Chains chains on the front ?pro's & con's

[Gamemaster]

chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Being new to tractoring, last fall I got hung-up in the mud in the woods. got out of it ok. Have turfs & have decided to invest in chains. What is the pros and cons of chains on the front tires?. Don't know if it matters. So far, with reading all the replies it seems the 2-ladder chains are most fitting for turfs, but not sure about putting them on the front?.

 

[ronjhall]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Many 4WD tractors do not have enough clearance to put chains on the front. My B2910 is one of them. Check clearance on your tractor. In icy condition front chains may help. Here is a thread on the subject that should help. Click Here

 

[MMILLER]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I have a NH40 I run chains on my front R4's for added traction in winter. I asked my dealer and he told me that is what he would recommend. You might get the information you are looking for from your dealer.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Gamemaster -

I also have turfs (44x18 on 20" wheels) on my 5030 and have had great success with chains on the rear. Most of the time I'm running on snow, and the difference is amazing. The turfs without chains are still remarkably good in snow, but with the chains I can go almost anywhere. I can't really speak about turfs with chains in muddy conditions, but I'd agree with the consensus in Ron's thread that unless the mud is "bottomless", the chains are going to help.

I got my chains at tirechains.com and had to get single ladder - they don't offer double ladder in my size - but I'd probably recommend you get the doubles if you can. Also as mentioned in that thread, I'd just get them for the rears for now and see how that works for you. I have a feeling you won't think you need them for the fronts, although they would probably help with steering, and of course, provide a little more traction. That said, I've never felt much of a need to put them on the front.

John

 

[tposts]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Clearance is the big thing to be concerned with,you will get better traction with the chains on the front,the same reason you get better traction with a front wheel drive. I have run chains on the front of my tractor/4x4 Chevy and our mail man use to run them on the front of his Ford F-150.
I was at the local Land Rover dealership and picked up some brochures and they even show a Range Rover with the tire chains on the front.

 

[DaryleD]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I have been told by a tractor dealer that putting chains on the front would break something . Something about putting too much stress onto the front end . He said the front should spin a little instead . Is that true? Has anyone else heard of this? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I have chains on the back of my tc30 new holland and would like the idea of front chains due to a fairly steep driveway that I snow blow . I have had trouble at times turning crossways back up the hill without them. I love the rear chains. I believe they are the Valby chains ( the ones with the round blount spikes ). I have R4 tires
Daryle.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Daryle -

I believe there's a lot to what you said about the need for slippage, and about excess strain on the drive train. [As most everyone probably knows] MFWA (4WD) on tractors is different from "regular" 4WD in that the fronts are supposed to turn 1-2% faster than the rears ("lead"), hence the need to disengage the front axle on hard surfaces.

While you'd still get plenty of slipping with front and rear chains on snow or mud, I can see why it's probably best to have them on either the front or the rear, but not both, unless you need all the traction you can possibly get.

I've heard the same about putting chains on both the front and rear of 4WD pickups - just a little too tough on the drivetrain.

John

 

[scott_vt]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Mornin Daryle,
Yes, I have heard the same thing, in fact there was a post awhile back that got into the same discussion. The farmer up the road from me was the one who clued me in on NOT running chains all around. I dont have any specific documentation to support his claim, but suffice it to say I dont feel the need to test his advice /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

scotty

 

[keeney]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I found a compromise for me on my small JD 4100 was to put chains on the rear over the turf tires and then get an extra set of front wheels with ag-style tires in the same rolling radius as the front turfs that I had. The fronts, being smaller, are much cheaper for the extra set of wheels and tires.

The fronts are so easy to swap out using the FEL to lift that swapping the front wheels is quicker than the time I spend putting the chains on the back!

