Do I need chains?

[mcj115]

On my first season with a "new to me" tractor and plow. I have read trough some of the chain threads and am on the fence if I need them for my applicaiton, so I tohught I'd ask. I have never plowed before, just use a snowblower on an JD 322 which was a beast. Now with new situation and equipment I am not sure what I need in terms of traction to be successful. Differences for me are plowing instead of blowing, and having 4wd instead of 2wd when blowing.

Equipment JD 2305, turf tires, 54" JD front hydraulic angle plow, a lot of weight on the rear hitch (don't know how much as I am using some hand me down homemade weights, but the hitch is near max capacity as I need really rev the engine to get enough hydraulic pressure to lift), no weight in the wheels themselves.

Plowing situation....I will need to plow my two residential driveways (one for the house, one for the pole barn). Both drives are paved and are on the larger side for a normal residential area ~2000 sqft each (~4000 sqft total) , they are both asphalt paves surfaces. I am in central PA so more often than not we get frequent but annoying snows, not large on average 4-6", annual largest is probably less than 18" . Last year we have a 36" snowstorm but that was the largest on record.

Additionally if I get really mad I may try to plow my dead end circle out to the street which is ~2000' ft long---that may be a last resort type of situation.

So do I need tire chains? If yes what are the ways to prevent them from scoring the surface of the asphalt? As a side project, if I have time I may try to line the bottom of the slow skid shoes with delrin to cut down on scoring.

Thanks

Mark

 

[nybirdman]

I would think in your situation you should not need chains.Turf tires seem to work pretty well in snow,better than R4's.Chains and asphalt don't mix really well either.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

ditto, chains are going to mark up some. If you spin a tire when you hit a larger pile you will leave scuff marks. If that is your biggest concern, you can always add ballast to the rear tires or plow more often. If you have a paved driveway, ice melters are also an option. On the plus side, chains are relatively inexpensive and don't really deteriorate if stored properly. I will say that if you have a lot of ice to deal with, chains are the only answer unless you can stud tires or wait for the ice to melt.

 

[atsah]

Try it without them, I have R4's loaded and I need chains, as a matter of fact I installed a set on the front of my tractor as well this year, I found that it steers much better now.. They will scratch your driveway but if you use regular chains and not V-BAR ice chains they don't scratch nearly as much.. Here in Maine, my 4WD tractor is useless without them in the winter..

 

[kco]

Chains give a significant improvement in traction on ice and snow.

I have H-pattern chains on the front and rear of my DK35 SE. The rears are heavy chains (9 mm). The front chains for the 27x10.5-15 R4's are much lighter (7mm) and, from the CanadianChains.ca website, probably the same size would fit your rear turf tires (26x12.00-12). I am mostly on gravel but also clear a fairly large paved area and carport.

As atsah mentions, get regular chains--NOT V-BAR. My situation appears similar to his--I have chains all-round and it would be a struggle without chains. As RedNeckRacin states, don't spin your tires.

I find there is minor bruising of the pavement with the rear chains but don't believe the lighter front chains cause any noticeable marks. But then, my pavement is 12 years old so not super-smooth to begin with.

I like the H-pattern chains for my R4's but 2-link ladder chains would also be effective for your turf tires. I disliked the original DUO pattern for my rear tires and modified them to the smoother and more effective (at least for R4's) H-pattern.

 

[George2615]

They use the same set up at a local commercial building for sidewalks. JD2305, 54" PA plow, and 3 pt. PTO spreader for salt.
They've been plowing mainly sidewalks around the complex and salting after. I think its about 8 years old now and they have never used chains.

I currently have it in my shop for some repairs and service. This one has R4's and a cab.

 

[Dave M7040]

I have a M7040 with cab and Fel using a pull type or inverted blower.
Even with 4 WD, I found on icy surfaces I needed more traction. Braking on slopes was also an issue even with the 4WD driveline providing braking to the front wheels.
I bought TRYGG tire chains model SMT.
They have hardened studs everywhere as you see in this photo.

My two brothers have nice paved driveways and I was afraid of damaging them.
When you look closely after the chained tire has worked on the pavement you see a small circular areas about 5/16" in diameter where chain stud has polished the asphalt and these spots on the pavement are an off white color.
In the spring, the sun quickly bleaches the asphalt and you dont see the small polished area from the chains. The increase in traction from the chains means the wheels are not spinning.

Two winters with lots of snow. I just put them on again last night.

