IH674 front tires with studs

[1stDeuce]

Rib tires SUCK on snow and ice. Switch to an R1 or good truck tires and you'll see some improvement. The weight of the blower is only an issue when you're carrying it, so if that is when you have your concern, do move it closer as a first step. Adding weight to the front would be the second step, as a light front is never going to turn well regardless of tire. It's really easy to shorten most PTO shafts, so pulling the blower as close as possible is always a good idea. Even if you have to cut and re-weld the shaft, it's cheap to have done if you're not capable. Balance is not terribly critical with a max 540RPM shaft...

I use cheap ice screws from ebay (hex screws with a hardened head) and while I have lost one or two by late spring when I finally take them out, they are the best $20 I ever spent for ice traction. I would recommend the 3/4"-ish length ones as being safe for most tires and holding pretty well. Adding some diamond or H pattern tire chains would also help, but only if you've got some weight on the front.

Running chains or studs 1/4 mile down a likely somewhat snow covered road will not wear them out too quickly or hurt the road. While running a car with chains or studs on bare pavement may be illegal, I would not think you would get stopped for a tractor running them. If your local LE is really a bunch of munches who end up stopping you, just pull the chain off the pavement side and run one on the ditch side only. I highly doubt you'll ever have an issue with LE being that bored...