new Trak Sport Snow Chains on Tesla Store

[RossComer]

unfortunately, one of the chains broke! Not the mechanism that keeps it held on to the tire, not the plastic connectors, not the elastic, but the actual chain!

@iffatall Were you able to get the chain fixed? Mine failed in the same way...

 

[iffatall]

@iffatall Were you able to get the chain fixed? Mine failed in the same way...

Naah. I didn't really try though, to be honest. I suppose it needs to be welded to fix, but don't know where to go for that.

Sorry to hear you had the issue. Hope it didn't happen in the middle of a trip. If you managed to get it fixed, please let me know how you did.

 

[RossComer]

I just called and it turns out I'm still within the 1 year warranty and they are replacing the entire set. Great customer service.

There are "repair links" available: Tire Chain Accessories and Replacement Parts but I haven't figured out which, if any, might work.

I also sent email to the original manufacturer (Trak - Home page) to see if spares are available and just now found their Spare Parts page: Spares. It looks like they don't replace links but instead replace the entire chain section with part TRATRAK024-032 but I haven't heard back yet.

 

[WinterDragoness]

I suppose it needs to be welded to fix, but don't know where to go for that.

Look up 'welders' on Yelp or any regional company directory. In cities you should find plenty of options. Be sure to describe how small the links are as some may balk at that. They'll need the right equipment to do it, something like a TIG welder that briefly gets super hot to melt a small area, then turns off before melting the link into a puddle.

You could also ask a plumber to repair it using the solder they repair metal pipes with, though I'm not sure if that would be strong enough.

It seems logical the metal is the "weak link" in the system. If you drive a frozen link over a pebble its rigidity is more likely to make it crack vs plastic which will more likely flex. The cross section of each side of the links in the chains is also much smaller than most of the plastic areas. They've made the chains small and light so they take minimal space in your trunk but I think that makes it inevitable one will break eventually due to bad luck with road debris if you use the chains often enough.

There are "repair links" available: Tire Chain Accessories and Replacement Parts but I haven't figured out which, if any, might work.

The smallest link listed there is 13/64" (0.2") which I think refers to the diameter of the metal making the link. Trak's chains are 3.00 to 3.20mm (~0.12") diameter as measured with callipers.

 

[iffatall]

Look up 'welders' on Yelp or any regional company directory. In cities you should find plenty of options. Be sure to describe how small the links are as some may balk at that. They'll need the right equipment to do it, something like a TIG welder that briefly gets super hot to melt a small area, then turns off before melting the link into a puddle.

You could also ask a plumber to repair it using the solder they repair metal pipes with, though I'm not sure if that would be strong enough.

It seems logical the metal is the "weak link" in the system. If you drive a frozen link over a pebble its rigidity is more likely to make it crack vs plastic which will more likely flex. The cross section of each side of the links in the chains is also much smaller than most of the plastic areas. They've made the chains small and light so they take minimal space in your trunk but I think that makes it inevitable one will break eventually due to bad luck with road debris if you use the chains often enough.



The smallest link listed there is 13/64" (0.2") which I think refers to the diameter of the metal making the link. Trak's chains are 3.00 to 3.20mm (~0.12") diameter as measured with callipers.

Thanks a lot for the detailed info. This is really very helpful.