Snow Chain Recommendation

[fishhead]

Having been down a similar path with chains- i agree that euro style beat the others by far

 

[LD48750]

Having been down a similar path with chains- i agree that euro style beat the others by far

Including price.

 

[John_Mc]

Having been down a similar path with chains- i agree that euro style beat the others by far

Including price.

They do cost more than other styles (understandable, since there is more to them). But some of us had to find out the hard way that it's far less expensive to buy one pair of chains than to end up buying 3 pairs. I guess the upside is that after having used all three styles on the same tractor, I ended up with a good idea of the differences between the three.

I'm not saying that Euro-style chains are the only chains for everyone. However, for my use (plowing an icy driveway with a steep hill, using in our hilly woods on side-hills and rough terrain, and driving over the road for several miles or on hard ground on a regular basis) there is absolutely no comparison. Yes, I did that with my ladder chains, and with my Duo-Grip chains, it's just a whole lot easier with the Euro-style chains. I don't have to choose between driving at half speed or shaking myself and the tractor to pieces when on roads or hard ground, I don't find the rear end sliding sideways and leaving me stuck against a tree when operating on sidehills in the woods, and I don't have the tractor get pushed sideways when following a winding woods trail while towing a heavy load downhill. The loop in our driveway near the house was freshly paved last summer. I mostly stayed off of it with the tractor if the chains were on in the heat of the summer. This winter, I've been on it after each snow. Because of the continuous good traction, I have not left any marks from these chains, despite the studs.

I gave my brother my 4-link V-bar ladder chains, and he is quite happy with them. They are well suited for his needs, and easy to get on and off once you know the technique. He clears his own driveway and a couple of neighbors with his loader. He does occasionally take his tractor into the woods, but his ground is much more level.

The V-bar Duo-Grip chains have been sitting in my garage for several years now, waiting for me to get around to selling them. They were only used 5 or 6 times. The forward and lateral traction was very good, but the first time I made my 5 mile run to another property, I knew I could not keep them. For someone without the need to operate at higher speeds on hard ground, they might be perfectly fine.

I have never tried double ring chains on this tractor. The farmers around here tell me they are the best in mud or in the clay soils found in some areas around here. Since I generally avoid working in my woods in those conditions, I've never felt the need to try them.

 

[hube2]

I did a lot of research and reading threads about chains on this site before making a decision and I went with studded euro style chains. The decision was based on how much ice I know that I can get depending on the year. I was not disappointed in the performance and the studs to a very good job of breaking up sheets of ice.

 

[TractorTYMe]

Good for you Yooperdave, I have the V-bar per 2 link chains up front. And they were 140 shipped and change. So far they really help on my non studded Duo h-pattern rear chains. But I think I'm going to upgrade to Trygg or Aqualine chains in the rear, my driveway is nasty heading onto the highway. I have very little fender clearance in the rear tho.

I made a drone video snow blowing here, and here you'll see the section where I come out on the driveway. Hard to see the downslope, but you'll get the picture.

 

[LouNY]

Nice video.
I don't think that you will have any clearance issues with the Trygg or Aqualine chains it looks like the dou grips clear good.

They are a fairly low profile chain.
And you will be amazed at how much better the grip is.

 

[Clayak]

Diamond shaped with V-bar on the rear and regular chains on the front. Something about front tires turn a bit faster than the rear tires so so slippage is needed or the transmission is eventually damaged. Just what I hear. Don't know for sure.

 

[LouNY]

They do cost more than other styles (understandable, since there is more to them). But some of us had to find out the hard way that it's far less expensive to buy one pair of chains than to end up buying 3 pairs. I guess the upside is that after having used all three styles on the same tractor, I ended up with a good idea of the differences between the three.

I'm not saying that Euro-style chains are the only chains for everyone. However, for my use (plowing an icy driveway with a steep hill, using in our hilly woods on side-hills and rough terrain, and driving over the road for several miles or on hard ground on a regular basis) there is absolutely no comparison. Yes, I did that with my ladder chains, and with my Duo-Grip chains, it's just a whole lot easier with the Euro-style chains. I don't have to choose between driving at half speed or shaking myself and the tractor to pieces when on roads or hard ground, I don't find the rear end sliding sideways and leaving me stuck against a tree when operating on sidehills in the woods, and I don't have the tractor get pushed sideways when following a winding woods trail while towing a heavy load downhill. The loop in our driveway near the house was freshly paved last summer. I mostly stayed off of it with the tractor if the chains were on in the heat of the summer. This winter, I've been on it after each snow. Because of the continuous good traction, I have not left any marks from these chains, despite the studs.

I gave my brother my 4-link V-bar ladder chains, and he is quite happy with them. They are well suited for his needs, and easy to get on and off once you know the technique. He clears his own driveway and a couple of neighbors with his loader. He does occasionally take his tractor into the woods, but his ground is much more level.

The V-bar Duo-Grip chains have been sitting in my garage for several years now, waiting for me to get around to selling them. They were only used 5 or 6 times. The forward and lateral traction was very good, but the first time I made my 5 mile run to another property, I knew I could not keep them. For someone without the need to operate at higher speeds on hard ground, they might be perfectly fine.

I have never tried double ring chains on this tractor. The farmers around here tell me they are the best in mud or in the clay soils found in some areas around here. Since I generally avoid working in my woods in those conditions, I've never felt the need to try them.

Nice write up, my first chains I used back in the late 50's on a WD Allis were double rings that was about all you saw for tractor tire chains back then. Much better traction but we never got above 2nd gear or it would bounce you out of the seat.

 

[LouNY]

Diamond shaped with V-bar on the rear and regular chains on the front. Something about front tires turn a bit faster than the rear tires so so slippage is needed or the transmission is eventually damaged. Just what I hear. Don't know for sure.

I suppose that could be a possibility,I wouldn't be overly concerned about the issue. I certainly haven't had any issues in that regard.

 

[sea2summit]

I'm doing my research. Anyone running the double ring style?