. There's a insta-chain certified dealer and installer in Louisville. That's about 4 hours from me. The more I learn about these, the more I'm inclined to either make the drive there for install or just get it done next summer when I go to Indiana to have a couple interior things done.
Looks like it is reasonably durable technology if used ones from school buses are still in good enough shape to be resold.
I'm sure everyone in the forum will appreciate your pics as well. It seems like something that renegade, showhauler, haulmark, and nrc should start offering as a reasonably inexpensive option to extend the use of the units through some of the winter months in the north.

 

[petrel-TC]

I agree. Especially since they give us no room to install regular tire chains.

 

[bushpilot-TC]

I always promised myself if it got that bad, id pull over turn on the TV, crack open a beverage and ride it out!

 

[petrel-TC]

Agreed. I'm not going out of my way to travel in ice and snow. However, if I did get caught in it, I'd sure like the added traction to get off the road safely.

 

[asitool]

That's how I came to install them. A few years ago a quick run up to Idaho turned into a 4 day adventure. I've read that the auto chains are 50 state dot legal. I don't know if that's really true but I thought it would be really nice to be able to deploy them in ice. We had a situation where there was ice every 30 mins or so, with good road in between. The truckers just left their chains on.... seemed like a pita to take them off/on. These things deploy really fast, maybe 3-5 seconds.

 

[RBowman]

I just returned this evening from a week of skiing with my wife and kids in Summit County, CO. Great snow for this time of year. We checked out Tiger River RV Resort, which is what got me interested in the auto chain systems. I would like to return this summer with the KTM's and the downhill MTB's to take advantage of both the great high altitude Moto trails nearby as well as the downhill MTB parks at Keystone, Winterpark, and Granby Ranch. Want to enjoy this with my two oldest while they're still at home and I'm still healthy. While I'll have no need for the chains in July, I was shocked to find the RV resort at full capacity now in December. Coaches rolling in and out on icy roads. It did not convince me to drive there in winter from the east coast, but at least made me realize that I could enjoy mine more than just April through November with some modifications and careful planning. That said, while driving to Denver Airport at 2am (22 hours ago), I would have appreciated some chains coming off Loveland Pass on I 70. Roads were clear, but the SUV did some minor 4 wheel drifting around more than one turn. Some chains available in 4-5 seconds would be great piece of mind.

 

[bushpilot-TC]

completely understand the desire.

We have some business to deal with in Virginia and need to travel back at least quarterly at the moment.
Normally we drive (In warmer months) but ill be flying rather than risk it.

We bugged out earlier than we wanted - back in mid October - mostly because I didn't want to get trapped by weather.

 

[monkeyswrench]

I am a newbie to larger than pickup haulers, but starting my first. That being said, are these chains only used for class 8 trucks? I have a C6500 project, and a setup like this would be nice. I do my best to avoid hauling in the snow and ice, but occasionally it catches you!

 

[mooseknuckles]

We have Onspot chains on our M2. You can download a measurement sheet or give them a call and they will assist to make sure you have the clearance on your C6500. They ship each kit built specifically for the rig it is going on. You will not find these stocked on a shelf so your best bet is likely talking to a dealer or calling them directly to make sure you get all the parts you need.

 

[ChiefMechanicMark]

BTW The chain wheels have different length chains and sizes available. They are side sensitive as well. New ones are color coded red and blue. If you go the website they have installation manuals in PDF downloadable files. You can purchase a complete kit or just parts as needed.