Cutting down your tire chains ensures they fit snugly around your tires, preventing slippage and potential damage to your vehicle or chains during use. Properly sized chains enhance safety by providing consistent traction and reducing the risk of chain breakage in harsh conditions.
Our below video and guide you through some typical methods of cutting down tire chains. In this video we will be using tire chain pliers.
Getting Started → Gather your tools and protective equipment
- Various tools can be used in the cut down process, for both small and large tire chains. You can use chain pliers, bolt cutters, or a grinder. Remember to always wear appropriate protective equipment and take precautions to prevent accidents.
- Always start by laying the tire chains down flat on the ground.
- In this example, the end you will be working with is the end without any hooks or clips.
- Make sure to check for any signs of wear or broken links.
- When cutting down chain, use a pair of bolt cutters or chain pliers to cut or open up the cross chain hook.
- After removing the hooks, the side chain can slip out with ease
- If you don’t have a bolt cutter or heavy duty pliers, an angle grinder can also be used to cut the chains.
- For larger tire chains, the process is nearly identical, though the tool is of a larger scale.
- Slip the jaw of the chain pliers into the cross chain hooks and push down on the handles to open the hooks.
