blowing/plowing on an incline

[sven1277]

I have a Kubota b7610 and use it to plow commercially. It has a soft cab with heat and a front 60" blade. I have r4 tires on it. The rears are filled. Several years ago we plowed a condo assoc with hilly drives. We might be doing it again this year. The tractor would often have problems with the inclines. I purchased chains for the rears, which helped, but the design gave a horrendous ride. So bad we removed them. I'm considering buying r1's just for the winter. Would studs help? I used them on my track skid steer with success on a different hilly property. The only downside was they scratched the pavement to ****. The following year they sealed the pavement so I couldn't use them. What ways have you found to gain traction?

On a side note, I am planning on a rear blower in addition to the front plow, so I should have decent ballast. Haven't decided on which unit to buy. Will be 50-60" wide. Thanks.

 

[sven1277]

Another question. Could I get r1's just for the rear or is the o.d. different? . Wouldn't want to destroy the 4wd components.

 

[crazyal]

For the cost of new wheels and tires I would suggest going with something like the Aquiline MPC tire chain. It's designed for pavement and I think (don't have) the low profile will give a better ride than a standard chain.

 

[moship]

SVEN1277,
For what it is worth I've used rubber tire chains on the rear of my L3130 the past few winters with good results. Nearly every driveway I snow blow is on a steep incline and I've had zero traction problems. The ride is significantly better than metal chains and they don't mark up the driveway (if that is a concern). They have the added benefit of being a lot lighter making it easier to install and they provide additional inner fender clearance versus chains.

Here's where I bought mine if you interested: Rubber Tire (Snow) Chains - Traction without damage.

 

[BuzzardA91]

Moship - how long do you estimate it takes you to put the rubber chains on?

 

[sven1277]

I just bought a pair of the rubber chains. They weren't that expensive and even if the tractor stays at home this winter, they will still be helpful.

 

[moship]

BuzzardA91,

I'm guessing 25 minutes. The biggest difference is in dealing with the weight of the chain ones. The rubber ones only weigh a few pounds and are much easier to maneuver during installation. I use a small chain binder to aid in pulling and holding the ends together before using the cam-lock link to secure. I usually put them on when the blower goes on and only take them off in late spring. My neighbor has been using them for about 6-7 years now and he just leaves them on full time... He bought a new set last year as they were showing their age.

 

[BuzzardA91]

I may give the rubber chains a shot for the price. Moship - what type of tire do you have? I have r4's on mine. So far traction has been fine but more is always better.

 

[Franko]

These rubber chains look interesting, but what how well do they work when a layer of snow packs down and turns to ice under the tires? I can get up and down my steep driveway in deep snow (at least a few times) with my normal luggy tires. However, while plowing, if I don't get all the way down to bare pavement and I leave a thin layer of snow, it gets quickly burnished down to an ice layer in just a single pass. I found that I have too little traction even with the lug tires to get back up the hill. Steel chains took care of that - I think the steel bites through the ice. I don't like scarring up the drive, and became interested in rubber chains, but I don't see how rubber will bite through the ice. Can any rubber-chain users tell us what happens on inclines in icy conditions with these?

 

[moship]

BuzzardA91, I have Turf (R3) tires.

Franko, I have not noticed any difference in traction between the metal and rubber chains while plowing/blowing snow over the years or had buyers remorse with the rubber ones. Please note I had the standard ladder style metal chains before and agree there are a lot more aggressive styles such as V-bar that would work great on solid ice. The rubber chains are not for everyone or every situation but they have worked surprisingly well.

The link is for reference to the metal chain styles mentioned above. 13.6-16 Tractor Tire Chain

 

[hawkeye08]

Several members here on TBN have had great success with cutting some grooves on their R4s with hot knife (like pencil soldering iron with cutting tip).

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/193438-cutting-groving-siping-r-4-a.html

 

[crazyal]

A one year warranty? moship, did your neighbor price out just getting replacement parts? They say it's cheaper than getting new ones.

 

[moship]

Crazyal,

My neighbor would rather buy new versus trying to fix, that's just how he rolls. After 5 years of service he felt he got his moneys worth and was willing to buy a new set. They would likely last significantly longer, but he leaves his on all the time and our ground is very rough. When time comes I'll make my own replacement straps as I already procured a section of mining belt for the task.

Why did he go with rubber in the first place? He used my tractor several times with the metal chains and didn't like the lumpy ride or marking up the neighbors driveways. Plus his tractor didn't have adequate inner fender clearance for them to work. I too was concerned about fender clearance when I got the Kubota and decided to give them a try.

