Customer Reviews

Security Chain Company ZT729 Super Z LT Light Truck and SUV Traction Chain - Set of 2

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a rural carrier. I have driven through 100 miles, up and down the hills on the back roads, with 4 inches of snow on the roads with these on without a problem. Learn to put them on before it starts to get bad. I've gotten to where I can put on all four in 30 minutes. Just remember not to go too over 30 to 35 mph with them on. Otherwise you'll tear them, and your tires, up.

I purchased a 2010 Chevrolet 2500 4X4 last year and from previous experience of driving 4 wheel drive pickups as a civilian and in the Army, I knew 4x4s gave inexperienced drivers too much confidence in certain snow conditions, especially on roads having hidden layers of frozen ice underneath snow. I would have purchased 2 sets last year, but I read several bad reviews about the cables and decided just to try one pair. When my first set arrived, they were in use a few weeks after Amazon sent them.

I was very impressed with the ease of installing these compared to conventional heavy tire chains I've used in the past. I'm pretty darned decrepit but it was very easy installing these. I practiced first in my driveway on a "nice" warm day. It is a simple matter of laying the cables in front of or behind the tires on the ground and then pulling your vehicle directly over the cables and "draping" them on top of and over the tires and fastening a small hook on the back, and a "clog" like catch about the size of a pencil eraser on the outside. I have a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder and bursitis in both shoulders as well as arthritis, and I was concerned when I ordered these from Amazon, if I would be able to install them by myself, but it literally (and figuratively) was a snap. The rubber tension bands easily connect on the outside and they snug the cables up tight on the tires.

When the first snow came last year, I found the cables worked like a charm on my farm. I used them hard-packed dirt roads covered in snow, in mud and slush and as well on the highway having both snow and ice. I was so impressed, I bought a second set to use on the front wheels. Today (exactly one year later), the second set was a life saver. (In the Army, we were trained to use chains on the front and the rear on 4x4s... and chains on all 4 wheels on a 4x4 makes a lot of difference in going forward, stopping and side-slip control and I'm glad I had these cables on all 4 wheels today! See my photo I shot on the day I wrote this review.)

I had to make an emergency run to a town 50 miles away (2-3-2011 in Central Texas) and the roads were mostly covered in two inch thick ice. In some places, there were patches of exposed asphalt and in other spots, large chunks of broken ice accumulations about the size of cinder blocks covered the road and I was concerned about damaging the cables. I made the 50 mile trip to town and 50 miles back and saw more than 40 vehicles (some were 4x4s) that had spun off into ditches or fences or off of culverts.

As I took the cables off this evening, they were easy to remove and I saw no evidence of damage, despite running them in the conditions I described above.
As per the instructions, I'll rinse these off with fresh water tomorrow morning and I'll spray them with WD-40 before putting them back in their plastic box.

In reading other unfavorable reviews about these chains, I can only imagine that people were driving faster than 30 miles per hour, or may not have installed the rubber tension bands correctly. The maker claims "Light Truck & SUV" and some of the people giving low opinions were running these on one-ton trucks pulling heavy trailers, not what these cables were designed for. I'd suggest that they invest in chains designed for heavier rigs. In reading complaints about these cables, I also might believe that there could have been some manufacturing defects in the crimping process where the cables bind at the ends or at junctions. China has some work to do in ensuring their products are made properly, but in my experience with these cables, I have no complaints. I'd suggest if you buy a set of these, look at the junctures (crimp connections) very carefully and if you see any frayed wires, contact Amazon for refund or replacement.

As for me, after my 100 mile "adventure" on two-inch thick ice and snow and driving partially on exposed asphalt, I am extremely impressed. They provided great traction, allowed me to slow down and/or stop easily and they offer a much smoother ride than conventional chains. I will be ordering a pair for my wife's Volkswagen Jetta. I'm sure she would be able to install them as easily as I was.

I'd like to add, avoid making tight turns on exposed asphalt with these because the stress-loads and torque factors might be too much for the multi-strand cables. Avoid rapid acceleration and do not "spin" your tires as one reviewer said he did. Mine never, ever failed to "bite" in snow, mud or ice and I can't understand why someone said he was "spinning" his tires while these were installed. These are not solid "bar chains" and thus if someone needs something that will never fail, get a heavy pair of conventional chains... I am totally delighted with the performance of these on my 4x4. Please see my picture, where I helped pull a driver out of a ditch while having these on my pickup.

