Once again at the beginning of this post I feel it is important to point out that I sell the Rud Grip 4×4 tire chains. I do not sell the Peerless Auto Trac and I do not sell the Laclede Alpine Sport. Nevertheless, in order to better know the competition, I went to Walmart today and purchased a set of the Peerless Auto Trac. Last week, I already wrote about the Laclede Alpine.
Price:
Grip 4×4 - $110.00
Peerless Auto Trac - $69.97
Alpine Sport - $99.99
Weight:
Grip 4×4 - 20 lbs.
Peerless Auto Trac - 13.5 lbs.
Alpine Sport - 15 lbs.
Where to buy:
Grip 4×4 - on this website at RUD Grip.
Peerless Auto Trac - Walmart
Alpine Sport - Kragen Auto Parts
Walmart’s No Return Policy
One thing that is very important to point out is that at Walmart, the retailer of the Auto Trac, displayed a very prominent sign of a “no returns and no exchanges” policy for tire chains. So if you purchase the Peerless Tire Chains from Wallmart and you run into a fittament problem, well tough luck. I am not certain about the return policy for Kragen Auto Parts, the retailer of the Alpine Sport. The return policy with Tire Chain Dealer is 30 days unused and we will accept the returns. I am hoping to not find a whole lot of “Superbowl Big Screen TV” purchasers wanting to return their chains after thier once a winter trip to the mountains.
Sizing
I would also like to point out that the sizing chart for the Peerless Products seemed smaller than the list I am use to looking at from RUD Chain. Nevertheless, they had my tire size for my Honda Ridgeline listed; but not in the Auto Trac. Had I not been so intent on comparing apples with apples, I would have bought the ladder style of a twist link chain, similar to the CAM chains we sell. But since I wanted to compare the Auto Trac with the Grip and the Alpine, I needed to purchase a set even though I knew they would not fit my truck.
The Grip 4×4, Laclede Alpine, and the Peerless Auto Trac are all diamond patterned tire chains as opposed to being a ladder style. The diamond pattern is superior to the ladder style on most vehicles bacause it provides better 360 degree traction.
Self Tightening Device
Peerless markets the Auto Trac pushing the uniqueness of a self tightening device that hooks the right and the left together, and if any slack makes itself apparent while driving down the road, the chains self tighten. That being said, you do not need to readjust the chains once installed. Nevertheless it is always a good idea to check.
Last week when comparing the Grip 4×4 with the Alpine Sport, we determined that the Alpine Sport indeed requires significant adjusting after the first 100 yards of driving. The RUD Grip 4×4 did not require adjusting–nevertheless it is always a good idea to check.
Installation
The installation of the Grip 4×4 and the Alpine Sport are very similar. Here is a movie of the installation of the RUD Grip 4×4. If you know how to install the Grip 4×4, you can easily figure out the Alpine Sport.
The installation of the Auto Trac is significantly different. First, disconnect all of the hooks from the self tightening devices. Run the plactic coated cable behind the tire, and pull all of the chain towards you. Then pull up the cable connectors and from near the top of the tire, secure it and drape it at the top. Next, connect the top two halves together using the self tightening device. Now drop the back plastic coated cable behind the tire, adjust all of the chain by hand, and then connect the bottom two halves using the self tightening connectors. Sounds easy.
Unfortuneately, I had difficulty keeping the chain properly draped over the tire. The self tightening devices are somewhat bulky and heavy and they had a tendancy to cause the whole chain to fall behind the tire if not careful.
OOPS!!!
Evidently, there is a right way and a wrong way to when you send the plastic coated cable to the back. It is not all that intuitive to see it right off the bat when doing the installation. So I had to take it off, flip the chains over and do it again.
Now, I would have completed the installation from here; however, since the Auto Trac does not fit my tire size, I was not able to get them completely on. I also want to point out that when I took it off, I discovered that when you release the self tensioning device, the small cable may flick your hand which hurts a little bit….like being hit by a rubber band.
