In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:56:49 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

I don't live where chains are normally (or legally) required, but there
certainly have been times when a little more traction would have been nice.

I stumbled upon this video that shows some alternatives to chains.
(Warning: it's 20 minutes long)

Does anyone know a video player that would play in fast forward, like a
VCR? One that would play in reverse would be nice though that might
be technically more difficult, but one that at least has a 10, 20, 30
second rewind would be nice and not hard to do It's been 20 years, I
think, that the player in Youtube has been around and it's not been
improved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chrLCKzAVVg

The Snow Socks look interesting; there's even a similar product made by
Michelin, which I guess gives the concept some credibility. There are also

I don't know why it would have more traction than the tires?

individual "traction strips" that go through the wheel and wrap around
the tire perpendicular to the treads.

My concern with the sock type is that all the installation instructions seem
to indicate that you need to move vehicle forward just a bit to finish
the installation. Maybe just rolling the *wheel* itself, i.e. slipping it
a 1/4 turn on the ice, is enough,

Without the engine? I don't think you'll be able to turn the wheel.

The way to do this is to make a line note one yard from the car seat in
the snow, or if there's less snow, some landmark on the ground, and
another mark by the driver;s door. Open the driver's door and drive
until that first mark is where the second mark was. And you'll know
youve gone a yard (or use whatever is half the circumference.)

assuming you don't spin the sock right off
of the tire. Of course, everything works perfectly in the video.

Has anyone tried any of the "chain alternatives", especially to get
out of a stuck situation where the tires just spin and/or slide
sideways?

I had a couple of the "traction strip" style that I kept in the trunk
for about 20 years until they broke when I bent them. Never needed
them.

She uses 8 on one wheel but I would think one or two would be enough to
get you out of a rut.

All-plastic ones you could just drive until they wore out and fell off.

I note that he claims they're endorsed by a bunch of makers, but no
American companies, Feh.


My father in 1955 left behind a pair of things, looking like a metal rod
rectangle, bent up 4" from each end, so that they were the two most
popular tire widths. (Think about it.) They were meant to be put on
when one was stuck, just to get you out of the problem. I carried them
around for 10 years and never used them, until I think tire width
changed and they woudln't fit anymore. I have been stuck a couple
times in the snow but I got out by shoveling and/or rocking, and once in
the sand, when I had to be towed out by a nearby fisherman.