Chains Best type of chains to get?

[ScottK]

I've been following the various chain threads on here, checked the tractorchains website and talked to Les Schwab (big tire chain in the Northwest that sells tractor chains). So, do v-bars really damage pavement with occasional use? Les Schwab wants to sell me an H pattern. I see other styles with and without v-bars on tractorchains.com. What is the best I can get that won't destroy asphalt? My driveway is paved as are some of my local roads, but some is gravel and I do work in mud sometimes here in the Northwest. Generally I will be wanting to scrape the asphalt completely clear, but that is hard with ice usually found as the bottom layer. that's why I think the v-bars would be best, but I don't want to destroy the asphalt. We don't get tons of snow compared to other places, but we had about 2 feet at x-mas and it's snowing lightly today. A usual snowfall is 4-5 inches 3 or 4 times a year, but usually preceeded by freezing on wet roads (since it does rain frequently here). I do have a very steep public hill that even County snowplows (sand trucks with blades on the front) cannot do when it is icy. I am able to plow uphill when it has gotten slushy though with no chains. You won't catch me or anyone else going downhill to try it out when it's icy though. That's why I wonder about v-bars. I have a 2320 and so far I am just using my loader and box blade to clear. Might get a rear blade if this keeps up...

 

[gerard]

You do have a bit of a dilemma because the v bar is probably about as aggresive as you can go without stepping up to logging chains with carbide tips in a diamond pattern. (Be about $1200 for a compact tractor). The V bar would be fine for the steep off road application but if you spin your tires on your asphalt I think you would do some damage. I have the duogrip, which is the H pattern you mentioned, on my rears, and ladders with cross links every 2 links, on my fronts. They don't damage the pavement and give good traction. That said I intentionally DON'T scrape my pavement bear. I don't mind a little ice/snowpack building up because with the chains they bite just fine AND it protects the pavement. Of course with a little care and the added traction of the v bars you probably WOULDN'T spin your tires to easily!

 

[AKfish]

I have v-bars on the front wheels and smooth chain H-bar links on the rears. The fronts don't spin and the rears will.

IMO - you will be unhappy with the v-bars on both asphalt or concrete pavement. Even if you don't spin; the v-bars make little chip holes just moving from A to B.

AKfish

 

[orlo]

I have Ice Chains (Have maybe 5/16" or 3/8" diameter about 1" long nubs sticking out) on my 3720. The Deere dealer put them on. They look extremely aggressive and 'scuffed up' the lawn a little bit when it was soft, but they haven't damaged the pavement. They were I think $580 and are almost as aggressive as skidder chains I've seen. I didn't get the cross bar chains (less $$) since I thought they'd let me slip sideways.

These work great on ice, snow and my snow covered back yard.

I think they'll double as lawn aerators in early spring before I take them off...

 

[PILOON]

Mine are kinda mixed as I added cross links (both V bar and studded type) every 3rd link.
The more cross links the less skidding, when it was every 5 link I'd get a sorta slip/grab slip/grab as well as hoppity-hop ride.

The Vbar wears faster than the studded chain.

With the chains I can push full loads of snow in 3rd high gear with my 6ft blade in 2WD!

I have both pavement and gravel and honestly the pavement has not suffered noticeably.
Sure, if I push a big load of snow uphill I'll spin and you will see it briefly next spring 'til the grime masks the scratch, but then I don't paint/seal that pave anyway as my recycled pave is mainly there to prevent esosion.

One secret to plowing a drive is to allow a snow base to occur, that way you create good traction, protect the road and plow/blow much more effectively. Plowing on wet asphalt makes for the worst traction while with a base even good traction (chainless) tires will perform wery well.

 

[gerard]

One secret to plowing a drive is to allow a snow base to occur, that way you create good traction, protect the road and plow/blow much more effectively. Plowing on wet asphalt makes for the worst traction while with a base even good traction (chainless) tires will perform wery well.

Exactly what I do piloon. I have skid shoes on my backblade and the first few snows I leave about a 3/8 inch gap which leaves a thin film of snow that eventually packs into hardpack after a few snows. Then I can drop the blade right on the driveway and it protects the pavement. I also think that it protects the driveway a lot better too.

 

[zr2blz]

Last year I had a link every 4 loops, this year I took apart a set of new chains that was order for a 2520 I had for 6 months (broke it and JD was taking too long to fix). The extra links gives a better ride and more traction on the R4s. I have a set of v-bar's for front but haven't put 'em on this year. My driveway is .3 miles all uphill and is gravel.

 

[ScottK]

Okay - I guess I will skip the v-bars. The really steep hill is paved also. Although I agree that building up a base is good, it only works in my own driveway because it doesn't usually stay cold enough continuously to do so. On roads other than my driveway there is enough traffic that any snow base gets soft enough during the day that the blacktop starts peeking through and then it refreezes in a nice sheet of ice at night. Since we have our really tall forests here there are also some really shady areas that just stay ice all the time and not even much snow lands on top due to the tree interference. Usually we have lows in the mid-20s at night and highs in the high 30's or low 40s during the day this time of year. Of course we had 2 weeks of continuous snow this year at x-mas time, but that was very rare and I did leave a base then, but then it started to melt rapidly with rain falling on it and we just had a huge mess everywhere - cars stuck, off the road, etc and the steep hill was impassable until I plowed it without chains and towed the cars back to their houses. Chains would have made that day much faster.

So is a diamond pattern or the H pattern or another pattern better? I definitely want something better than just a plain ladder. I'm gathering that cross links every third link would be ideal with some connectors around the circumference of the tread.

I don't know how much national news covered the mess in Seattle at x-mas, but they tried to leave a snow base and it was a joke. The hills are just too steep around here and with the freeze-thaw cycle we ended up with packed ice on the steep roads. Our area certainly was the butt of many jokes based on the amount of stuff people sent me. Scrape it off and then the remaining ice melts during the day and runs off. That's what they needed to do, but couldn't with their plastic plow blades.

 

[AKfish]

Chains have a way of working down into the cleats on your tires. Not what you want/need for good traction.

A center link down the center of your tire (or 2 links) connecting 2 crosslinks is an easy fix for that problem. Or a diamond pattern (much more expensive) similar to what you might find on a log skidder is very good. Good lateral traction as well as forward and reverse.

AKfish

 

[ScottK]

Does anyone know where to get the diamond pattern chains? I've also seen them on the giant CAT loaders that they use in Mammoth Lakes, CA for heavy snow removal, but haven't seen a place to buy them. The lateral traction would be ideal in my situation.