Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Chains for Snow

[JDGreenGrass]

Howdy everyone.

First post and first time tractor owner. I've got a lot to learn and I hope you all can help.

I bought a JD770 used....'92 with 2500 hours and in real good shape. I have just 2 acres with a large driveway. Got sick of snowblowing so I moved up to the bucket. I live in Maine and the past 2 winters have been very white and very deep.

So, my tractor is 4wd but I wonder....will I need chains?? My rear tires are 12.4X16 Ags if that helps at all. I did purchase a 3pt. Carry All and I will use that loaded with firewood for rear weight.

I am thinking I will be better off with chains. If so, what style of chain....Just a double link or a chain with "picks"?

As you can tell I my terminology is lacking. Hey, cut me some slack....I'm a newb.

 

[irvingj]

My 3-1/2 cents.... I firmly believe a snowblower is much more efficient than a bucket- I bought my tractor specifically for that purpose, and have been very pleased. I take the FEL off in late fall, put the blower on, and seldom need the loader after that-- think I've put it on in the winter a couple of times only. (I'm assuming you've been using a walk-behind blower like I used to; there's really no comparison between that and a tractor-powered blower!!)

Concerning chains... I use my backhoe for rear ballast, and have not needed to use (yet) the chains I purchased for the rear when I bought the tractor. It has 4WD and turf tires.

With Ag tires, if you need/want chains, you need to have the type that will not simply sink in between the ribs- do a search on this forum and you'll find some great info concerning chains.

Welcome to TBN!

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Thank you for the post neighbor.

Yes, I have walked behind a snowblower for 20+ years.

I really want a snowblower for my tractor. I have only the rear PTO so it would hang off the back.

Savings needs to grow a bit before I invest.

 

[Thomas]

Welcome to TBN.
Not sure if your driveway slope/grade guessing you may places of ice,and chains will give that extra bite when plowing,also when pushing bank snow banks.

Dirt or tar driveway..spin the rear tire w/ice cleats/picks going to look bad on tar when warm weather returns

Chains well also come in handy year round..damp ground..slopes.

 

[Harvey7]

If your land is flat you won't need them, you may want more weight on the rear, firewood is not real heavy.

Harvey

 

[Egon]

Chains will help.

Think about two link ladder v bar type.

Note: Chains are expensive.

A site showing some chains:
Tractor Tire Chains and Tractor Chains by the Traction Specialists™

 

[kennyd]

If your land is flat you won't need them, you may want more weight on the rear, firewood is not real heavy.

Harvey

Agreed. Build or buy a ballast box and fill it with concrete.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Thanks for the replies.

My driveway is quite flat, just a short rise as I drive out. Recycled asphalt that has been there for several years. Will most likely rebuild the driveway with gravel either soon or next summer.

With this info I think I will wait and see if I need chains or not.

As for the weight in the rear my CarryAll platform is 40"x40" wide and "L" shaped with a 36" wall. 2 rows of 18" stacked wood. In other words....I can load a lot of firewood on it, though you may still be right in suggesting I need more weight.

Raining in central Maine today and up north they are getting up to 6" of snow. Here it comes.!!!!

 

[jimmyj]

Welcome to TBN. I agree with everybody. Our lane is about 400 feet and the first half is up quite a steep hill. Now that I have a 4wd tractor I never bother with chains any more.

1. Snowblower is by far the best, blow snow away once vs push it hundreds of feet and then pile it
2. Chains are always better than no chains if you come across some used or whatever
3. You probably don't need chains in your application (if you had 2wd a whole different story)
4. New chains are really expensive - I have both ladder type and the road boss type shown in Egon's link
5. Be careful with the FEL not to tear up your drive or the areas alongside. It takes a bit of practice

You are going to have a lot of fun!

 

[FxdGrMind]

Chains depend on how much "ICE" you let accumulate.

Some good practice with your FEL and you should be able to eliminate most of the ice and with the FEL... if you get stuck... you can use it to aid in traction. It takes some practice but if you have a HST, you can use the FEL to "Crawl" out of any predicament. I've only got stuck "REALY" once, in a ditch where trees blocked my ability to turn and "Crawl" out. Dumped the Brush hog and with a tow strap and tenssion I was able to "Crawl" out with the FEL and 4WD.

