GC series How many run front chains?

[Dmacleo]

my rears due in soon but am wondering if anyone runs front chains.
I usually hesitate but in my area with my snow type/fall may need them for bank clearing on road.
those that do or did please list any issues they have had. thanks

 

[MF RED in MT]

I have operated my tractor with chains on all four tires every winter since I have had the MF as new, in 2009.

My driveway has been ice/snow since the start of November this year (normal) and stays iced up all winter long until the 1st or 2nd week in April.

Even with the front chains I sometimes notice during snowblowing that the front end might track a little sideways even with the front tires turned in the opposite direction (on a slight side hill).

I do believe this occurs due to the front end being light, and it only does this once in a while so I have never tried to add any extra weight to the front end.

Also for me to stay upright during the winter walking on my driveway, I also run chains on my boots.

KC

 

[cdaigle430]

I dont run chains in the front and I have turf tires and I dont believe I ever will need them. My plow area can has been a sheet of ice from time to time but you can adjust how you plow\snowblow to compensate. I only add chains to the rear, this was recommended by the dealership. Like RED said I also wear cleats under my boots because I am clumsy as it is.

 

[Brotherdan]

I have R4 tires and do not run chains. I've run it 3 winters. I have not got stuck, but I have snapped my share of shear pins.

 

[PILOON]

I think i depends on many factors.
Size, weight etc.
Many are called 'front assist' vs 4WD.
Just study the driveline components and you should have an answer.

Perhaps I'm more sensitive than most as I've had to re build my front differential (crown and pinion). Somehow the 8 bolts holding the crown came loose creating a mess.
(Won't recur as I wire locked + lock tight)

 

[oosik]

When I had a smaller tractor( Ford 1700 ) I used V-bar chains on all four. Needed the chains so I could clear the driveway berm buildup with my rear blade. Never had any problems. However - the chains were very heavy tractor chains. The rear chains were always a bugger to instal.

 

[Dmacleo]

yeah going to have to monitor over next few weeks and see, have r4 tires and rear chains supposed to be delivered this week. can't easily use weight bucket as I have to do a lot of trailer moves each storm.

 

[Looking4new]

I run all four chained up all the time. I've had zero issues with that.

 

[lpakiz]

Macleo,
Is there any way to affix a tongue on your counterweight?
I made my counterweight out of a half of a 55 gallon barrel, filled with concrete. I casted a tongue into it, so I can hitch a wagon on, or mount a hitch ball for trailer towing.
Or can you drill a hole in the bucket and mount a ball there? Will not need to be more than hand tight just to move a trailer around the yard.

 

[Dmacleo]

Macleo,
Is there any way to affix a tongue on your counterweight?
I made my counterweight out of a half of a 55 gallon barrel, filled with concrete. I casted a tongue into it, so I can hitch a wagon on, or mount a hitch ball for trailer towing.
Or can you drill a hole in the bucket and mount a ball there? Will not need to be more than hand tight just to move a trailer around the yard.

honestly just easier to not deal with it weight of bucket plus heavy tongue weight (100-150lbs) of tilt and dump trailer...recipe for disaster. not something I do a lot but is done.
most stuff is daily 2" ball 50lb tongue weight stuff.

 

[mgstevens]

Interesting. Like RED, I experience the front getting a little light on some maneuvers with the snowblower, so I just added front chains. Have only had one occasion to use them and it felt more sure-footed.

Not getting much snow at all so far this season. I also run rear chains with R4's and a ballast box on the back that weighs about 500lb all in. It's possibly the best prepared I've ever been for winter and meh...

I'm sure that will change.

 

[oosik]

mgstevens - you run an FEL mounted snowblower and your front end gets a little light? Am I missing something here. Or is it that the front end is simply getting pushed around and front chains correct this. Having a blower on the FEL should keep the front tires pretty well firmly planted.

 

[irvingj]

Not necessarily, oosik. My 2310, without the backhoe but with the 2360 front blower, will DEFINITELY get light in the front -- going uphill, if the slope is steep enough. Ballast on the rear would only exacerbate front-end lightness. (That's why I remove my BH for blowing.)