Chain Quality
Visually, the Alpine Sport and the Auto Trac look like the exact same chain. The links for the Rud Grip are significantly larger than both of these other brands. The image below is a close up of the Rud Grip 4×4, the Alpine Sport, and the Auto Trac all lying on top of each other.
The cable size of the plastic encased cable for the RUD Grip visually appears to have twice the thickness compared to both the Alpine Sport and the Auto Trac. The Alpine Sport and the Auto Trac from the perspective of the cable and chain thickness appear to be the same.
Conclusion
I did not like the installation of the Auto Trac. I found the installation of both the Grip and the Alpine Sport much easier and less prone to mistakes. I very much did not like the fact that there is a right way and a wrong way resulting in the self adjusting tensioners potentially going on facing into the tire. You have to redo the installation if that is the case. I also did not like the risk of having the tensioner flicking your hand when released.
To me, there is no question that the RUD Grip 4×4 is the superior model of the three. If I did not have the RUD Grip available for my trip due to logistical reasons, I recommend getting the Laclede Alpine Sport. I would not get the Peerless Auto Trac unless it were my only option. Nevertheless, all three tire chains will help you get to where you need to go.
Tire Chain Dealer is an independent distributor for RUD Chain; therefore, it is important to state at the beginning of this post that I sell the RUD Grip and not the Laclede Alpine. Nevertheless, I thought it was important to give you a good comparison of the products that I am competing with. The Alpine Sport appears to be the most similar Leclede brand of tire chains to compare with the Rud Grip 4×4.
In this article we are comparing these two models: Rud Grip 4×4 - 0142 and Alpine Sport 2317.
Price:
Grip 4×4 - $110.00
Alpine Sport - $99.99
Weight:
Grip 4×4 - 20 lbs.
Alpine Sport - 15 lbs.
Where to buy:
Grip 4×4 - on this website at RUD Grip.
Alpine Sport - Kragen Auto Parts
This first picture is the two styles laid on the ground side by side.
For this second picture, I laid the chains one on top of the other for you to see that there is a significant difference in the size of the links. The Grip links are much larger than the Alpine links are.
When installing the two, the first difference that I notice is that the rubber casing of the alpine is much softer and bendable then that of the Grip. This is not to its advantage. The benefit of the stiffer casing makes it much easier to slide the chains behind the wheel and grab it from the other side. However once you are able to grab it, the connectors are virtually the same. Both tire chain types connect easily behind the tire. Both tire chain types drape easily over the tire. Both tire chain types allow you to do the complete installation without having to turn the wheel.
From the outer side of the tire, both brands have a similar hook at the top which is easy to connect. Both brands also have a nice tensioning chain used for connecting together the right and the left sides. For both brands, the tensioning chain works almost identically; However, there are some technical differences in the design.
Securing the Tensioning Chain
The Grip uses a gold colored steel plate with a hole for the tensioning chain to fit through. The steel plate also has a loose fitting latch to help keep the chain from slipping. The Alpine Sport has a red curved device which is used for the tensioning chain to easily connect and pull back the oposite direction. It is actually more difficult to route the tensioning chain through the Grip model; however, once the chain is routed through the Grip, it pretty much stays in place.
Once the right and the left side of the chain body are connected together, you need to run the tensioning chain through a metal loop and then secure the end to the chain body keeping it tight. Both models have a strechable rubber connection with a hook on the end. The rubber on the Grip is much more elastic and easier to pull then that of the Alpine Sport. I found it much easier to get a good taut connection with the Grip. For the Alpine Sport, I had to pull much harder to get it to strech and allow me to connect it to the chain body. Now the installation for both models is complete.
Adjusting
The Alpine Sport has a tag connected to one of the chains that states as follows:
Warning - Retighten Chains
After initial installation, move vehicle forward or backward at least 15 feet and retighten chains. Failure to do so may reduce chain life by 50%.
After installing the chains on the front wheels of my vehicle, I drove it about 100 yards which included a 360 degree circle in a parking lot and then checked for the need to retighten. The Alpine Sport did indeed need some serious retightening. Originally, I was not able to get the tensioning chain to go through its second guidance loop. Now I was able to pull it through the loop and pull the tensioning chain up several additional links on both tires. However, after doing the same with the Grip 4×4, no adjustments where needed.
