Ram 1500 snow chains

jus2shy wrote:

There's a few more things at play on that video. A bus has its engine setup like a Porsche 911, where the engine hangs back behind the rear axle. Most fire trucks have all their heavy equipment, even the engine either on the front, or in the middle. You have a better, more even distribution of mass on a fire truck. Where as on a bus, it's all on the rear end (Engine, cooling package, all the heavy gear). So on a fire truck, you're not subject to your rear end trying to pass your front end unlike a transit bus. Once the rear end steps out on a bus, it's game over when coming down a hill. Chains would not have helped that bus on as icy a road as it was (it's just glazed with ice, the chains wouldn't really bight into anything). That's why we have winter routes and we don't pull our buses to the curb when there's snow and ice.

In the fire department we don't have snow routes, so we use real chains because we have to get everywhere. You're correct about the weight distribution, it's close to 50/50 but believe me it doesn't help. With the super single tires and heavy front end, the steer tires lock up and make it impossible to steer at times. I've driven rear engine buses in the snow and ice also, and I'd much rather drive one than an engine. Our 70,000 pound ladder truck has great rear traction with 48,000 pounds on the rear axles, but it's so big and heavy it's rather scary to drive in snow and ice.