Large R1 Rear Tire chains Good Options

[RedNeckRacin]

SO I have been browsing tire chains for my rear tires (16.9-24 R1 ) since I went for a fun ride last year on a steep hill when my rear end passed my front end on a hill even though the bucket was dug in. Anyways, I have v-bar duo's from tirechains.com on the front and I did an at home modification to tighten up the pattern. This didn't do a lot for keeping my rear end planted. SO before this winter hits, I want to get a set for the rears.

I'm somewhat shying away from the duo's since they seemed to only be moderately helpful on the fronts. I ran them tightly which I think was part of the problem, but I came across an inexpensive set of bear paws on the net for a great price but I'm worried they will ride rougher than I can tolerate in the shale driveway. Tearing up the driveway is of little concern. I was asked several times last year to pull some cars out of the ditch on an icy hill next to my field but I declined since I didn't want to go for a ride again.

I guess my question would be how rough are the bear paws? How close do the rings need to be to work well? When are they worn out? Would I be better off going with 2 link v-bar ladder chains? Duo grip ladder with v-bars? Aquiline mpc talons? I'm not too fond of the dual ring chains for some reason. I don't think they would hold well on the side slopes I get into.

Main jobs in the winter will be feeding round bales in the hilly pastures, clearing snow, and retrieving the people (who come for the business) out of the ditches. The R-1's have little wear on them so Chains falling between the lugs are a big factor. IF I had r-4's I already know what I would go with but the r-1's are a little tougher to decide on. I run a set of 2 link v-bars on the r-4's on my Kubota and they work fantastic, but even when the chains drop in between the lugs, the links are still tall enough to stand above them.

Any thoughts? For as expensive as the larger chains on, I壇 really like to buy one set only and not have to modify them.

 

[oosik]

I use V-bar chains - front & rear in the winter if the driveway ( 1 mile long and with deep valley in the middle) gets really icy. I have Goodyear R-1 tires front(9.5-24) & rear(16.9-28). It has to get really treacherous on the driveway before I put the chains on. Its the rears that are a bugger. Very heavy & difficult to get tight. Both of my highway vehicles are 4WD so no problems with the driveway. I have never seen or heard of the other types you mention - the V-bar have always done the job.
I would think that winter running with chains only on the front would be rather dicy. I can see my hiney passing me a lot on steep hills etc. I know the V-bars make the ride CONSIDERABLY rougher than no chains and to counter this rough ride I simply go slower. Actually - since I'm retired - and never have to go anywhere right away - a lot of time I will simply wait until conditions change and the icy driveway can be plowed without chains on the tractor. I really dislike putting those monsters on the rear tires!!

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I hear you about handling the chains, but being a younger guy, the weight is really only an inconveince for not sliding into a ravine. :thumbsup: The other types I mentioned can be viewed on tirechains.com or by looking at tirechainsrequired.com. The "bear paw" type looks like a set of tires chains with a large ring and 4 cleats per ring running down the center of the tire tread. There are then anywhere from 8-15 rings on the chains depending on tire size and spacing. I was trying to be cheap only running tire chains on the fronts and it certainly was not enough traction for my needs. My main concern with standard ladder style chains would be the chains falling down inbetween the lugs since they are spaced so far apart. Granted i know that all of the cross chains won't do this, but all it takes is a foot or two of circumference for tthis to lineup on an you might as well not even have chains on.


The bear paw (skidder type chains) looks to be super aggressive and would be great in the fields when I gotta feed hay, but if they ride like a square wheel I'm really not that interested. I'm long past the $500-$1000 i'm going to have to spend for the chains, the peace of mind will be well worth it. And since the chains will likely last 10 years, its really not that expensive. I'm just really unsure about which ones perform well since I'm not just concerned with plowing snow.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

These are what I have been refering to as "bear paws"


tirechains.comThese list the brand specific names to tirechains.com and show pictures.

 

[Kioti Tom]

Last winter, I was using the Duo-Grip Combination (ladder) and cleaning ice off a 35 Degree slope drive
with my boxblade while going uphill. I like them, even if they are heavy and a bear to put on. found a
way tho. Jack tire up. Tied the chain end on thru the wheel rim opening and then turn the tire.
I don't have any chains for the front. I am not in a position to need them. YET !!!!. :laughing:

Good Luck with your choice.:thumbsup:

Tom

 

[FatTire]

I think the bear paw style would do well for you if you don't mind the installation. Ladder style would help, but less than optimum.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Are the bear paws a pretty rough ride when the ground is frozen though? My only other downside to the bear paws would be If I ever have to go down the road for something, Its going to be pretty easy to follow my tracks! Are the aqualine talons pretty good in mud as well?

 

[FatTire]

I'd guess the basic chain layout is not rougher than the duo's, but as soon as you add anything for ice (v-bar) it will roughen up. I see big skidders running talons, so probably good in the dirt.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Around here what you call bear paws are called Canadian chains or ring chains. They work well as long as they have good corks standing up from the rings. When the corks wear down just weld on new ones 5/8" bolts about 1-1/2 inches long work well six or eight to a ring. Not something you want to ride a long way down a paved road with but you can slow down as has been suggested.
I like these better but they are pricey.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Would it be worth fixing up a set of ring chains or just getting the talons up front? I'm leaning towards the talons since they look like great ice chains.

