ATV Tire Chains

By Midwest Traction on August 30, 2017 in Tips & Advice

Snow is right around the corner! Have your ATV tire chains yet? Midwest Traction put together a guide for picking out and attaching chains to your off-road adventure vehicle.

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Chains provide extra grip during the icy months. All-season tires may not create enough friction in deep snow and on ice. For the best fit, you should purchase chains that correspond to the number on the sidewall of your ATV tires.

ATV tire chains are quite easy to put on because the wheels of an ATV are open and accessible. You should lay out the tire chains on the ground in front of the ATV tires, remembering to keep the hooks pointing down. If they point upward, they could damage the tire. At the end of the chains there will be hooks on either side. One will be either an S or C hook and the other has a lever about four inches long. Positioning the lever to the outside of the ATV will make the installation go smoother.

Now you will want to roll your ATV forward over the tire chain until there are about eight inches of chain left showing beneath the tire. Take the S or C hook and hook it into the bottom chain. Use the link that makes the chain the tightest around the tire. If there is excess, you can cut it off using a pair of bolt cutters. Never leave the excess chain hanging. If you don’t remove it, you will damage your tires. Feed the outer lever through the bottom chain and fold it back to hook into a higher chain link. Be sure that the chains fit tightly to the tire. It is wise to drive a quarter mile and then recheck the chains. Tighten as necessary.

Invest in a set of ATV tire chains at the end of this winter so you will be prepared for the snow next winter. Cost increases during months of heavy snowfall, so consider buying now!