Snow Thinking snow already...

[B7500]

I plan on ordering a rear mounted snowblower for my B7500. Will I need to also buy chains or will my filled R4's be enough?
I have a 20 degree rise on my road.
Thanks,
-Terry

 

[5030]

I have a Woods SB60 that I used for a couple of years. I am going to upgrade to a Lucknow 80. One thing you need to do is wear a snowmobile suit or carhartts and a full face mask or balaclava when blowing snow as it will cover you and the tractor. I don't have that problem anymore, I have an heated cab!!!

It takes an immense amount of power to run a blower, especially in wet heavy snow so take your time. Don't crowd the blower and watch where you have the chute pointed. Thrown rocks and gravel can become deadly objects both to humans and real estate!!

 

[Von]

I have a 60" Lucknow behind my B2710 with loaded turfs w/o chains. See the attached photo and you can see that I have a hill to my driveway. I have no problems with traction. I would try w/o the chains and see how it works out.

 

[Trev]

I've had very little trouble pushing snow with unloaded R4s and 4WD. I do put a bunch of weight on the 3pt hitch.. somewhere around 1000 lbs in a dirt scoop. So far, so good. You can always load the tires or get chains later if it doesn't work out for you. My dealer recommended against both for my JD4300. Let us know how you make out!

Bob

 

[5030]

One thing I forgot to add:

If you have auxilliary hydraulic outlets on the tractor, don't get the hand cranked chute. Get the chute with a hydraulic actuator. It can get hard to rotate the chute if you get ice buildup around the rim.

 

[TractorTeen]

I was wondering if we get a lot of snow would I need chains for my B2910. I am going to have my loader on the front and also my Woods 72RB. If we get 4 feet like we did last year do you think that I would need chains? I normally clear my subdivision roads and they are paved. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Rick Jay]

B7500,

I've got a B2910 with a Woods SS60. My driveway has a slight hill. I use chains as I like the extra feel of confidence and surefootedness they give on pack wet snow and ice.

I think I paid about $230 for the pair from tirechains.com. I think thats cheap insurance. Before I had the chains, the tractor would sometimes start sliding sideways under some conditions. Not a very confidence inspiring situation. The chains seemed to have almost eliminated those little episodes.

~Rick

 

[Henro]

Well it's not just snow...but wet slopes can do things you don't want too...

After breaking into an uncontrolled slide on a somewhat wet slope that I did not think to worry about, last year, I ordered and put chains on my B2910. Now they will go every fall and come back off in the late spring.

This will be an annual routine...here...hard to explain that feeling of wondering when you are going to stop sliding when you did not expect to be sliding in the first place...especially as the tractors starts to rotate sideways...

The chains made a world of difference...no more unexpected sliding on the reasonable, but wet, slopes that I sometimes frequent...

 

[Henro]

B7500,

If you have a 20 degree hill get the chains.

If you can afford to wait and possibly not get up the hill to clear the snow, and still get out to get to work, then wait and get the chains after you see that you can't clear the hill.

Chains will cost you about $200 or so. Also get a good tensioner. Now some people feel that loose chains are better...and they may be right...but tight chains are recommened by the chain manufacturers from what I have seen and they seem to work fine on my b2910.

R4s are not all that good in Mud, as they pack up and become slicks...Not sure how they really work in snow as I got worried and put chains on before the first snow fell, after breaking into a surprise slide on wet grass. Something I never expected.

I guess the bottom line is either wait and see what happens, or get it out of the way in advance and spend a couple hundred bucks. After I saw how easy I broke into an uncontrolled slide on wet grass, on the same area I would have to come up in the snow...it was a no brainer for me.

 

[kokopelli2]

let me say that the 2910 is a little tank! i never got stuck once and was able to push 2+ feet with it. i really recomend putting a truck plow in the bucket if you can. i have loaded r4's and a concrete weight box plus a 6ft meyer snow plow in the bucket.

 

[Boondox]

Terry -- Living on a hill like yours in the snow belt, I've got to strongly disagree with the no chain responses. R4s will not get you safely up and down a hill with that slope consistently. The slope will be much more of a problem in late winter, when the sun sends snowmelt down the road in the daytime and it refreezes every night. Conditions like that are my worst nightmare...and the reason I use Norse ice chains on my L3010. There are folks in the valley who use loaded R4s to move snow w/o chains, but I can't think of a single hill dweller who has lasted more than a couple storms without running out a buying chains.

Buy them early, mount them before the snow starts falling, and play it safe.

Pete

 

[Egon]

Like Pete said; if you are in snow land and hills chains applied sooner than later will be a boon to peace of mind. Always consider the sideways ice slip with a drop on one side.

Egon

 

[Will_C]

I will agree about the use of chains. I plowed for two years with my tractor w/o chains. I always got the job done, but decided this past year to get chains. What a boost of extra confidence and security! Of course, for my BX they only ran about 150.00, with tensioners, so my investment was not as large as a B series. I also heartily recommend Tirechains.com.
Will