Conclusion
Both the Alpine Sport and the Grip 4×4 are decent chains that will help you reach your destination. Both are simple to install. Both have the good diamond pattern design. However, the Grip 4×4 is unquestionably the better quality of the two.
Advantages of the Grip 4×4
1. Thicker chain for better traction
2. Easier to push behind the wheel during installation
3. Easier to connect the tensioning chain to the chain body
4. Readjusting may not be necessary (check anyways)
Advantages of the Alpine Sport
1. Easier to guide the tensioning chain to connect the left and right sides of the chain at the bottom of the tire (however, I do not recommend RUD change this).
After doing this side by side comparison, I am recommending the Grip 4×4 over the Alpine Sport.
The SEMA and APEX shows took place in Las Vegas between November 3 and November 6, 2008 this year and RUD Chain had booths at both locations. As a distributor for RUD Chain, I felt that it was important to take out some time and make the trek up to Vegas to meet up with them. I have been conversing and transacting business with RUD Chain since December of Last year and this was my first opportunity to meet them face to face. Unfortunately, I only had one day which was on November 6, 2008.
Included in these pictures from left to right are Steve Blood, Dave Sims, Brian Nettles (me), and Cindy Kaiser. In the second photo we once again have Steve Blood and Rick Ransom.
Steve Blood’s expertise is the RotoGrip. As I do not deal with the Rotogrip, I had never before been in contact with Steve. However, he was really fun to talk with. He is a true midwestern outdoorsman who loves hunting and fishing. Being someone who loves the outdoors, working for a company such as RUD Chain just seems like a perfect fit. David Sims is the Non-Skid Regional Sales Manager located in Sparks Nevada. He handles all of the sales at that facility. Cindy is my primary contact in Iowa. I would say that 90 percent of the sales made on this website go through Cindy Kaiser. She is very knowledgable and easy to work with. The small world aspect about working with Cindy is that she grew up about 15 minutes from our location in Orange County but now works in Iowa. Rick Ransom is the Non-Skid Product Manager. He calls the shots for the distributors whenever there is any type of problem. Two other people who I would have hoped to meet were Katie Elsbury and Natalie McFarlane. Natalie is their controller and was there one day earlier but had to return to Iowa the day before I got there. Katie had to stay back in Iowa to keep things running. Katie is a 12 year veteran with the company and is one of the most technically savy of all people with the company.
To make the visit, I had to leave home at 6:00 am and returned the same evening getting home about midnight. The trip was well worth it.
At the display, they were showcasing the Rotogrip as well as the Centrax. They were also showing off their shoe chains - a very simple rubber loop with a small chain on it. All you have to do is pull it onto your shoe and it will help prevent you from slipping on the ice. They convinced me that I need to add this product to the website. Give me a couple of weeks and I will put it up.
Tire Chain Dealer has decided to move it news link out of the personal blog of Brian Nettles and make it an integral part of the Tire Chain website. The news link is put together using Wordpress Software.
We look forward to making all news regarding our tire chains available through this new media.
We are pleased to announce our tire chains website has now added the entire suite of tire chains that are sized for Graders, Loaders, and Scrapers manufactured by RUD Chains onto our online catalog. Furthermore, we feel it important to note that all of these chains for this heavy equipment have been priced at an attractive 20% off of the manufacturer’s list price.
Quite often we get requests for the 10mm sized tire chains for heavy equipment. Obviously, this is the size of chain that is accepted in the industry as a tire chain that works well for this equipment. We would like to point out that there are actually five styles of tire chains that are sized for this equipment.
Grader and Equipment Tire Chains
These ladder style of chains are the low cost version for this equipment which is made out of China for RUD Chains. The price of this set of tire chains ranges from between $265 and $1,050 depending on the size. Link diameter ranges from 9 mm to 14 mm also depending on the size. You do have the option to purchase and add additional cross links if desired.
