Snow Chains

One of the coolest times to play with an off-road RC truck is in the snow. Remember to protect your electronics before you do that though. I would recommend that you take the time to read my article on Snow and Waterproofing, before you venture out for the first time.

With the water and electronics issues out of the way the next item you need to address is traction. Instead of buying paddle tires I opted to use make snow chains. I went to the local hardware store and ended up with links that were around 1/2" inch long. I believe I paid $8.00 for 20 feet or so. The links are easily bent, so you can open and close them, with a pair of needle nose pliers. The numbers of links you use for each section will vary depending on what type of tire you use. I placed the chains on my old stock tires and wheels since they weren't being used anyway. You may need to remove a link or two after putting the chains on to snug them up. You want the chains to "hug" the tire, loose chains will slip if used in a cold snowy environment. For a two-wheel drive truck I only make chains for the rear tires, as chains on non-powered wheels are rather pointless.

The pictures below are of Stampede wheels and tires. However snow chains can be easily made using the same principle for just about any RC truck tire. Snow chains will do wonders for your wintertime traction woes.