I can't say enough how impressed I am with this product. The benefits all around out weigh the little cost of the product substantially. I live in the south east, so if it snows or freezing rain the city does not plow but major highways through town. I would recommend these for such occasions where areas of bad whether will literally shut your town down. Placing them on the tires was about as easy as it could possibly get. You do not even have to move the vehicle. It took me literally two minutes for each tire, and about the same removing. Once they were on my rear wheel drive Jeep handled the snow and ice perfectly. The rear tires never did spin and I always had traction.
If I had chains for the front tires as well I could have gone just about anywhere. It does make the ride a little loud and bumpy, but that's to be expected. As described by the manufacture it is not recommended for over 35 MPH. Nor would you in suchconditions anyway. I also would not use on streets that the snow has melted and only wet pavement is seen. These are perfect for the vehicle that does not do well in snow and for early morning drives to work in weather non-typical for your area. My neighbor was also so impressed with the design and the ease of putting them on, he ordered a pair for his wife and her rear wheel drive explorer.

I was stuck with the rear of my truck (F150, 8cyl., long bed, extended cab, 2005, Curtis snow plow on front) in the ditch. One front wheel touching drive way. Opened new set of chains and with quite a bit of exertion (I'm 75, with some disability) managed to get one chain on the available wheel. In 4 wheel drive I eased the truck out of the ditch, put the other front wheel chain on, where they remained for the remainder of the winter. With the particular type of chain there's no problem running short distances. With old style of chains, where one has to drive on them, I'd have stayed stuck. I will be ordering another set to put on the rear. Common sense tells me that I should have tried the chains on when I got them but I ignored my common sense!
Galen
Perkinsville, VT

When I first got this product, I thought it was great - these "chains" go on so much easier than the kind that you have to lay out and drive on to... I've got a pick-up truck, and have used these "chains" about 6-10 times. My low rating is due to the fact that one of the cables is about to break (about 2 or 3 strands of the cable are holding it together, but it's not safe to use). The problem seems to be that the cable on the front and back side-wall is crimped in to these rectangular junction points and I'm guessing that when they crimped mine, they damaged the cable, because the cable is breaking right at the crimp point. I've had them for more than a year (the warranty period) but I'm going to contact the company to see if they will stand behind their product...

Purchased chains for a trip this past winter to Colorado. Amazon service was exceptional and timely as usual. Product is compact and seems durable. Much better fit on my limited tire clearance SUV than other chains, and very easy to put on. I didn't have occasion to use them on our trip, but they did provide piece of mind and don't take up much room.

I bought these 2 years ago and have used them the past 2 winters. I have a Silverado 2 wheel drive pickup. They are easy to put on (about 3 minutes for each tire). They give great traction on ice. I have recommended these to my co-workers and 2 have bought them(1 minivan, 1 Ford escape).

I live at the bottom of a steep hill and bought a pair of these hoping that they would help me climb the hill in snowy conditions. In fact, quite the opposite occurred. Once the springs which coil around the "Z" links bit down through the snow and onto the pavement, they seemed to act like little roller skates on my tires. I was not able to climb the hill at all. I removed the chains and was immediately able to crawl up the hill with nothing but my all-season tires. These may work on flat surfaces, but i did not notice any increased traction for climbing - in fact they made things much worse. I think I'll go back to good old fashioned diamond-pattern chains.

I do have to admit that these are extremely easy to put on. It only took me about 2 minutes per tire, and they give a nice tight fit. Perhaps they work well in most conditions, but certainly not on my hill.

I haven't driven on these yet. I'm sure they will work fine once I do. They seem pretty well made (in China) and from the reviews will give me the traction I need.

I have mounted the non-defective one on a wheel and installation is as easy as they say. The chains are coated in some kind of material that gets all over your hands, which is why they give you gloves I suppose. But, the gloves are too flimsy to last; keep a pair of cheap work gloves in the container.

The rubber tensioner is probably the most difficult part of the installation; it takes some strength, particularly in the wrists, to stretch it enough the last 2 clips. But, it makes for a very snug secure installation.

The reason for the 3 stars is that one of the two 'chains' had a cable twisted around itself, rendering it useless. I'll have to send it back.

Advice to anyone who buys these things (or any chains); put them on the vehicle as soon as you get them and well before you will need them. They may be defective, as mine were.

But also, you don't want to be figuring out how they are supposed to be mounted when you're hip-deep in snow or stuck on the side of a road with other vehicles slip-sliding your way.

The plastic container has finicky hinges and clasp; a different model of this chain comes in a bag instead of a plastic box; you may want to consider getting that one instead.

This past weekend on our way to Tahoe, the snow was coming down hard.... about 10 inches in 5 hours. We have a 2008 Volve XC90. This is the first time we'd used the chains and they were pretty fast/easy to install and really gave us traction. Recommend keeping a pair of heavy rubber gloves right in the case. Would buy these again.