10mm Alloy Square Grader and Diamond Square Grader
These chains are assembled in the US and are made with a very strong alloy steel. They are offered in either the ladder style or the diamond style. Additionally, the ladder style comes in 4-link spacing; however, it can also be purchased in 2 link spacing style. These chains cost more than the China made chains; however they are a much stronger and sturdy chain more suitable for longer wear.
Of course both chains come in a link size of 10mm. The weight of the ladder style chains ranges from 126 lbs. to 255 lbs. per set and are priced from $680 to $1,465.
The weight of the diamond style chains ranges from 175 lbs. to 235 lbs. per set and are priced from $1,020 to $1,200.
RUD-profi Alligator
The Alligator style of chains was manufactured in Germany with high quality square links assembled into a mesh pattern. The width of the the square links ranges from 7-8mm. These chains are reversible and offer a smooth ride. The weight is between 101 lbs. and 246 lbs. per set. The price ranges from $1,965 and $3,820 depending on the size.
RUD-profi Bison
These chains are the most heavy duty chain available for equipment in the most extreme conditions. Not only are they made from the finest quality alloy steel, the links have an additional cross link between the links. The diameter size ranges from 9mm to 11mm and the weight per set ranges from 262 lbs. to 502 lbs. The price ranges from $3,475 and $7,460.
If you have any questions about our tire chains for graders, loaders, and scrapers or questions about any of our other models of tire chains, please give us a call at (949) 690-2960.
Late last January, I think everybody was surprised when the stock of the RUD Grip chains were becoming depleted. Already certain models where out of stock and not available for purchase anywhere in the US or Canada.
The primary reason for the shortage was that RUD simply underestimated the huge demand for these chains. In preparing for the season, they had doubled the inventory that they had ordered the previous year and it still was not enough. While I am totally unaware of the numbers, I suspect that RUD is probably preparing again for another record sales of the popular GRIP 4×4 model.
To me, it is no surprise that these chains sell so well. Today, many auto parts stores stock their shelves up with tire cables. Sure they are convenient and inexpensive, but just consider the safety factor. Most people buy their chains hoping that they never have to use them. But just in case you do need to use them, wouldn’t you rather have a diamond patterned fairly thick chain then just some little cable with rollers on them? Also, wouldn’t you want to have something that is easy to install?
It is mid August right now and I just received word from the folks at the RUD warehouse in Hiawatha, Iowa that they now have in stock all models of the Grip 4×4. The timing couldn’t be better to me as I am already starting to get orders coming in online at http://tirechaindealer.com.
To those of you considering getting the Grip chains, buy early. Don’t wait until January to get your chains. You may be too late and once again stuck with those lousy cables that you didn’t want to buy anyways.
We have now made three videos designed to help people see exactly what it takes to install tire chains by RUD. Why tire chains by RUD? That is because we are the owners of a tire chain website called Tire Chain Dealer which sells RUD tire Chains.
Grip 4×4
The first movie we made was with our Honda Ridgeline where we installed the Grip 4×4 chains. Now, keep in mind, this movie was made in June in Southern California. Rest assured, there is no snow or ice in this video. Nevertheless, it is always recommended that you try on your tire chains before you really need them.
I want to say don’t be confused about the ease of installation. These chains go on quickly once you know what you are doing. It took me over ten minutes to figure it out the first time just following the instructions. But now that I have gotten it down, well now it takes about 2 minutes to install.
Also, I like the diamond pattern of these chains which by all means has got to be better traction than the traditional ladder style of chains. Many people like to point out how the diamond shape gives better sideways traction so you won’t slide so much sideways during turns or on slanted roads.
One or Two Sets
You will also find a lot of websites out there trying to sell you on the need to have two sets, one for the back and one for the front. Sure it is nice to have two sets; however, the need truly depends on your environment. Most people use them only for emergencies when trying to get to the slopes or to their vacation spot and in most cases the one set of chains is all that is needed. My initial belief was that there would be two cases where having two sets ought to be seriously considered. If you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and you desire to take advantage of your 4 wheel drive functionality, then having a second set would be beneficial. Also, if you have a rear wheel drive vehicle, you may want two sets as well, the rear so you can move and the front so you can steer. However, it is very important that you check your owners manual before buying that second set. For example, my owners manual for the Honda Ridgeline states as follows:
Mount tire chains on your tires when required by driving conditions or local laws. Install them only on the front tires. Do not use chains on the rear tires.
