Put my Chains on Today

[RickB]

Serviced the finish mower, unhooked it today. Brought the snow blower in from the lean-to and set it on a dolly in the enclosed barn and hooked up the back blade and pinned on the front plow. probably clean up the zeroturn and put it to bed and mount chains on the plow tractor tomorrow. I always like to be ready for snow by Thanksgiving, and next weekend i have to work.....

Photo is from last winter.

 

[Dead Horse]

Chains on the front for plowing is tough on the front drive line, especially if on hilly property. I stopped using chains on the front of my 3710 after replacing a front wheel bearing set. I still have them and would use them only in an instance where the drive (half mile long, up 300' of elevation) turns into a toboggan run due to rain in the winter. I use the 3710 with a sander on the back in that rare instance and go slow and steady in any event. No more plowing with that tractor. I finally got an old F 350 franken truck with a plow. Plowing snow in a heated cab is a wonderous thing.

 

[jimmydolittle]

I put the chains on today. This type chain is supposed to be sloppy so it can walk around the tire. You are supposed to be able to fit your balled up fist between the side chain and the tire sidewall when they are right. But after 8 years mine were getting really to sloppy. I had to cut off 2 links of length (circumference) to get them back where they should be.

Out of curiosity I wondered how much wear that was. If each link had 10 thousands (.010) worn off at each end it would account for little more than 2 links worth of stretch around the tire circumference. Seems reasonable for 8 years I guess.

That's odd, my JD dealer told me I should deflate the tires, install the chains, then re-inflate the tires. Must be a difference in the two types.

 

[tcreeley]

My chains went on yesterday. At least there was not snow on the ground like there has been the last two years as I kept putting it off. I just lay out the chains on the ground, tire at a time. I drive the rear tire over them centered to the 2/3 mark. Then I lift the chains up on one side of the tire, using the lugs to hold them. I work one side up all the way, then do the same to the other side. When both are up, I can usually hook them on the first link. Then I go back and work out the slack to gain another two links. I use one bungy because I want to be sure that the locking clip does not come into contact with the sidewall. One bungy takes care of this.

 

[kubota newbie]

When do you usually remove the chains from your tractor?

 

[Wolfy]

Sometime in early spring.

 

[dave1949]

When do you usually remove the chains from your tractor?

Around mid to late April. As the weather warms and the frost comes out of the ground it's too mucky to use the tractor even if there is no snow. It would just cut a bunch of ruts in my dirt lanes. There's normally several weeks in there when the tractor will sit with or without chains. For folks with livestock to tend year-round, that would be different.

 

[EdwardSeeley]

I do all of my forestry work in the winter with my farmi winch and use BABAC rough stud single diamond forestry chains on front and back of my new holland TN70, absolutely no safe way to do it otherwise if you have any hills and icy skid roads. These chains do do not slip on anything but deep snow. They are heavy and take time to put on, but have had no tractor problems with over 10 winters using them. I have to put down plywood on my shop floor to keep the concrete from getting wrecked when they are on. You can't use them on blacktop or road surfaces with out tearing the road up.

 

[crazyal]

I have the same chains Gordon, probably bought them at the same place (Irasburg). I run mine tight and never had an issue with traction. After 4 years they show no signs of wear at all. I think they make the ride a little harsher though. I use to run the chains on my plow truck loose but I didn't like the loose chain noise, they seamed to be wearing pretty quickly, and I needed to put springs on them to keep them from falling off. So now I run all my chains tight.

 

[crazyal]

Chains on the front for plowing is tough on the front drive line, especially if on hilly property. I stopped using chains on the front of my 3710 after replacing a front wheel bearing set. I still have them and would use them only in an instance where the drive (half mile long, up 300' of elevation) turns into a toboggan run due to rain in the winter. I use the 3710 with a sander on the back in that rare instance and go slow and steady in any event. No more plowing with that tractor. I finally got an old F 350 franken truck with a plow. Plowing snow in a heated cab is a wonderous thing.

My drive is about as long and goes up at least 200'. Any time it would melt I would be out sanding. Last year I started using the grading scraper (A box blade would work as well). I just use the ripping shanks with the top link really short and they do a good job of breaking up the ice. Of course I have a gravel drive, I wouldn't try it with pavement.

I've never had a problem steering with my brakes so I've never felt I needed front chains. I don't go into the woods too often and usually the snow cover prevents the ground from freezing so chains really don't help me.