Duo combination Ladder-2link ladder-or Reinfoced european net for the fronts

[grm61]

Duo combination Ladder, 2link ladder, or Reinfoced european net chains for the fronts on my tractor? (10-16.5 R4)

I've decided on the Duo combination ladder for the rears, I dont want V bar, don't want to damage the road. (14.9-24 R4)

Thanks

 

[94BULLITT]

Some people say you should not run chains on the front and others say it is okay. I have mixed feelings about front chains.

I would not want to run chains on all 4 tires. A little slippage will keep you from breaking something. I would go with a less aggressive chain on the front like 4 or 2 link spacing.

 

[FatTire]

I'm not sure why a modern 4WD tractor couldn't handle front chains. Running chains on all 4 is typical on the full range of Mercedes Unimogs, even with locking FRONT and rear differentials. Is a new Kuobota (or Deere, Kioti, NH, etc.) "less tough" than a 1962 Unimog?

Last year I ran chains on my Kubota on rear only, this year I'm going all 4, and the front are pretty aggresive. (I'm on dirt only, closest pavement is 5 miles away.) Will post if I have any problems, now or in the future.

 

[Oliver1655]

It looks like your Mercedes Unimog has the same size tires on the front & rear. Concern is when the front & rear tires are different sizes & you are operating on a surface which will not allow some slippage. The slippage will help to compensate for not having a perfect mach for gearing/tire rotation in 4 wheel drive r/t tire size & gearbox differences. I don't know how much of a problem this is today with all the computerized engineering at this time, but when they first came out many years ago, the dealers would emphasize you should make sure to take it out of 4 wheel drive while driving down the road to prevent damaging the drive systems.

 

[grm61]

I'm not sure why a modern 4WD tractor couldn't handle front chains. Running chains on all 4 is typical on the full range of Mercedes Unimogs, even with locking FRONT and rear differentials. Is a new Kuobota (or Deere, Kioti, NH, etc.) "less tough" than a 1962 Unimog?

Last year I ran chains on my Kubota on rear only, this year I'm going all 4, and the front are pretty aggresive. (I'm on dirt only, closest pavement is 5 miles away.) Will post if I have any problems, now or in the future.
View attachment 341468

Why are you going to chain the front of the Kubota?
I'm halfway thinking about just doing the rear and seeing how it does.

 

[94BULLITT]

Why are you going to chain the front of the Kubota?
I'm halfway thinking about just doing the rear and seeing how it does.

I think for the most part you will be okay with out chains but rear chains should be more than enough.

 

[crazyal]

Get rear chains and use the split brakes to help steering for this winter. I think you're going to find that you don't need the front chains.

 

[FatTire]

Why are you going to chain the front of the Kubota?
I'm halfway thinking about just doing the rear and seeing how it does.

Good question. My situation is probably not typical. We live in an area with only moderate snow depths (1 to 3 feet on the ground most of the winter) but very high winds almost weekly. For snows deeper than about 6-8 inches I like to use the Unimog blower to avoid creating side banks. The Kubota's role is to break into tough drifts before using the Unimog and clean up/scrape the driveway (rear blade). With no chains, using the tractor really gets pushed around laterally when using the rear blade, especially if the blade is set with any offset. (Blade is 84", so without offset it doesn't reach beyond the rear tires when angled). Most of that movement goes away with chains on the rear. I have a pair of chains that should fit the front with little or no modification.
I think it could help in several situations. The main one is when operating very close to the edge of an embankment or ditch, where even a small slide to the side would be scary, or worse. A second situation is when trying to cut into large, hard-packed drifts. In that case the tractor's wheels often slip even with the rears chained (and diff locked), so it will be interesting to see what its like with the front chains (sort of going from 2 drive wheels to 3, depending on the weight distribution, etc.). These drifts can be very hard. Picture having difficulty breaking into them with a dirt shovel. (Seriously.) I wanted to try those front chains last winter but never had time to install them. Maybe I should spend less time on TBN?