My 98 Ram 1500 2 wheel drive is stuck on my property/lot. The lot is sloped and the ground is soft soil. The tires aren't buried, they just can't get traction going up the hill. Someone recommended tire chains but I'm not sure what type to buy. I don't drive the truck in snow or ice, very little of that in SC. I was thinking regular chains would work better than cable chains. I have also seen other traction enhancement devices. Thoughts?

yes , I agree that regular chains will work better for what you are trying to do . make sure you get them good and snug , don't want them smashing into your bed . ronnie .

MIght be easier to see if you can get someone to tow it out? It would suck do get chains and all that only to not help.

Does the bed have some weight in it?
Got a source for landing mats or even 4 2x8's (6' long) with a bunch of 1-1/2" hex hed lags can be laid on the ground and leap frogged back.
Handyman jack can be used for a winch with cable or chain.
Tire chains if you can find with crossbars best for more bite. I suspect issue is weight needs to be added., Mabye air down the tire pressure a little too to get more contact area.

Forget chains. You can strap a block of wood to your tire and get the same result as a Trac Grabber (you can google that).
Strap it tight and go slow.

Another: https://www.iowa80.com/truckclaws-i...XhcW18AIV5TizAB24LwCYEAQYCyABEgIzB_D_BwE


EDIT: here's a good video demonstration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSRxhvufvmw&ab_channel=StephenCox

I bought a set of these for a yard truck, they work great ..


https://autosock.us/

Get a pair of traction boards

Be curious how you plan to install the chains, typically you lay them in front of the tire and drive over them to start the install. Doesn't sound like that'd work here.

Just jam a couple of 2x8's in front of the tires and use those, don't gun it or you'll launch them.

To install the chains, or whatever, I was planning on jacking up the axle. The tire is only about an inch in the ground.

V-bar tire chains and make sure they are of the cam lock style so you can get them tighter. If it is soft soil I don't know how much you'll really gain though as it is the front tires sinking that causes the "resistance" to make the rear tires break loose. Might be time to look at Alturnamats 4x8 treaded poly sheets.

What kind of ground are you in? Only an inch down and the tires are spinning? Such things as boards or ramps or whatever are great to get you onto solid ground if you are stuck. But what do you do when you get to the next foot of dirt that's just like the last foot? Some kind of traction aid on the tire seems warranted.

Since it does not cost anything,
try the trick “emergency semi-locker differential”
where you click down the parking brake pedal a few notches
shift into number one gear
and slowly move forward with your left foot slightly pressing the brake pedal
and your right foot carefully working the accelerator pedal.

The idea here is to apply enough torque to constantly move the rear axles even though both sides brakes are hindering but not entirely stopping motion.
One side’s wheel driven by your open differential will lose traction first,
and normally would wildly spin and consume all the engine power,
preventing other wheel with more grip from slowly moving the truck forward.

You will have to experiment to find the best number of emergency brake clicks and left foot braking pressure.

Traditionally you also put all the 4 truck floor mats down on the ground in front of the tire that turns out to have better traction to provide a “grip road” and have an assistant shuffle each floor mat run over to the front of the line again.

But this can dirty and even damage the mats.
Bath towels, old carpet, front door mats also work.
Chain link fence sections have been taken down and used, etc.
In mining areas worn out conveyor belt strips are plentiful. Check local rock quarries.