You can’t go too far driving safely in Odessa, TX without a little knowledge regarding truck repair, whether it be semi truck repair or diesel truck repair. When faced with higher elevations and unpredictable weather, learning how to put tire chains on your semi is a useful skill to have.
Ensure your truck’s safety on snow and ice by following these simple steps!
Be Ready With The Items You Need
Weather in Odessa, TX may not be constantly in your favor. Be sure you’re prepared by having these items on your person at all times:
- Tire chains
- T-Cam tool
- Rubber tarp straps
Make Sure You Can Install In A Safe Place
You can do this by checking your surroundings to ensure that you’re parked in a spacious, well-lit location. You need to be free from traffic as well and away from a main highway to install safely.
Do a routine sweep of parking lots in Odessa, TX that are known for being safe and spacious.
Carefully Take Your Chains Out Of Your Bag
Place them carefully near the tires you’ll be applying them to, so you won’t have to overextend. Untangle them carefully so they can serve their purpose upon installation. Discard any chains that are of bad quality, and make sure you replace them if needed. Place them on the ground, hooks up.
Clean Off Your Hooks
If you see snow or debilitating dirt on your hooks, clean them thoroughly before you begin to install.
Drape Your Chains To Follow The Contour Of Your Tire
Your hooks should be facing out and your tensioners should also be open. The chains should be draped half on each side. This may take you some time to do efficiently, so don’t rush.
Get Under Your Truck And Connect Chains
This is a bit more difficult than the previous step, so make sure that you exercise caution and know that you shouldn’t be in a hurry. This is especially true when it’s time to connect the inner chain, so you need to get under your truck significantly to accomplish this.
We recommend getting a headlamp so you won’t have to hold a flashlight to get some light in.
Check If Your Chain Link Number Is Correct
How do you do this? It’s easy! You need to manually check if the inner and outer chain around each tire has the same number of links. The second you spot that the links aren’t consistent in terms of number, feel free to start over again and take your time reinstalling the chain.
Move Your Truck Slightly Forward
This will make it much easier for you to check if the chains are installed properly, and you can also set yourself up for proper tightening. After you’ve moved your truck slightly forward, ask yourself if you sense any bumps or inconsistencies. Don’t doubt your gut, and double check all your chains to make sure they don’t cause you any undue accidents along the way.
If everything is as smooth as it can possibly be, you can now move on to the next step.
Tighten Your Chains
Remember the tensioning tool we asked you to prepare? During this step, you can now take it out and use it to tighten your chains.
How tight should your chains be? Ensure that you can still leave one finger-width’s worth of space between the chains and your tire.
You’re All Set. Drive Safely!
This is an especially important step knowing that you’re out there dealing with harsh elements. We recommend a maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour when you’re driving with chains on. Just in case, look up the official regulations of any state you’re driving through to be safe.
Need Help Weatherproofing Your Truck?
At WTX Truck Repair, LLC, we specialize in all kinds of truck maintenance for anyone driving through Odessa, TX. We can service semi trucks, trailers, reefer & buses, and we’re quite experienced in dealing with heavy equipment.
Our 24 hour roadside assistance team is also proudly veteran-owned and operated. Contact us today for a quote by calling (432) 444-3284. Our mechanics are ready to serve you with reliable equipment, knowing every minute counts on the road.
