rgt1973:
Snow chains ? Never seen the point. If it’s that bad then it doesn’t move! I know alot carry chains for the drive axle but forward motion is no good if you cant steer!
If I was in the yard 5-6 miles from home, with the prospect of sitting it out sleeping in a day cab / canteen without kit, or driving home through back roads in the snow to sleep in my own bed, I can see the possibilities that snow chains on a FWD car could provide
Dropped trailer in the yard in Winnipeg last winter went to pull away and no grip wouldn’t budge in the end threw chains under the drives hey presto one load dropped and pick up my next down to El Paso TX. In Europe it’s law in some countries to carry them.
A good friend of mine advised me to have my engine brake on the lowest setting. Worked for me last year
I use my engine brake, but I have double drive, so I’m guessing that the laws of physics dictate that set up has half the risk of locking the arse end up and folding it in half.
When I know it is really slippery it gets switched off, but snow only and it stays on. I judge how slippery it is with my throttle rather than my brakes and adjust my speed accordingly.
Snow chains often bring out the ‘park up and wait’ gang, but it isn’t that simple, if you’re in the mountains then you could have a very long wait. You chain up and drive at 20-30km/h, you won’t get far at that speed, but you usually only have them on for the hills and even Mount Everest isn’t high enough that you would need them on for more than 15-30mins and nobody I know drives up there anyway.
You often don’t have a choice in using them anyway, you are either stuck or the chain up law is in effect (been there, got both t shirts) and you put them on or get nicked. It isn’t a hero thing, you do what you have to.
In the UK, the best thing to do is simple, phone in sick, it will be a cluster[zb] 
newmercman:
I use my engine brake, but I have double drive, so I’m guessing that the laws of physics dictate that set up has half the risk of locking the arse end up and folding it in half.When I know it is really slippery it gets switched off, but snow only and it stays on. I judge how slippery it is with my throttle rather than my brakes and adjust my speed accordingly.
Snow chains often bring out the ‘park up and wait’ gang, but it isn’t that simple, if you’re in the mountains then you could have a very long wait. You chain up and drive at 20-30km/h, you won’t get far at that speed, but you usually only have them on for the hills and even Mount Everest isn’t high enough that you would need them on for more than 15-30mins and nobody I know drives up there anyway.
You often don’t have a choice in using them anyway, you are either stuck or the chain up law is in effect (been there, got both t shirts) and you put them on or get nicked. It isn’t a hero thing, you do what you have to.
In the UK, the best thing to do is simple, phone in sick, it will be a cluster[zb]
Yours are waiting on the yard for you Mark 
I want a set of black powder coated ones to go with the new lorry
newmercman:
When I know it is really slippery it gets switched off, but snow only and it stays on. I judge how slippery it is with my throttle rather than my brakes and adjust my speed accordingly.
I reckon the above is the real reason the arguement rages across the pond. It’s rarely cold enough here for snow to stay snow only for long, it almost instantly turns to at least partly slippery slush, which then freezes into ice overnight, and so on. Hence no engine brakes for me, ta!
Talking of snow being less slippy, it never ceases to amaze me how many people - in all types of vehicle - prefer to sit in the slushy inside lane on dual carriageways and motorways rather than “daring” to go on the virgin snow in the outside lane which has much greater gripping potential… 
I had White on Swiss plates & when you were empty & used the Jake Brake on a wet road the drive axe used to lock up & stall the engine.
As you say Lucy, the cold temperature does help, even ice is grippy at -30c, surprisingly so in fact.
There is no hard and fast rule, even in Britain, sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t.
Not using an engine brake won’t kill you, but using one at the wrong time could.
If you’re not sure, turning it off is the best way 
peirre:
Slightly off topic, I`ve just got the spare set of winter tyres for the car sat in the garage ready
Not yet seen the stretched tyre euro look on a truck, guess it would be pretty ■■■■ if you’ve some nice chrome to wrap them 'round… 
I always try and use fresh snow as it tends to give better grip. The single lane forged by all the other road users can end up as compacted ice and be slippery.
As with heavy rain, I don’t use cruise control. You can react more quickly to loss of traction or aquaplaining as you feel it sooner when you are using your foot on the throttle.
With my car, I carry a thin rope which can be used to Macgyver some snow chains(ropes)
One very useful tip when it is below freezing is to always knock off the cruise when going over a bridge or overpass, the road surface maybe wet either side of the bridge or overpass, but could be icy on it.
watch out for all the newbie drivers thinking they can drive flat out in the ice and snow cause they have been watching I-R-T , just give them a peep on the horn when u go past them after they have went off the road , see them every winter 
, just remember the race between the hare and the tortoise…the tortoise always gets home safe and sound 
You ain’t wrong gadge, every time I put a photo up of my truck in the snow up on any of the trucking pages on facebook I get a hundred messages in my inbox from wannabe IRTs.
It makes me laugh, all this bravado about ‘bring on the snow’ when half of them would be crying for their mum at the first sign of a proper snow storm.
I’ve done the lot with ice and snow and caught on at the end of my trucking days,always go south !
The trouble with living in Canada is that you have to come back north every trip
As it happens although we get more up here it is, in my opinion at least, easier up here in the super cold than going south through the slushy icy crap. However my mates who run south think I’m an idiot, although I don’t think that has anything to do with the snow, they just think I’m an idiot
Can’t believe you guys are talking about cruise and winter in the same sentence , doesn’t equate .Worst part here is the beginning and end when everything is freezing then melting which screws up the roads .
Likewise sanding or salting the highways, pay attention NMM, it can help at the correct temperatures but if the wind gets up it’ll cause all the blowing snow to drag across the tar resulting in ice build up , hence in the “barren wastelands” it’s usually best left to take natures course and hope for the best Oh well 8 new Michelin drives going on mine next week which should give me a fighting chance , that’s the plan anyhow .
They need to salt and sand the intersections, all the heat from vehicles melts the snow, then it turns into ice and ■■■■ s the job right up.
The empty void of life open sections (between Moosomin and Maple Creek ) need some kind of liquid dispersing agent, the blowing snow turns to ice in the vehicle tracks and makes things a bit lively at times. In BC they use a syrup made from beetroot or something like that, I saw it on Highway through Hell a couple of weeks ago.
I usually take the left lane when it is like that, not so much of a problem… until you come up on a pox eyed turnpike snaking down the road at all kinds of funny angles 
Hi all.We’ve just had the first real Winter week.The start of the week was sheer hell with temps at 0 to min 4 with freezing rain .People were sliding off all over[brilliant week for the towing companies].Have had Winter tyres fitted 2 weeks ago,studded on front and friction on drive.They are a bit slow here at sanding as this is a relatively new thing for the councils here.Before it was ‘‘pray and go’’.Now it’s getting better with temps dropping to -10 to -20c now so the roads are better for grip.Had about 10cms of snow,not quite enough for snowmobiling [but more coming].Take care.Mike
newmercman:
You ain’t wrong gadge, every time I put a photo up of my truck in the snow up on any of the trucking pages on facebook I get a hundred messages in my inbox from wannabe IRTs.It makes me laugh, all this bravado about ‘bring on the snow’ when half of them would be crying for their mum at the first sign of a proper snow storm.
Just read above that Sweden is gritting the roads. They never used to, said the salt damaged the trees. Nothing was said about the trees damaging the skidding cars.