ATV-chain all 4 tires?

[joeyd]

My neighbor stopped me on the road today and questioned my having chains on all 4 tires. He has a Polaris and the dealer would not sell him chains for the fronts. I have a Kawasaki 750 Brute Force and bought my chains on line. Does anyone know if chaining up the fronts on the Brute Force will hurt anything? I ran chains on the fronts last winter and didn't notice any problems over the last year.

 

[sunnyside360]

I've had chains on all four wheels on different ATV's --- Honda Rubicon, Foreman and Rincon; and on Yamaha Grizzly 700. Never had a problem. I know others who run chains on all four wheels also without issues.

 

[R_Walter]

I only chain up one rear tire on my Foreman 400. Goes everywhere fine until the depth of snow causes high centering. I would think that even with all 4 wheels chained up, high centering would still be the limiting constraint.

 

[joeyd]

R.

Getting high centered is not a problem with the chains on. The extra traction allows me to push snow with my front blade so there is nothing to get stuck on. Without the chains I do tend to ride up on the snow and get stuck.

 

[WilliamBos]

My neighbor stopped me on the road today and questioned my having chains on all 4 tires. He has a Polaris and the dealer would not sell him chains for the fronts. I have a Kawasaki 750 Brute Force and bought my chains on line. Does anyone know if chaining up the fronts on the Brute Force will hurt anything? I ran chains on the fronts last winter and didn't notice any problems over the last year.

Probably because of the auto diff lock Polaris uses.

 

[whistlepig]

I have never had a need for chains on my Polaris. The springs on the blade trip or the blade rides up on the snow before the Polaris runs out of traction. You can get high centered with chains. All four wheels are hanging in the air when you get high centered.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would never buy any thing with an auto-differential lock/auto4 WD. PIA to steer when they lock up for no reason on hard ground and have to stop, back up to get them unlocked. Some things I had rather do for myself. My wife has an Olds Bravada with auto 4 wd and no way to lock it out or in. Used to be a real dangerous situation when we lived in northern Canada. Friends lived up a hill that would glaze over in spots in the winter. The Olds would kick into 4 wd when it spun the come out when it gained traction, the slide sideways, kick back in, and repeat. Dangerous as all heck to drive that way. I prefer to shift it myself when I need it whether it is in an auto or ATV.

 

[WilliamBos]

I would never buy any thing with an auto-differential lock/auto4 WD. PIA to steer when they lock up for no reason on hard ground and have to stop, back up to get them unlocked. Some things I had rather do for myself. My wife has an Olds Bravada with auto 4 wd and no way to lock it out or in. Used to be a real dangerous situation when we lived in northern Canada. Friends lived up a hill that would glaze over in spots in the winter. The Olds would kick into 4 wd when it spun the come out when it gained traction, the slide sideways, kick back in, and repeat. Dangerous as all heck to drive that way. I prefer to shift it myself when I need it whether it is in an auto or ATV.

I agree. That is why my next/first ATV will be a Yamaha Grizzly.

 

[JustMike]

You are better to run all 4 chains and here's why. If you encounter any ICE on the trail and only run chains on the rear you'll find it hard or impossible to steer as the rear with chains will push the front.
I have a Brute Force 650I and run 4 chains. Makes it almost unstoppable!:thumbsup:

 

[whistlepig]

I would never buy any thing with an auto-differential lock/auto4 WD. PIA to steer when they lock up for no reason on hard ground and have to stop, back up to get them unlocked. Some things I had rather do for myself. My wife has an Olds Bravada with auto 4 wd and no way to lock it out or in. Used to be a real dangerous situation when we lived in northern Canada. Friends lived up a hill that would glaze over in spots in the winter. The Olds would kick into 4 wd when it spun the come out when it gained traction, the slide sideways, kick back in, and repeat. Dangerous as all heck to drive that way. I prefer to shift it myself when I need it whether it is in an auto or ATV.

I have never had that problem with my Polaris.

 

[joeyd]

You are better to run all 4 chains and here's why. If you encounter any ICE on the trail and only run chains on the rear you'll find it hard or impossible to steer as the rear with chains will push the front.
I have a Brute Force 650I and run 4 chains. Makes it almost unstoppable!:thumbsup:

Mike - Welcome to TBN and thanks for the confirmation on running chains on all 4 tires on the Brute Force. I have never chained up just the rears but I can understand the ice/steering problem. I have 4 link v-bars on all 4 tires and it gives me great traction everywhere I have to go.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The company rented a bunch of ClubCar ATV's on my very last job in Wyoming. They were about the worst ATV I have ever seen. Diesel engine wouldnt start without preheat at 70F even though it was a Kubota diesel same as my Kubota RTV which starts easily without preheat down to 50F. These weer all brand new too. The steering was sloppy and that automatic 4 wd was a PIA. It would lock up for no reason and you could barely turn the wheel when it did, have to stop back up several feet and try it again, sometimes have to back up twice to get it to unlock.
The windshield clip that allows some fresh air inside the cab also would not stay open and required constant attention to move it back to open position. This was my only time to use Club Car equipment but I would definitely stay away from them. Their Golf Carts MAY be ok, I always used EZ-GO.

 

[cdaigle430]

My neighbor stopped me on the road today and questioned my having chains on all 4 tires. He has a Polaris and the dealer would not sell him chains for the fronts. I have a Kawasaki 750 Brute Force and bought my chains on line. Does anyone know if chaining up the fronts on the Brute Force will hurt anything? I ran chains on the fronts last winter and didn't notice any problems over the last year.

I have a 60" moose plow that I use on my Rincon 650 and never needed chains and don't ever intend on getting chains. My drive way is relatively flat so if your on a slope your situation may be different. I know lots of people who use chains on all four wheels so my advice to you is-if it will void the warranty then dont use it till after it runs out. Otherwise, when using chains, be carefull on your front end.

 

[sublime68charger]

I have a 2002 Honda Foremand and have run chains on all for tires for the last 3 years. When I'm gonna go down the road to the next job I'll switch it over into 2wd on my way down the road.

from the dealer end they probaly don't want to risk breaking something and having to fix it under a warranty.

just my thoughts.

 

[R_Walter]

R.

Getting high centered is not a problem with the chains on. The extra traction allows me to push snow with my front blade so there is nothing to get stuck on. Without the chains I do tend to ride up on the snow and get stuck.

Okay, that's great. BTW, you didn't say anything about plowing in your original post to which I responded.