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Okay, not car related but I want my AACA friends to be safe.


Shop Rat

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They really do work. Before you use them on ice the first time you put them on and walk around for a few minutes on cement to rough up the metal spirals just a little. They act like tire chains for your feet.

My step-daughter just got a pair for her mother after her mom slipped and fell and got pretty banged up. She was lucky it was just some soreness and bruises and not a broken bone/hip or a concussion.

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week before last we had 2" of ice pellets followed by rain then it went to below freezing for a week. It was pure boiler plate ice for a week. My shop is on a slight hill and I had to crawl on my hands and knees the last 100'. I used a bag of sand blast media to make a path to the shop and stable. My neighbor said the local E.R. had an assembly line set up for all the fractures. Think I'll look into a pair of Trax. Thanks........Bob

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I think that you will find them to be very nice. If you do get a pair, please let us know what you think of them.

One of the main times I use mine is walking my Dalmatian. At just 42 lbs. she is all muscle and could easily cause me to fall. If she sees the cat that lives over in the trailer court across the fence from our house she wants to chase it. With the Trax on she can't make me lose my footing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

That always seems to be the way it goes. And not that I would wish bad weather on you two, but at least now you will be much safer than before.

Be sure and put them on and walk on some rough cement or blacktop to rough up the metal coils.

I found that the easiest way to put them on is hook the front part over the toe of the shoe/boot and use the strength of your leg, rather than pulling with your hand, to stretch them back and up over the heel. Then simply even them out around the sides of the shoe or boot to reduce the risk of them coming off.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am very glad to hear that you are as pleased with them as we have been. Sorry to hear though that you are having that kind of weather. I don't know who came up with the idea of "tire chains for feet" but they sure work.

And they are easy to clean, dry quickly, don't take up much space and can even be used where there is slick mud to help with traction.

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  • 2 years later...

Bumping this back to the top.

With the weather that many of us are having it seemed a good idea to bring this to member's attention. I have used my YakTrax several times lately, including this morning to go shovel, sweep and salt the walk and driveway of an elderly neighbor that is a widow.

Two days ago when I was at my doctor's office I happened to see a lady that I had worked with at the phone company when I was in my twenties. She was there to pick up a prescription for her mother who had fallen on the ice and broken her arm. I told her about YakTrax and she is going to now get some for herself and her mother.

Edited by Shop Rat
Correct a spelling error. (see edit history)
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I'll also add my endorsement. I was given a set of Yak Trax last year and they are great. Unfortunately, they don't help with moving the FOUR FEET of snow on the ground since Saturday. Natrually, after a month of struggling to find a shipper, my 1962 F-85 wagon is being delivered today! :eek:

I've had to arrange for it to be dropped at a storage lot with a friend supervising, since our street isn't even plowed yet and I still have a half mile of farm road to clear to get to the street.

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Sorry Susan, I think they're junk. My wife got a pair and within a week the springs had broken. Once the springs break the ends cut into the rubber and they fall apart.

Got her something much better. It uses sheet metal screws in a rubber base. When the screw heads wear out you simply replace them. She's had these for years.

stabilicers-ice-cleats-G31032.jpg

Stabilicers Ice Cleats Anti-skid Detachable Soles - GEMPLER'S

Edited by Barry Wolk (see edit history)
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Barry, she may have used her YakTax more than I have to. I only wore mine once or twice last year. This year I have already used them at least five times. And there is quite a difference in price. The ones you posted look quite nice and for someone that would use them a lot they might be a better option regardless of price.

Thanks for posting the link to them.

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These are what I use. Neos Stabilicer Voyager Overshoes, Traction Control Devices - GEMPLER'S

I do 3.5 miles every morning and use them when weather calls for them. I have used them for about 6 years now and am on my second set of studs. They are very light and allow normal walking shoes to become heavy duty winter shoes.

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Jim,

Another excellent option for folks to stay on their feet in bad weather. That is what this thread is all about, staying safe in icy conditions. No matter what model folks pick, it hopefully will keep them out of the E.R., emergency surgery or worse yet from brain damage or death if they hit their head hard enough.

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Guest Gary Hearn

A little late on responding to this, but I am an avid runner and spend quite a bit of time on mountain trails (i.e. the Appalachian Trail) getting in runs. I use my YakTrax for running when there is ice and or snow on the ground.

I did 13.5 miles in them last Saturday in the driving snow and never slipped once. However, I have the pricier Pro model and would recommend them over the cheaper Walker model. My only complaint is that sometimes they come off the front of my shoes.

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A little late on responding to this, but I am an avid runner and spend quite a bit of time on mountain trails (i.e. the Appalachian Trail) getting in runs. I use my YakTrax for running when there is ice and or snow on the ground.

I did 13.5 miles in them last Saturday in the driving snow and never slipped once. However, I have the pricier Pro model and would recommend them over the cheaper Walker model. My only complaint is that sometimes they come off the front of my shoes.

The ones that you have have the strap that goes across the arch right? If so, try putting a shoe lace through the holes on the front and criss-cross them and then tie them to the strap. That should help keep them where they belong.

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Guest Siegfried

Susan, they work mighty fine. Have a pair for awhile now, and use them whenever I'm out moving snow.

Here's a real crazy one for you all. I use the snowblower that my friends across the street bought 15 years hence. It's a 3-speed forward TORO, and it was too much for them to handle. Both ladies and as most of us know a snow blower is heavy. Anyhow they asked me to use the machine on their driveways, sidewalks, etc, and then I was welcome to use it on my property. Good deal all around. Additionally I service and repair the Toro as needed.

Now for the good part. The TORO has lug tires that provive pretty good traction as long as they do not encounter ice, or slush. What I did was to take a set of old 13 inch car tire chains, and modify them to fit the TORO tires. No more traction problems!! As far as I know I might be the only person who has ever done this. It works.. But, it requires a bit of work to make the modifications. I made a second set this year for a neighbor.

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Susan, they work mighty fine. Have a pair for awhile now, and use them whenever I'm out moving snow.

Great!! :) Mine work just fine for me too, but then I don't put a lot of wear on them from year to year. I like that that the YakTrax are lightweight enough that I can slip them off and fold them together and they fit into a ZipLock bag that I can put in my coat pocket.

What I did was to take a set of old 13 inch car tire chains, and modify them to fit the TORO tires. No more traction problems!! As far as I know I might be the only person who has ever done this. It works.. But, it requires a bit of work to make the modifications. I made a second set this year for a neighbor.

Years ago the phone company where I worked offered V-bar chains for sale to employees. I bought a set for my 1980 VW bug. And I used them on several occasions. I kept them when I sold the car and when we moved here Bill cut them down and fitted them to our new riding mower that he also installed a plow blade on. Works like a charm. :D

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Susan, sounds like your husband and I think alike. Always find a use for whatever has served and outgrown its original purpose.

Then there are at least three of us that think like that. Bill (age 65 1/2) and I (will be 59 at the end of April) grew up being taught by parents that lived through two Depression eras and hard times.

All four of my grandparents lived until I lost my dad's father when I was fifteen. That generation learned how to "use it up, wear it out, make it last". They put patches on tires until they couldn't be patched anymore. My dad (born 12/14/16) talked about putting sawdust in tires that wouldn't hold air anymore to get as much wear out of them as possible. They would cut a slit in the side wall, or use one that was already there :rolleyes:, and put the sawdust in and then put a patch over the slit in the side wall.

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