Automatic Tire Chains
Regardless, if you drive a pickup or class 8 truck we have the expertise to make sure that you get the system that best meets your traction and application needs. For almost two decades now, in every conceivable condition and for thousands of customers we have specified, installed, inspected, repaired and or adjusted every brand and virtually every model of autmatic tire chain system there is.
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Are automatic tire chains new? NO. Numbers show that well over 100,000 systems have been installed on all types of vehicles. Are automatic tire chains the answer to all winter situations? NO. ALL products have their limitations. Feedback from automatic chain users indicates that this system addresses 90% - 95% of their traction needs. The clear advantage is the convenience of having chains available without having to stop or get out of the vehicle. As the chains are only used when needed, productivity is increased, vehicles stay on time and on schedule, driver safety is significantly increased and it all but eliminates chain related works-mans comp claims, operating cost are reduced, and chain life is far greater than conventional chains. The vehicle is never operated on a dry road with chains on, so vehicle and road damage are non-existent.
Description of Operation
Automatic tire chains offer the traction of a single set of conventional snow chains at the flip of a switch, without having to stop the vehicle.
An electric switch mounted in the cab provides 12 volts to an air solenoid mounted on the vehicle's frame rail. Compressed air to the solenoid is supplied from either the vehicle's onboard air system or a 12-volt compressed air kit.
When the dashboard switch is activated, the solenoid opens allowing compressed air to enter the air chamber and lower the chainwheel so it contacts the inside of the tire. The friction between the tire and the rubber-covered chainwheel causes the chainwheel to rotate, creating enough centrifugal force to flail the chains out in front of the tire. (The principle of the system is similar to a small generator driven by a bicycle tire to operate a headlight.)
Six lengths of chain spaced at 60-degree intervals on the chainwheel ensure that there are always two (2) chains between the tire and road surface whether you are accelerating, braking or are in a wheel lockup condition. The traction from the chainwheel is obtained in forward OR reverse.
When the dashboard switch is turned off, the solenoid exhausts the air provided to the chain units and return springs in the air chambers bring the chainwheels back to their resting position.
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