Front tire chains

[BigGary]

I have read the posts about the need for more traction moving snow with a tractor and loader and or back blade.
The don't put chains on the front tires because the front end components are not strong enough to handle the added strain of the increased traction school of thought does not add up in my opinion.
Just think of the stress that a fully loaded loader bucket with the tractor climbing a 20% grade in a tight corner with the wheels turned fully in say, loose bank gravel would put on a front end.
Now think of the same tractor with chains on the front tires on snow with the owner operator in the seat moving snow.
Unless you would be smashing into an ice pile of melted and refrozen snow in high range I don't see how you could put too much stress on the front end with snow on the ground.
The best vee bar chains will spin with less stress on the drive components on snow and ice than trying to load the bucket into a pile of gravel.
These are my opinions and I welcome others that are backed up with logic and not just what the " common opinion is "
What do you guys say? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[PBinWA]

Although it would be nice to have chains on all four wheels, I think you are right. I just have front v-bar chains and for the light duty snow work I have to do they are fine. I can't see that much added stress. However, if I was doing a lot of snow removal for extended periods of time then I could see the value of all four wheels.

I think it all depends on how hard you are going to work your machine. I know that I probably baby mine.

 

[thcri]

I think they say no chains to cover themselves for everything you do. In other words in snow your probably ok, but if your trying to shovel manure or dirt with your FEL it may be a problem. I am sure if comes not from a weight issue but a traction issue. So why differ?? They just say NO Chains. I have the R4 tires and my driveway is concrete right now with an inch of ice. I would not be afraid of putting chains on. Especially with a loader you loose a lot of traction on your back tires even with counter weight. But if you do have problems with your front end and the dealer knows you had chains on your front, you will void the warranty.

murph

 

[jswisc]

I assume you've already found a need for chains, but this is my first winter with my tractor. I wasn't sure how I would do w/o chains. Here in southern Wisconsin we received 13" last Friday night. I have a gravel drive and a paved drive. Both are hilly. With the 5' fel and a 5' box I don't think I spun a wheel. I've also used it with ice coating the ground and did just fine w/o chains. On the other hand, the snow was pretty light in moisture content.

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

JMHO....It would seem far more damaging to be slipping and sliding around with insufficient traction, than the (supposed) added strain of tire chains on the front end. I doubt you could get MORE traction on snow and ice, with chains, than you would on DRY GROUND, under normal conditions.

CONTROL = saftey.....

Likw I said, JMHO. John

 

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I assume you've already found a need for chains, but this is my first winter with my tractor. )</font>

This is my third winter with my tractor. My driveway is a concrete driveway with a pretty steep hill to it. I have never had a need for chains except for two times. Example the snow storm you got last friday we also got. 14" to be exact. However a week before we got rain to the point that I had a sheet of ice 1" thick. And I mean 1" thick. I put down 200 lbs of salt to try and break it up and alls I got was these stupid little holes where the salt worked its way down. Then we got the storm you were talking about. I did plow the first night of the storm twice, but the next day the wind came up and I had drifts of 4 ft in my driveway and them drifts were as hard as rock. This is where I had trouble was getting through the drifts and getting back up the steep hill. I don't know why them drifted snow got so hard but it did, I can't remember snow ever being that hard. And the ice underneath did not help. So there chains would have been good and I don't think I would have hurt the front end at all.

All in all I probably would not go out and buy chains for the two times I have needed them.

murph

 

[rameye]

I got fronts only...as a reccomendation from the dealer. He ordered em up for me for my new from him tractor.

I wanted 4 wheel chains..he said nope..that'll stress the drive train too much. Fronts only or bye bye warranty.

They work well...glad I have them. Driveway is steeeep /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif and often icy.

ram

 

[John_Mc]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( JMHO....It would seem far more damaging to be slipping and sliding around with insufficient traction, than the (supposed) added strain of tire chains on the front end. I doubt you could get MORE traction on snow and ice, with chains, than you would on DRY GROUND, under normal conditions. )</font>

Personally, I don't think it's just the matter of having more traction on the front end. It's having more traction on both the front and the rear. Since the gear ratios never perfectly match the tires' rolling circumference ratios, you are working them against each other. The more traction you get, the more stress this puts on the drive train.

Is this a problem using straight ladder chains on pure ice? Probably not. Could it be a problem if you had Valby Ice Chains on both front and rear? I'd say yes. How much extra wear and tear it creates for you is a matter of what style chains you have, and what you are driving on. Few people drive on ice and deep snow 100% of the time when their chains are on. What happens when you're not in these conditions? What happens when your chains are running on that almost rock-hard frozen gravel drive? Extra wear.

I think this is why a lot of dealers will say that if you insist on putting chains on your front tires, leave them off the rears.

Another reason some tractors say "no chains on the front" is that they just don't have the clearance for them under all driveing and cornering conditions.

John Mc

 

[moeh1]

I've got turfs and with the snowblower on the back, I can't steer without chains. I put an old set of car chains on the front, and they aren't very agressive, so I wasn't worried. If the machine is front light like me, you aren't likely to get dangerous loading on the front end. The back chains seem to do the driving. I agree that its important that I am the only operator and I don't push the machine to a point where I expect trouble.

 

[stevepio]

I have ladder chains on all 4 tires (turfs). When I'm moving snow and using 4wd, I pay attention to the amount of load I am putting on the drive train. For example, going straight down the drive with the back blade angled, I use 4wd. To make the tight u-turn on the street to come back, I disengage the 4wd. Then I'm dragging logs down muddy trails in the woods, I engage 4wd. When I have the same log on the dry gravel road, I disengage 4wd. But I leave the chains on almost all year because I keep getting into spots where I'd need a winch otherwise!