Chains....Age old question...need some advice

[River19]

As I have mentioned elsewhere on the site, I have a Kubota B2601 on order (as do many) and one of its primary duties will be snow removal on my 500' gravel driveway in NH with a serious grade up to the road with the 48" commercial blower.

I am going with Turf tires in 33 12.5 15 as non winter duties will require a lot of lawn traversing hence turf........I really want a nice cross pattern like a Duo-grip with the v-bar "picks" for icy conditions.......I am fine paying for quality to an extent....that being said I don't want to pay on the north side of $500 if I can avoid it......

I have spent several days researching and pricing etc. and have reached analysis paralysis and while I don't like to ask for help......I NEED HELP

Any recommendations that fit that description?

Thanks

Steve

 

[Roadworthy]

The only advice I'd give is to get hardened steel chains. They are not the cheapest but they should stay a long way from your $500 price point.

 

[nybirdman]

Double check to see if you have clearance with turfs+chains.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've had luck with buying or getting for free brand new chains from cars back in the 60's and 70's... the ones with the 15 inch tires like Oldsmobile, Cad, etc...

They are easy to cobble together and so far not a single failure...

It might take 3 or 4 to make a size to fit a Kubota CUT.

Cold Chisel on the anvil or bolt cutters and then split link to the size needed.

The rubber tensioners work wonders... double or triple up on them...

 

[River19]

Double check to see if you have clearance with turfs+chains.

I got wheel spacers being installed before delivery so hopefully should be good to go.......but I appreciate the "heads up".....

Right now the leader in the clubhouse seems to be a 2 link V-Bar from tirechain.com.....for ~$400/pair......

 

[John_Mc]

Do you need to operate on side-hills, or is most of your winter work straight up and down the hill?

I started off with 4-link V-bar, ladder-style chains on my rear tires (R4). It worked fine for going up and down my driveway, but lateral traction left a good bit to be desired. Because of that, they were not good to use on rough terrain or in the woods: I found myself sliding sideways, always at the worst times.

I switched to duo-grip chains with V-bars. These greatly improved the traction on side-hills and worked well both clearing snow from my driveway and working on rough terrain in the woods. However, the ride at even moderate speeds on hard ground felt like it was going to shake me (and the tractor) to pieces. Since I regularly need to drive the tractor some distance over the roads, the Duo-grip chains were just not an option for me. (I have filed rear tires. I've often wondered if it might have been acceptable with an air-filled tires, particularly air-filled Turf tires, which are more flexible than R4s.)

I ended up with the "euro-style" studded chains (OFA EKO 8, there are similar chains made by other manufacturers). Good forward and lateral traction, and great both off road and over the road. They nly downside is that they are more expensive than the other styles.

 

[oosik]

I ran V-bar ladder chains on my Ford 1700 4WD. All four wheels chained up. More than adequate traction for winter snow plowing. The two sets of chains were $480 total. Only down side - the chains were TRUE tractor chains. The rear chains were extremely heavy and a PITA to instal.

 

[MAD777]

I have exactly the same conditions as you with same size tractor and also in NH. I got euro style OFA EKO 8 chains just down the road in Tamworth, NH. I also got same style but smaller/lighter for the front.
Windy Ridge Corporation Since 1985
Good people to deal with and no shipping cost for pick-up. No slipping whatsoever with these chains, and I am plowing snow with a 7' rear blade, putting a lot more pressure to cause slipping. You can Google a video showing how to install them by letting the tractor do most of the work.

 

[River19]

I have exactly the same conditions as you with same size tractor and also in NH. I got euro style OFA EKO 8 chains just down the road in Tamworth, NH. I also got same style but smaller/lighter for the front.
Windy Ridge Corporation Since 1985
Good people to deal with and no shipping cost for pick-up. No slipping whatsoever with these chains, and I am plowing snow with a 7' rear blade, putting a lot more pressure to cause slipping. You can Google a video showing how to install them by letting the tractor do most of the work.

I have seen people recommend these guys elsewhere.....would love to chat with them.....their site seems like a business to business company, is there someone specific to contact there? I'll have to look into them more as I would love to shop local....and pick up is no problem.

 

[LouNY]

Do you need to operate on side-hills, or is most of your winter work straight up and down the hill?

I started off with 4-link V-bar, ladder-style chains on my rear tires (R4). It worked fine for going up and down my driveway, but lateral traction left a good bit to be desired. Because of that, they were not good to use on rough terrain or in the woods: I found myself sliding sideways, always at the worst times.

I switched to duo-grip chains with V-bars. These greatly improved the traction on side-hills and worked well both clearing snow from my driveway and working on rough terrain in the woods. However, the ride at even moderate speeds on hard ground felt like it was going to shake me (and the tractor) to pieces. Since I regularly need to drive the tractor some distance over the roads, the Duo-grip chains were just not an option for me. (I have filed rear tires. I've often wondered if it might have been acceptable with an air-filled tires, particularly air-filled Turf tires, which are more flexible than R4s.)

I ended up with the "euro-style" studded chains (OFA EKO 8, there are similar chains made by other manufacturers). Good forward and lateral traction, and great both off road and over the road. They nly downside is that they are more expensive than the other styles.

The last paragraph up there is what you need;
excellent traction, side grip, and a quality ride.
They will ride almost as smooth as not having chains on.
I have used 2 link and 4 link space v-bar and street chains and even old double ring chains the Euro style will beat all of the others hands down.

If you look for installation pictures and videos you can find some of just driving the chains on this is the easiest way to mount most any chain.