How to make snow chains on a car
Content
Every business begins with planning, budgeting, selection of materials and tools. Considering that ready-made accessories are comparable in price to a set of winter tires, it is worth taking the time to make snow chains on your car yourself.
Off-road is familiar to many drivers: ruts with slurry, ice, deep snowdrifts. Against wheel slip in extreme road conditions, car dealerships offer a lot of lugs. However, the price tags for products make zealous car owners think about how to make snow chains on cars themselves. Practice shows: homemade products are sometimes more effective than purchased models.
What are snow chains for?
Water, snow, ice, mud impair the grip of vehicle tires with the road, even if the tires are studded. The car becomes poorly controlled: it can drive into the oncoming lane or fall into a ditch.
The problem of drivers has long been familiar to manufacturers of auto accessories, so various options for anti-skid devices can be bought. But snow chains are easy to make yourself, saving a lot of money.
Types of anti-slip chains by material type
Before starting work, study the topic of how to make snow chains on a car yourself: calculations, technology, materials, manufacturing nuances.
The structures are divided into two groups. The classification is based on the material used.
soft chains
Gentle on the road surface and the car - rubber or polyurethane hooks. Products look like a mesh with metal spikes. For the manufacture of fixtures, wear-resistant, strong and elastic polymers are taken. But on heavy ice, such products are useless.
Soft snow chains
The advantage of soft elements: they are allowed to ride in the city, developing speeds on the highway up to 80 km / h.
Rigid chains
Aluminum, titanium, and steel are used to build such grips for tires. Off-road obeys metal anti-slip devices, but the wheels and suspension of the car suffer. Therefore, hooks should be used only in emergency situations.
Rigid snow chains
Rigid devices are not designed for fast driving: the maximum on the speedometer is 50 km / h.
Anti-skid device project for a car
Every business begins with planning, budgeting, selection of materials and tools. Considering that ready-made accessories are comparable in price to a set of winter tires, it is worth taking the time to make snow chains on your car yourself.
Choosing a chain weaving pattern
Many saw a pattern left on the snow with lugs - “herringbones”, “ladders”, “diamonds”.
The most common patterns for weaving fixtures:
- Ladder. Simple low cost design with better traction. But the "ladder" is hard to get out of the rut, heavily loads the transmission on hard ground. Lateral grip is below average.
- Honeycombs. The variant pulls perfectly along the rut, goes smoothly along the trail with a dense surface, does not interfere with control, and demonstrates good lateral grip. But traction capabilities are weak.
- Rhombus. The track and handling are top notch. However, the “rhombus” heavily loads the transmission, the car drives to the side, the traction is mediocre.
Schemes of weaving snow chains
When choosing a weaving pattern, pay attention to the negative points.
Unit size
Design a product from ready-made chains. It is important to choose the caliber of their links:
- large chains increase the traction of the motor, but “eat up” the rubber;
- fine-linked starting material goes well on ice, but wears out quickly.
Each class of car has its own link sizes:
- cars - 3,5-6 mm;
- freight transport - 6-19 mm.
The best characteristics, however, show asymmetric link shapes - 6x8 mm.
Findings
One chain for the manufacture of an anti-slip device is not enough: you need fittings.
Stock up on the following details:
- lanyard lock - a tightening device for fixing the product on the tire;
- fasteners - connecting rings;
- connecting segments linking the structure to the sides of the wheel (you can use pieces of the same chain).
Materials for the manufacture of snow chains
If you decide to tie the chains on the sides with a cable, then stock up on thimbles, shackles (rigging brackets), clamps.
How to make snow chains on the wheels of a car and a truck
In general, the weaving of traction control systems is of the same type. "Diamonds" and "honeycombs" should be evenly distributed along the entire radius of the wheel. The inner and outer components are connected by cross members, the number of which depends on the size of the wheel. But at the point where the tire touches the road, there should be two crossbars.
"Rhombus" do it yourself
For work, prepare a grinder, vice, tape measure, and other repair tools.
How to make snow chains yourself on a VAZ with a R16 wheel size step by step:
- Remove the wheel, lay it horizontally on the ground.
- Lay a piece of chain around the perimeter in a zigzag pattern - this is the outer side of the tire.
- Mark the segment by counting a few links from the edge of the chain - tie a rag. Count the same number of links - mark the place with electrical tape. So along the entire length of the segment.
- From another piece of chain equal in length, make a mirror image of the first segment - this will be the back side of the wheel.
- Connect the rings of the links marked with electrical tape - these joints will pass through the center of the wheel tread.
- Put the design on the wheel.
- Fasten the ends of the chains - inner and outer - with an S-shaped element.
- Attach the carabiners to the links marked with a cloth, thread a cable into them, the ends of which are sealed with thimbles.
- Connect the cable with a lanyard lock, hooking the opposite sections.
Do-it-yourself snow chains "rhombus"
Your wheel is "shod" in diamond-shaped chain equipment. In the same way, you can make your own snow chains for UAZ, any other off-road vehicle.
Homemade "honeycomb"
The manufacturing technology of "honeycombs" is somewhat different from the "rhombus". On the removed wheel, lay out the chain, alternate the zigzag with a flat area. "Diamonds" will not go one after another. In the middle of the wheel tread, connect their tops with a piece of chain. It turns out that “diamonds” separated by segments of the chain will pass along the central part of the tread, and 3-hedron figures in the peripheral sections.
Do-it-yourself snow chains "honeycombs"
The articulation of the longitudinal chains is similar to weaving "rhombus". Set two connecting pieces for the outer side of the "honeycombs" diagonally, use a lanyard to tighten.
"Ladder" at home
The ladder is very easy to build. In terms of time and money, this is the most affordable way to “shod” a car in critical cases. The design is not popular with drivers, although it provides the car with good traction. However, if the car gets into a ditch, it will be difficult for him to get out of there.
The manufacturing process is as follows:
- Cut the equity pieces of the chain according to the diameter of the wheel, minus 20-30 cm.
- Cut short segments according to the transverse size of the tire - these are the "crossbars" of the future design.
- In parallel, lay out long segments on the ground.
- Fasten them with short pieces-beams, as if you were building a ladder.
- Keep the distance between the "crossbars" equal, simply counting the same number of links on the equity segments.
- Equip the ends of the long sections with carabiners with a twisting sleeve and hooks, so that later you can fasten the structure to the tire.
- For tightening, use the two adjusters located diagonally.
Do-it-yourself snow chains "ladder"
Homemade "ladder" is ready. The device is not made on a wheel - this is its advantage.
How to properly put chains on wheels
Start mounting the chain equipment from the drive wheels: place one side of the machine on a jack, put on the anti-slip device. For "honeycombs" and "diamonds", bleed the pressure from the tires - this will make the job easier. After installing the chains, do not forget to pump up the tire.
Another way:
- Lay devices on the ground.
- Drive wheels onto products.
- Shut off the car, put on the handbrake.
- Put on and fasten the tire cleats.
The tensioner must always remain outside the wheel. Experienced drivers recommend putting on chains in advance, before a difficult section of the track.