The tire chain material is so hard that 36" bolt cutters cannot cut even the side chains. You cannot buy a better long lasting chain in my opinion.

Dave M7040

 

[oldballs]

As others have said, I'd try it without the chains.....in snow that is. Ice is another whole discussion. I did fine without chains with turf tires on a Kubota the same size as you JD......But I did not have a plow....used the FEL where needed and a Rear Blade for most of the work. Think I rather have a plow however.

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

I've been wondering the same thing. Planning to have the rears on my Kubota B2710 loaded with Rimguard on Tuesday. If I decide to add chains can anyone recommend a vendor that ships quickly?

EDIT: Just saw another thread that recommended tire chains.com

 

[Copperhead]

If a tractor is 4x4, not sure chains are worth it. I cleared a lot of snow on elevated drives and around out buildings and such and never used chains. I did have wheel weights on rear though.

 

[roadhunter]

Chains are a huge advantage for moving snow, especially when you get down to the hard packed ice.

 

[dickfoster]

There is a very long thread on here that covers grooving R4 tires to deal with snow without resorting to chains. That's likely the most economical approach and could be the answer for the OP and for his needs. Granted there is no single solution that is going to be optimal for everyone's needs and situation. A grooving iron is not going to set him back that much, call it a hundred bucks, if it doesn't work well enough for him and it will not have impacted his driveway or his tires to any truly measurable degree.

 

[powerscol]

OP for you size tires, if you find the need, look into cable chains - much easier on the pavement.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I plow without chains and R4 tires but have loaded rear tires and a 700lb tiller on the back. Tiller works well for ballast since it is short and does not hang too far off the back.

 

[oosik]

I have a mile long GRAVEL driveway. I use the rear blade on my M6040 4WD to plow the driveway. I've found that with the increased weight - 9500# - and R-1 tires, loaded with Rimguard, I don't need chains. I had heavy duty V-bar tractor chains when I had the Ford 1700 4WD. They were fantastic for added traction - the tractor rode like a cob - I hated them. The added weight and not needing chains was one of the reasons I upgraded tractors.

 

[RjCorazza]

OP for you size tires, if you find the need, look into cable chains - much easier on the pavement.

I wish they made cable chains for larger tractors! A set of light duty cables would be perfect for very occasional use on the one or two driveways I do with a significant incline. I have a set of heavy duty chains, but they are too heavy and difficult to install to be putting them on, then removing them frequently.
I am still considering trying to wrap the tires through the rim with steel cable and see how it works.

 

[oosik]

Heavy?? My Lord, the heavy duty V-bar tractor chains I had were almost impossible to lift over the top of the rear tires. And that was for a Ford 1700.

If I had the same type for my current tractor - well, they would look good hanging on the wall of my tractor shed because there would be no way I could lift them.

And I tried the trick of hooking them on the tire and driving forward - all I can say to that is - - good luck.

 

[MaineTom]

I started to make a set of chains for my BX25D last year but ended up purchasing them. It was just taking waaaay to long to fabricate them. They worked great with the R4 tires and I'm waiting delivery of a set for the front. I have 2" spacers on the back but I think I can use the front chains without them. It's getting too icy around here this year to be able to plow without the front chains. My GMC has 4 studded tires so it will move around OK, but the BX is great for getting into those places that the truck can't...like plowing the path for the oil man. I put a 2 1/2" split pipe on the front edge of the FEL bucket to prevent digging up soft ground and that works great! I also have a home made back blade that scrapes snow pretty well after the ground is frozen. Will post pictures when I get the chains on.

 

[JerryK]

Bar chains tear up your concrete, both driveway and where you park your tractor. Go with cable chains if you need traction on ice. Agree with above posts, adding weight is a better option than adding chains. Do you see plow trucks in your area running chains? Probably not. They mostly rely on weight and good tires. Not that tractor tires are great on snow or ice, but they are good enough if you get some weight on them. Chains are also a pain to install/take off.

 

[powerscol]

Heavy?? My Lord, the heavy duty V-bar tractor chains I had were almost impossible to lift over the top of the rear tires. And that was for a Ford 1700.

If I had the same type for my current tractor - well, they would look good hanging on the wall of my tractor shed because there would be no way I could lift them.

And I tried the trick of hooking them on the tire and driving forward - all I can say to that is - - good luck.

You'll laugh, but I used sticky duct tape to hold them in place to drive them over - worked OK. But I did learn something. If the tire is jacked up and you have the hooks at the bottom, the initial/final fitting is easier as all the slack falls to the bottom.