 

[oosik]

That's most interesting -irvingj. I can see how the BH could cause this. So as you are blowing up a steep slope - what DO you do to overcome this? Somehow add weight to the FEL??? Chains on the front tires should only improve traction - not necessarily "being light".

 

[mgstevens]

In my experience it is the float pressure making the front end "light" and by that I mean for steering purposes. My last tractor (Bolens) also experienced this effect. I'm simply looking for more bite to maintain steerage. I have two 8% slopes comprising a third of my drive length and find the issue most present on compound slopes (up and also over toward the drainage) and nearing the crest of the slopes where the grade levels out more or less..

The next step would be front weights for ballast. I have chains on the rear R4's and feel the rear ballast is sorely needed to maintain traction.

And, in terms of the above reference to "FEL": the blower is front-mounted, but there is no FEL in place while the blower is mounted. It has its own attach/hydraulic hardware. Together the combo weighs about 280 lb.

It's the float pressure from what I can tell. If someone knows how (or if..) you can adjust the float pressure to lessen this effect, that could also be an approach.

And with that.. we had a small snow overnight. Better than nothing in terms of seat time.

 

[irvingj]

It really depends a lot on the snow. Lately --over the last several years-- we've had a bunch of wet snow or snow/rain combination events. In those cases, the snow can quickly be compacted and become like ice or grease -- extremely slippery.

If I haven't yet put my rear chains on, there've been times when I'd lift the blower up some (or all the way in extreme cases), claw my way up to the top of the driveway, and clear snow with the blower only on the way down. I don't believe the float has much to do with it, it's just the lack of weight on the front and the steepness of the slope. (I've threatened to add a couple hundred pounds to the top of the blower on occasion....)

I had thought, years ago, about chains on the front, but that really won't help with the weight issue -- and the chains I got, that were supposed to fit my fronts, were way too big and I haven't ever tried to modify them to fit. After I removed the BH, however, it got better.

Incidentally, the same thing used to happen wth my walk-behind blower. It was 24" Toro with a weight-shift mechanism (rocked the drive wheels to the rear about 6"); I had to use that wheels-shifted-to-the-rear position every time I went uphill, to keep the blower scraper from lifting up. (After 18 years of that, I got my 2310!)

 

[mgstevens]

In my experience, the downward pressure of the float hydraulics on the blower is reducing my steerage. When I lift my blower, lots of steerage no matter the quality of the snow.

In any event, clearing yesterday's few inches of snow went just that much better as the front chains helped me get positive steerage and kept the front end on track in the few areas that it tended to wander off before.

For the price of the front chains ($70) I'll enjoy the improvement.

 

[Dmacleo]

fronts due in fedex tomorrow so will toss them and new throttle cable on tomorrow. cable sticks a bit when cold got a worn spot in it.

noticed when climbing banks while pushing with fel I could have used the steering/traction chains would give so ordered them. as rears dug in (sunk a touch due to creating rut) could cause a front lift due to fel resistance.used to see that a lot w/ my old craftsman gt and 44" blower, but not 4wd so chains would not help that.

 

[radios1]

fronts due in fedex tomorrow so will toss them and new throttle cable on tomorrow. cable sticks a bit when cold got a worn spot in it.

noticed when climbing banks while pushing with fel I could have used the steering/traction chains would give so ordered them. as rears dug in (sunk a touch due to creating rut) could cause a front lift due to fel resistance.used to see that a lot w/ my old craftsman gt and 44" blower, but not 4wd so chains would not help that.

I have a 6 speed craftsman with a snow blade, 2 WD, and I had to use front chains on that because the front tires would not spin without them, and caused the front wheels to push huge piles of snow in front of the front wheels, which made it impossible to move forward, the chains allowed the front tires to spin, and ride over the snow!!..

 

[Dmacleo]

I have a 6 speed craftsman with a snow blade, 2 WD, and I had to use front chains on that because the front tires would not spin without them, and caused the front wheels to push huge piles of snow in front of the front wheels, which made it impossible to move forward, the chains allowed the front tires to spin, and ride over the snow!!..

I had deestone superlugs on fronts and rears of that so I had rotation just when really pushing the fronts could lift up 4+ inches.