Thats enough convincing for me. My Honda Ridgline is 4 wheel drive and I only need one set…not two.
Tire Cables
The next movie that I made was with the flimsy tire cables. Tire Cables are cheap. They retail for about $30 plus. I remember the first time I saw tire cables, I just kind of chuckled and felt nervous for the person wearing them. I just wanted to ask him, “Are you really safe with those things?” After thinking about it, I could see how tire cables could be useful for someone living in the city that wants to get home right after or during a big storm. They certainly beat not having anything at all, and they are not as hard on the asphalt. But still, after trying on the Grip and seeing how easy it is for them to go on, unless you are really pinching your pennies, I would not buy the cables. You should get the Grip model instead.
Now if you do go with the tire cables anyways, I do recommend you put a pair of gloves into the box for when you do need to install your cables. In the movie, I installed them using my bare hands in 80 degree weather. It was hard on my hands to pull up the cable to secure it into the securing device. I really had to yank on it. Now just imagine if this were 10 degree weather and you didn’t have gloves on. I am quite confident that there will be some profanity coming out of your mouth on that day.
Compact Grip
The last movie we made was the compact grip. These chains are very similar to the Grip 4×4 except that they are made for smaller tires. The chains are virtually the same - except I ran into one significant difference. Comparatively, the tensioning chain of the Compact Grip ran a lot longer than did the tensioning chain for the Grip 4×4. With the Grip 4×4, I simply ran the tensioning chain through the yellow loop and hooked it onto the blue chain across the tire. With the compact Grip, I had to route the yellow tensioning chain through two yellow loops and then around blue chain to continue taking out the slack.
Rudmatic, Classic V, Kantenspur, or German RUDs
Why are there so many names? I don’t know. I know I got confused when first learning about these. I will just call these the Rudmatic Classics. The Rudmatic name is typically for the passenger vehicles and the Classic V is for Trucks and SUVs. They are virtually the same thing, just sized differently for your vehicle type and tire size. These are the chains that originally put RUD on the map.
The Rudmatic is sometimes called German Ruds because they are actually manufactured in Germany using high grade Chromium Alloy Steel which is a much higher grade metal than you are going to find in other chains. Not only will these chains last a long life, these chains don’t take up as much room because the chain is smaller making it attractive to vehicles whose front tires set uncomfortably close to the suspension bar. One example of this is the Land Rover LR3. Just place your hand behind the top of the front wheel and you will know what I mean. You can barely squeeze your hand behind the wheel. They make this chain for both small and very large vehicles including buses.
Centrax
The last Tire Chain style I want to mention here is the Centrax. Now I have not personally used this tire chain yet, I could see how this one would be attractive to professionals. The only chain that is easier to hook on would be the rotogrip which just requires flipping a switch. The centrax simply snaps onto an adapter that is prefitted onto a lugnut. Fit the chain to the outer portion of the tire, snap the center attachment into the lugnut fitting, and clamp down on the center latch. When you start driving, the chain pulls itself onto the wheel. It is pretty cool.
Now for me, someone who wear jeans to work, the Centrax would not be appealing. However, if I were wearing a suit to work every day, I certainly would not want to be doing a lot of bending over and fitting tire chains on the dirtiest part of my car just before giving some big presentation. That is who the Centrax caters to. If getting dirty is just not an option, and you can afford these superior chains, then by all means, you will be grateful for the advancements made by RUD here.
Rud makes chains for multiple uses. We not only have chains for cars, trucks, and SUVs, we also have chains for industrial equipment, tractors, and ATVs, buses, graders and more. If you don’t see the chains you are looking for on the site, then don’t hesitate to call us to see if they do indeed have exactly what it is that you need - (949) 429-8730.
Go have some fun in the snow. We will see you there!!!