 

[lemonsp]

Moship, I'm in Anchorage Alaska and just build a house on the side of a mountain. Part of our driveway is pretty steep so I'm going to need something. I have turf tires and I'm worried about marring up my driveway with metal chains. As a previous poster mentioned....do you think these would work on a steep icy driveway or would metal chains be the better way to go? We'll end up with a base of compacted snow that turns to ice within a couple weeks of the first snows. After that it's all winter clearing snow off the ice. If you think these rubber chains will work well on ice I'll give them a shot as it sounds ideal to keep from tearing up my driveway and garage. Also, I'll be mounting these on a BX2230. Will they clear the front arms that are so close to those front tires?

Anyone else have experience with these rubber chains on steep icy driveways?

 

[moship]

On pure ice nothing is going to work as well a metal chains specific to the task. I've gone up and down some gnarly driveways and there are times I wished I had something besides the rubber chains. If safety is a question I'd error on the side of caution and stick with ice specific chains and live with the surface wear that comes with it. Also keep in mind your tractor is a lot smaller than mine, so once I get sliding it takes a lot more to get stopped.

Considering the cost I'd take the risk and try them for your particular situation. If they don't work I'm certain you could sell them for as many BX owners that are out there.

 

[CobyRupert]

What's the problem if a driveway gets marks on it? Is that a social faux pas like wearing white after Labor Day?

 

[Franko]

CobyRupert,
Good one! Watch out or the fashion police will get ya!
I for one am not worried about cosmetics. My concern is accelerated damage to the driveway. With the cost of paving, you want to get as many years out of the blacktop as possible. A little scratching is no problem, but would gouges lead to ice-cracking and deterioration? Maybe those out there who have older driveways can tell us that they have been scratching the heck out of them for 15 years and they are fine, and if so, we could just put this to rest once and for all.
My drive is only a couple of years old, and on the steep sections, I had to do what I could to get up in the icy conditions. You can see some scratches and a little surface damage. However, I kept it to a minimum, as in avoiding useless spinning of the wheels, etc. I would like to hear the opinion of some who have older driveways if this is an issue or just a 'bogeyman'.

Frank

 

[lemonsp]

CobyRupert,
Good one! Watch out or the fashion police will get ya!
I for one am not worried about cosmetics. My concern is accelerated damage to the driveway. With the cost of paving, you want to get as many years out of the blacktop as possible. A little scratching is no problem, but would gouges lead to ice-cracking and deterioration? Maybe those out there who have older driveways can tell us that they have been scratching the heck out of them for 15 years and they are fine, and if so, we could just put this to rest once and for all.
My drive is only a couple of years old, and on the steep sections, I had to do what I could to get up in the icy conditions. You can see some scratches and a little surface damage. However, I kept it to a minimum, as in avoiding useless spinning of the wheels, etc. I would like to hear the opinion of some who have older driveways if this is an issue or just a 'bogeyman'.

Frank

Frank beat me to it. In Anchorage we get 6-9 months of snow and ice and constant freeze thaws during the winter. Like he said asphalt is expensive and I want to make this thing last as long as possible. If folks aren't having any trouble with using chains on their drives then I'll buy chains as I can get them locally made to custom fit my tractor for the same or cheaper. But I'm just trying to figure out how to handle snow and not tear up my expensive new driveway.

If anyone has any other thoughts or advice keep them coming. Moship...thanks for the help.

 

[DABSGT]

I have a Kubota b7610 and use it to plow commercially. It has a soft cab with heat and a front 60" blade. I have r4 tires on it. The rears are filled. Several years ago we plowed a condo assoc with hilly drives. We might be doing it again this year. The tractor would often have problems with the inclines. I purchased chains for the rears, which helped, but the design gave a horrendous ride. So bad we removed them. I'm considering buying r1's just for the winter. Would studs help? I used them on my track skid steer with success on a different hilly property. The only downside was they scratched the pavement to ****. The following year they sealed the pavement so I couldn't use them. What ways have you found to gain traction?

On a side note, I am planning on a rear blower in addition to the front plow, so I should have decent ballast. Haven't decided on which unit to buy. Will be 50-60" wide. Thanks.

Sounds like your setup is going to be close to mine. I have a JD and quite a hill to plow. First year I had problems so last year I picked up a set of "Rubber Tire Chains" so I didn't rip up my driveway then a ballast box filled 1/2 with solid cement blocks then sand salt mixture. Worked OK. I'm expecting delivery of 60 inch 3 pt. which will be heavier than the box hope that will do it for me. I did like the chains bit bumpy but did the trick with no damage.

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[slowzuki]

I run ladder chains on R-4s. They don't wear asphalt much if you don't spin, it leaves tiny white marks all over though that clients don't like. If you spin you will damage the pavement in a hurry. R1's are only better than R4's if you get skinny ones. Turf's have much more snow/ice traction. My other tractor has R1W's in a large metric footprint, I can't use it without chains on it in the winter, it simply can't move with any snow or ice on the surface. Even in 4wd with both front and rear diff's locked it can't get up a plowed driveway. Really embarrassing actually.