Come along, jerk strap, and tire chains

Given any other option I would not go back to a 2WD RWD in any area that got snow and ice on the roadways.....

While I was never irretrievably stuck I was certainly inconvenienced while I extracted myself.

That is just the reason I bought my first XJ.

If you need to be able to occasionally carry cargo you should consider a FWD mini-van or a small utility trailer.

As for licensing the trailer.... it is cheaper than buying a vehicle for occasional chores and most of the folks around here with the small ones do not bother to license them at all...... I've never seen a cop pull over someone with a 4x6 trailer full of mulch or 2x4s and I see them every weekend at the lumber yard....

You are asking the impossible - there is no one solution. Even with

31-32" tires, 12 inches of the wet, heavy snow you typically get in MO will be beyond the ready capability of any light truck. First, you are almost guaranteed to have a layer of ice under the white stuff - chains are about all that will work. Put chains on and you probably don't have enough power in the little engine to actually use all the traction you have as the snow builds up under the vehicle. The other part of reality is that your snow tends to come down at a reasonable angle (in Eastern Colorado, it has a habit of coming down sideways) so you will face long stretches of the deep stuff instead of our monster drifts so getting out 5-10 feet at a time is tedious - by the time you're out, the snow is melting . The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a comfortable east chair and a warm fire.

What size tires will fit on that easy chair? :)

Will H>

Very good point, and something I wanted to mention as well, as it matters in safety.

Come-a-longs are cheap and portable and are fine for light jobs where heavy loads that wheel freely must be moved, to secure a stationary object while it is moved with other means (preferably a winch) and for lifting moderate loads vertically. Nothing more.

When used for vehicle extraction, several safety problems arise. The worst is that when cranking, you are directly inline with the cable; if it snaps, you WILL lose body parts and death is the usual result.

For extraction, I give it a thumbs-down. For securing a vehicle while other means of extraction can be located, a thumbs-UP, provided you NEVER, EVER attach it to a vehicle; use a stationary object such as a large tree, and keep others away from the slash-zone.

My preferences for vehicle extraction:

1. Vehicle-mounted winch with heavy cable and hook. You can do damn near anything with this setup.

1. 3" or better (Min. 35,000 lb.) non-stretch recovery strap w/o hooks. I've seen these sold in 50' lengths; perfect for recovery on vehicles without hooks; easily axle-wrapped, and can also be used to hold stationary objects in place while help arrives. Best used with heavy, sure-footed recovery vehicles.

2. 2.5" or better (7,500 lb +) snatch strap w/o hooks. Same as above, but when used with a light recovery vehicle and a running start, lets intertia and torque work together.

1. Case-hardened chain, the heavier the better. Usually reserved for heavy vehicle extraction. Minimal danger of snapback when kept short. Can be doubled/trippled to increase pulling capacity.

Frame-mounted tow hooks are always the best anchor point; Class II+ hitches using a D-shackle in place of the ball is acceptable, but if the receiver is a cheapo, expect to lose it along with your rear bumper in the process.

"The overall best vehicle for your once in 5 years case is a comfortable east chair and a warm fire."

Now that's some funny stuff!

A lot of good ideas and solid advice, if you ask me. And to answer your question, cable chains are quicker on/off because they're dimensionally stable, as opposed to chains in a pile...and they're a bit shorter in lifespan if you use them over the road. Whatever would be cheaper would be my choice.

Jon

Another advantage of the cable style is that they require less clearance than chains. I've got heavy-duty chains for the rear of my MJ (XJ has the same problems) but I only use them for limited situations where I need the traction for a limited, well defined pull or where buried rocks/stumps would trash the cable type in a hurry. I keep a set of cables in the tool box to use on the road. With 235x75x15 tires, there just isn't enough wheel well clearance if the wheels spin up to higher speeds.

On this day of this month, in a year likely to be unrecorded in human history, L.W. (Bill) Hughes III LIED:

Have never used a remailer. Ever.

Just another accusation based only on your fevered imagination.

Get help before you pop a vein.

Do you..... or anyone else... have any preference on a brand of cable chains?

I just get whatever is cheap - Pep Boys, etc. - as they are a last resort for me and rarely used.

One proven or provable example. Just /one/, prevaricator.

And the same for me.

If you can't, won't, or have no answer, just cut 'n paste.

On Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:09:25 GMT, §qu@r3 Wh33£s Amazingly Replied without Prejudice below:

:>On this day of this month, in a year likely to be unrecorded in human :>history, L.W. (Bill) Hughes III wrote: :>

:>> where it writes via :>> remailers, to no one's surprise. :>

:>One proven or provable example. Just /one/, prevaricator. :>

:>And the same for me. :>

:>If you can't, won't, or have no answer, just cut 'n paste.

I sort of missed the flavor, and decited to get back into the pot! L.W. "Cooyon Billy" Goatman-Hughes III