 

[RickB]

The same style you have in front will give as good of a grip or better on ice than those bear paws.
Double ring chains are always a good option on R-1 tires.
There comes a point where you are spending exponentially more dollars to gain marginal performance improvements.
An awful lot about getting around to care for cattle in winter is how you go about getting where you need to be, and making better choices about the necessity of getting to certain places at all.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Would it be worth fixing up a set of ring chains or just getting the talons up front? I'm leaning towards the talons since they look like great ice chains.

To me that would come down to the price and condition of each set. A like new of either type would be better then a worn out set of the other.
My personal preference is to have the most aggressive chains on the rear and something less or no chains at all on the front. That is to let the fronts have their ten percent rotation advantage without the chains binding things up and stressing the front axle parts when you get down to the hard going.
I don't have enough experience yet with a 4WD tractor in the snow to say that my current plan works the best but so far (one winter) it seems to be working for me.

 

[arrow]

Would it be worth fixing up a set of ring chains or just getting the talons up front? I'm leaning towards the talons since they look like great ice chains.

Since you always ride on the chain part, Talons would probably be the smoothest riding. I have 2 link ladders and they are not smooth. We used ring chains on our skidders and they were quite smooth (well, as far as a skidder can be smooth) Different beast all together as you only knew you had chains on by seeing them and hearing them. Just the rings were 10" across.

 

[arrow]

Double ring chains are always a good option on R-1 tires.
.

If I know what you are talking about, do you mean those chains with a couple set of rings attached to their cross chains on every cross chain? If you are, I can tell you right now that they are terrible on ice but real good in mud.

 

[RickB]

If I know what you are talking about, do you mean those chains with a couple set of rings attached to their cross chains on every cross chain? If you are, I can tell you right now that they are terrible on ice but real good in mud.

I mean double ring chains. Anyone that sells tire chains will call them that. I've used them for 40 years, there's not much you can teach me about them. Your opinion, of course, may not agree with mine.

 

[arrow]

I mean double ring chains. Anyone that sells tire chains will call them that. I've used them for 40 years, there's not much you can teach me about them. Your opinion, of course, may not agree with mine.

I'm not trying to teach you a thing. I am curious however as to why you've had success with these and on ice, i've had not so much. Maybe I'm trying to teach myself. It may have something to do with the size of the chain itself on larger R1 tires. My use has been with smaller tires with these. They are even purported to be good on ice but that has not been my experience. My opinion is formed by experience as is yours. As to why our experiences have differed probably gets to the crux of the matter. If the op is looking for smoothness, these are not the chains he's looking for.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Double ring chains are a whole different critter then Canadian or Bear Paw chains. I apologize if I entered some confusion there. Double rings are good chains for the money and better if you need to work on pavement some.
tractor tire chains

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Fellas,

I appreciate all the opinions, honestly. I basically have to climb hills in the winter time to feed round bales. I have as direct of a route to the feeders as possible. I do try to move them close to the access gets but its still not on flat land so a different path Pavement is a small concern but it is there (not my driveway but a township road) since quite often some individuals get stuck trying to climb the hill on the township road up to my driveway for the barn.

Double ring chains are certainly the most cost effective IIRC, they just dont seem like the would hold well on a side slope that well. The talons look excellent for pure ice, but i'm not sure of their traction in mud? I think "bear paws" or big ring chains if you will, were just a pipedream since I saw a cheap set on craigslist. Maybe I should just stay consistant and get the v-bar duo's on the rears as well to keep equal traction?

 

[arrow]

Double ring chains are certainly the most cost effective IIRC, they just dont seem like the would hold well on a side slope that well.

I have found this to be true. They seem to "skate" more sideways than standard chain. There are several things I do not like about the duo's primarily the large gap between link sets trying to achieve a centered chain joinery. You can get a cross over for these however that mitigates this gap. .. If you find yourself on icy side hills then vbars and Aquilines come into play. Personally? I think a set of 2 link ladder chains would do you. They grip well on ice even w/o vbars. If you are concerned, there is a "square" link that is more expensive that grips ice even more. There is enough chain with 2 link to ride proud on lugs and they are smoother riding than 4 link. The truth of the matter is any chain helps tremendously including 4 link ladder. When particular preferences, conditions and tire sizes come into play, that's when choices need to be honed.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I have found this to be true. They seem to "skate" more sideways than standard chain. There are several things I do not like about the duo's primarily the large gap between link sets trying to achieve a centered chain joinery. You can get a cross over for these however that mitigates this gap. .. If you find yourself on icy side hills then vbars and Aquilines come into play. Personally? I think a set of 2 link ladder chains would do you. They grip well on ice even w/o vbars. If you are concerned, there is a "square" link that is more expensive that grips ice even more. There is enough chain with 2 link to ride proud on lugs and they are smoother riding than 4 link. The truth of the matter is any chain helps tremendously including 4 link ladder. When particular preferences, conditions and tire sizes come into play, that's when choices need to be honed.

Well that was my basic theory/thought behind this thread. Large ag tires are a unique area. My conditions are not exactly straight forward for the most part. I have the Duo-V-bars on the fronts and I actually bought extra patterns to minimize this gap. In the process I bent the snot out of a pair of "HD" chain pliers. But thats another story. I was not even debating about 4 link chains and I basically rate those with the double ring, better than nothing but less than ideal. I think I'm limited to v-bar 2 link's or duo ladder v-bars for my options along with the much priceir Talons. The longevity of the v-bars are worth the extra expense IMO. Thanks for the respone arrow.

I guess the problem was I was looking for a decision between 2 link v bar ladders, v-bar duo grip with cross chains, or the aquiline talons. I have pretty much decided against the bear paw/ring style due to the occassional need to travel down the township road.