17 January 2013
Retractable chains for winter driving
Only those of you who live in a northern climate and drive on snow-and-ice-covered roads will be interested in the video, which depicts a device that can be deployed as needed during a trip without getting out of the vehicle. It's a clever concept. I can't say that I've ever seen such a device in use.
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If we equipped school busses with these then we could reduce the number of snow days we have each year while still keeping the kids safe. Currently my town in NH cancels school if we have even a dusting of snow.
ReplyDeleteWe have these on all three fire trucks in our volunteer department. It's amazing how well they work, although they do take some practice before you feel entirely comfortable driving with them. They are, however, notoriously prone to getting stuck in the 'up' position (mostly due to disuse, buildup of road gunk, etc. beneath the trucks) and not lowering properly. We have to clean and maintain them regularly, even during the summer, to ensure they're working when we need them the most.
ReplyDeletere: Larry - These things chew the h*** out of your tires, so they're not suitable for prolonged use. There's a big difference between occasional use on a fire truck (ie. once in a blue moon) and being used on a bus every time it snows. They'd never be able to keep tires on the buses!
they're illegal in ontario, not sure about other areas.
ReplyDeleteSo... being born and raised on a tiny island where the temperatures, well, one day back in the 80's it froze overnight. Could someone fill me in on the mechanism of how chains improve traction on snow/ice?
ReplyDeleteWikipedia is always a good place to start:
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_chains
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/safety-tips-for-winter-driving_n_1187470.html
ReplyDelete