- Rick

 

[AKfish]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

How often does the snow, ice, mud, etc. conditions that you encounter during the year put you in a situation that extra traction is likely to be a problem? Does your tractor have rear differential lock? If the answer is only a few times and you've got diff lock then rear chains will generally get you out of 98% of the bad "weather deals" that you might get into.
I have chains on all 4 wheels. I don't use 4x4 all that often. I'm conscious of the possibility of additional torsional stresses, etc. on the front drive system when using 4-wheel drive and avoid higher operating speeds and short, cramped turns, etc. when the fronts are locked in. However, the chains help me immensely when turning on packed snow and ice as well as maintaining better steering control of the tractor when using the FEL and/or backblade.
I keep as much slack out of my chains as possible with bungy cords (gotta pay close attention to the hook ends). I also use clips that come with the chains to hook onto the bungy and clip every 6-8 inches along the outside on the chain to keep the bungy from dragging across your hubs, etc. The cords are configured like a box or square on the inside of the tire and thus keep the chain clear of snagging things.
A good friend replaced his front ring gear and pinion on his 790 a year or so ago. So, $1,400 dollars later, he'll tell you to leave the front's disengaged until you need it (or just before you're gettin' into something you know is gonna be sticky..) and use a measure of common sense. Hope this helps. AKfish

 

[haybaler9]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I just picked up a set of chains for my l4200. there skidder type chain, great in mud and ice. they will hurt the pavement a little if your not carefull. I would NEVER put chains on the front of a tractor.you front end won't last long.

 

[ksmmoto]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I have chains on both front and rear on my L3430. First winter 03/04 I didn't use chains, worked ok (I have a rear snowblower), but I did notice the front sliding a lot under certain snow conditions.

So I bought front chains from tirechains.com. Then I read on TBN about possible stress, etc. So I bought rear chains also. Most of the time when I snow blow I still use fwd. Still get some slippage even with chains, seems to be fine on the fwd.

I have photos.

ksmmoto

 

[ksmmoto]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Second Photo.

I am going to remove the overlapped links on the rear wheel chains. Rides kind of lumpy on the road. Don't notice it in snow.

Also I need chains for when the snow is deep (2 foot or more) out in the field.

ksmmoto

 

[rdbrumfield]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I can't imagine that putting chains on a 4X4 tractor would be a problem with the gear train as you are working on a slippery surface or you wouldn't need the chains.
As for working in deep mud and such, I built a set of tracks for mine. They work great, better floatation and traction. Wouldn't recommend them on ice though. As mentioned before, I had to widen the tires for the tractor to accept them. I made one for each wheel so you drive the tractor the same as normal. Initially I built them because I was getting flats from hawthorn trees that I was mowing and needed something to protect the tires. Never had anymore flats, added 2inches of ground clearance and never had to use the fwd. Only took a weekend to build and will last for as long as I am around.

 

[tawilson]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Sure would like to see a picture of that.

 

[Dirthog]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Can't say chains would hurt the front end have had 4 Kubota's and have run chains on the front of them all started with a 8200 and now have a L48 which I also use commericialy and have never had a bit of trouble with anyone of them and my L48 I have had it in deep enough I had to pull it out with the 27000# excavator

 

[jimmysisson]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

rd- have you posted pictures of those tracks? I'd like to see them. I've seen the ones on old 2wd farm tractors, just brake turns, I guess. Thanks
Jim

 

[WCarlson]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I have read all the posts saying that chains all around will damage the gear train. I have been using chains on all four for five winters without a problem. If you are using chains in snow and ice the chances of "winding up" the gear train are slim.
Bill

 

[JimR]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

I have a Cub Cadet 7275 with a loader on it. I run turfs on the rear and industrials on the front. I have a set of double ladder chains for the rear. I too was told not to run chains on the front tires. The fornt ends of these small tractors are not built to take a lot of stress in the gearing. Look at the size of the front shaft. It's nothing more than a toy shaft. I would hope that is the weak point and not the gears in the axle housing. To me it's not worth it to find out if the chains will be better. I have more than enough traction with just the rear chains and industrials on the front. I also keep my grader blade on in the winter for weight and for scraping my driveway after it snows.

 

[Woody_NH]

Re: chains on the front ?pro\'s & con\'s

Bill,
I agree. If the front drive train can't handle enough torque to make a chained wheel slip on ice, then the machine isn't worth much in general.

In my case with a steep driveway and frequent ice, it is a matter of chains all around or crash and burn. Chains all around work great on ice, no complaints from the machine.

Woody