You may want a nice "large" rear blade to help in moving snow as a intermediate step before the "Blower". Granted the rear blade isn't good for 10"+ snow falls...

I turn mine arround and "Plow" backwards with the blade angled off to the side. My B7800 is 51" wide and the blade is 72". Plow the snow off to the side then use the FEL to stack it or push completely off the road... this is only good for so long though. If the stacks get big... you run out of room and a Blower is the only solution.

I'm still debating on the blower... we got 33" of snow over about 4 weeks and it was stacked "EVERYWHERE". Lucky for us that was the end of it and it melted away. If it happens again this year I'll be ordering a Blower next year.

 

[ToadHill]

I use then on my ford 8N and it needs them for traction. On my DK35 Kioti I have the rear tires loaded and with the weight of a rear blower I don't need them. My drive is on a pretty steep hill and I still haven't needed chains to navigate it.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

You don't how bad I want the blower off the back end.

Recommendations for a 60" 3pt. snowblower please. I am finding just a couple local that are used in the $1500 range. Sound about right.??

 

[LBrown59]

Thanks for the replies.


With this info I think I will wait and see if I need chains or not.

Great decision .
Chains are a PITA to install/remove,
You probably won't need them anyway so why have them laying around doing nothing with money tied up in them .

 

[FxdGrMind]

JDGreen

Keep an eye out on ebay.. you may find what you are looking for.

4 days left on this one... (too far away for me) 72"... maybe to big too.

3 pt Snow Blower - eBay (item 120482566889 end time Oct-26-09 08:52:51 PDT)

 

[JDGreenGrass]

JDGreen

Keep an eye out on ebay.. you may find what you are looking for.

4 days left on this one... (too far away for me) 72"... maybe to big too.



Just a bit too big and too far but, I will keep an eye on ebay.

Thanks.

 

[sal64]

hello i agree with u prob dont need chains if your drivway is flat with 4w ,i bought a set of vbar for my jd990 not for driving through the snow never had to much prob with that.but after i make 1 sweap with plow that is when i have no traction the ground is frozen feals like im on a slead without chains.

 

[ScottyChip]

Hi and welcome to the club, if never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge is on this site. I have to agree, you will probably not need the chains. I have the R4 industrial tires a gravel drive that I get a good base on first and use a pto blower. A couple of time I have lost traction while trying to blow up a good grade at the top of my driveway. Now, I just make sure that I remove all the snow in small sections as I blow down the hill, then if the hill is covered in ice I have some wiggle room. Try things out for 1 season and you will know exactly what you need for next year.

 

[bpattie]

i had an older JD 2WD that served well for a lot of years, never had chains but wish I had. 2WD presented some challenges more than a few times, especially with big wet snows like we get in Spring and Early Winter. bought a Kubota L2800 late Spring and today was it's first real taste of Winter. We had maybe 10 inches on warm ground and it got down to 22 last night. no problems starting with maybe 20 seconds of glow plug. Tried to start out in 2WD (actually 1 WD) and did ok until I got too much snow on the rear blade so switched to 4WD and did the did the rest. I have R4's, about 700 feet of drive plus road to the back and used the rear blade backwards and it did a great job leaving between a 1/2 inch and an inch of snow that will quickly melt and the gravel drive is intact, the old 2WD with AG tires would have slipped in spots and torn up the gravel and dirt below being wet. Now I know I did not experience any ice but was a little anxious with all the debates on AG vs R4. Was happy with it this Summer and be it little experience thus far happy with it clearing snow.

 

[DieselnHooters]

JDGreen

If your driveway is no longer than say a couple hundred feet you will do fine with just the FEL, if its much longer than that then look into a blower, money better spent then on tire chains, especially if your drive is level.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Thank you for the post neighbor.

Yes, I have walked behind a snowblower for 20+ years.

I really want a snowblower for my tractor. I have only the rear PTO so it would hang off the back.

Savings needs to grow a bit before I invest.

There are front blowers out there that are powered off the rear PTO.

here is just one example... Front Mount Kits