Tire-chain device

A combination pneumatic tire-chain device comprising:

• a tire having a crown, including treads and a crown core below said treads, said crown core being provided with a plurality of openings extending parallel to the axis of the tire and uniformly spaced around the tire extending through the crown core from one side wall thereof to another side wall thereof;
• a plurality of bolts, each having a length larger than each of said openings and complementary in cross-secton to that of said openings and threaded at one free end, and having a hexagonal-shaped bolt head at the other end;
• a chain comprising a plurality of links, including end links, one end link of which is coupled to said other end of each of said bolts adjacent said bolt head, said chain being adapted to be placed over the outer periphery of the tire on said treads when the bolt is inserted in said opening, said chains being uniformly spaced along said treads, leaving a major portion of said treads exposed;
• a first-connecting member having a bolt opening substantially complementary to said one free end of the bolt and connected to the other end link of said chain and having a flat surface for abutting a side wall of the tire adjacent the opening;
• locking bolt means releaseably threadably engaging the threaded free end of said bolt and securing said bolt thereto and pressing said flat surface of said first connecting member against said side wall of the tire, said locking bolt means comprising a wing nut and a spring-biased annular lock washer secured to said wing nut;
• and
• a second-connecting member for connecting the said one end link of said chain at said bolt head of said bolt to said bolt, said second-connecting member being permanently secured to said bolt, and having a flat surface adapted to abut the other side wall of said tire when said bolt means secures said bolt, said first and second-connecting members constituting discs, each having a chain opening receiving end links of said chain, said chain openings of said first- and second-connecting members and said bolt opening of said first-connecting member being radially offset relative to the center of the respective disc, with the bolt opening of said first-connecting member being larger than said chain openings.