Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Cutting / Groving / Siping R-4 for snow

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

Thanks WALT for the timely reply.

Ordered the Ideal Tire Groover from Amazon. For chains and spacers I was in for $740 minimum (did some more shopping around) plus the bi-annual commitment to put the chains on and take them off. Ultimately, I figured I might want to groove the front tires eventually for better steering and grab in 4WD so I figured I may as well just start there...

Grandman's old posts seemed to indicate he was happy with the grooves on the driveway but needed more grab in the woods. Lou's feedback on Talons vs MPCs made me wonder if the MPCs would be all-purpose enough for my needs. Local Kubota dealer said they only sell a set of chains or two a year so probably not something I NEED right now in my area.

Will post back with pics when completed.

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

Test run on a pair of shoes, grooves and siping with blade turned over.

 

[chim]

Looks terrific! You'll be really happy with the added traction. A real benefit is that since you won't need chains, you won't need to add spacers to your ankles for clearance issues.

 

[avc8130]

Test run on a pair of shoes, grooves and siping with blade turned over.

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Brilliant!

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

First rear completed. Heater buddy makes a big difference.

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

Rear #2 complete

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

Front #1 complete. Much easier than rears.

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

Final tire. All posts real time. If you have an option, do this on a hot sunny summer day.

Groovy!!!

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

Got the iron too hot at some point.

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

First run: 2 inches of fresh powder on a bed of ice. MUCH better traction. Slipped laterally a couple times but not enough to consider additional grooves just yet. Was able to move snow up some grades I’ve never been able to climb with a loaded blade before.