Tire Chains - best style

[RoyJackson]

One of our members, Arrabil, uses 2 link ladders on front and rear of his Deere 4200. His drive is steep (I can surely attest to that!) and paved.
He's never slipped or slid when doing his drive since adding chains.

The pic is of his rig...and all thanks goes to Arrabil!

 

[Chilly807]

IIRC, mine were $550 Cdn for 11.9 x 24 rears.

Sean

 

[Gordon Gould]

Mine were $365 for 12.4 X 24 in Nov. of 2005

 

[cspot]

One of our members, Arrabil, uses 2 link ladders on front and rear of his Deere 4200. His drive is steep (I can surely attest to that!) and paved.
He's never slipped or slid when doing his drive since adding chains.

The pic is of his rig...and all thanks goes to Arrabil!

Ladders work good on Turfs, but if you had AG tires they are not as good because they get stuck down between the treads.

 

[RoyJackson]

Ladders work good on Turfs, but if you had AG tires they are not as good because they get stuck down between the treads.

Yep, and the OP has turfs...not R-1's.

 

[Don87]

Yep, and the OP has turfs...not R-1's.

That's why I recommended 'ladders' on 2 link spacing.
I used ladders with 4 link spacing on my old Cub, they worked ok, but a lot of spinning.
And that was with a front mount blower, on a paved driveway, on a hill, with loaded rear tires.

 

[whistlepig]

I've got the same chains Gordon does, mine are branded "Norse", but are made by Tellefsdal.
Very well made chain, I drove a fair bit on pavement this past winter keeping a friend's driveway clear, and there is virtually no wear on the studs.

As someone else mentioned, they are meant to be run loose.. the instructions say that the chains should rotate around the tire 30 cm after driving 1 km. Mine do that, no problems with them coming off or slapping the fenders once they're adjusted right. You should be able to get a clenched fist between the sidewall and the side chains.

If you do get them, use the roll pin link fasteners instead of the twist-lock joiners, they come with both.

They really impressed me with traction, very little slippage on ice and snow, both on finished surfaces and around the woods during the winter.

Sean

These look identical to the Aquiline Talons I have just ordered.

 

[RoyJackson]

That's why I recommended 'ladders' on 2 link spacing.
I used ladders with 4 link spacing on my old Cub, they worked ok, but a lot of spinning.
And that was with a front mount blower, on a paved driveway, on a hill, with loaded rear tires.

I went with the 4 link due to cost, weight and the fact that my drive is level. Also, 4 links were what Arrabil recommended for my use.
I know they won't be as smooth to operate as the 2 link chains, but there'll be very limited use on pavement (my drive is hard packed gravel...my neighbor's is asphalt (but I only do his if requestd)).

 

[Chilly807]

These look identical to the Aquiline Talons I have just ordered.

They are quite probably the same, in today's global economy there is an excellent chance they're made in the same factory as the Tellefsdal (Norse) chains.

As I said earlier, I really like them, but I have a gravel driveway and woods use for them. They damage paved or concrete surfaces pretty quickly.

Sean

 

[Chilly807]

I went with the 4 link due to cost, weight and the fact that my drive is level. Also, 4 links were what Arrabil recommended for my use.
I know they won't be as smooth to operate as the 2 link chains, but there'll be very limited use on pavement (my drive is hard packed gravel...my neighbor's is asphalt (but I only do his if requestd)).

I hear what you're saying about weight, Roy. I should have known they were going to be heavy, but was still surprised when I went to shift the crate they came in. Every extra link of chain adds weight, which is a good thing once they're on, but until then..

The instructions for mine recommend looping a piece of rope from each side chain up and over a tire lug,then driving ahead enough to pull the chain up and over the tire. I didn't do it that way (old habits die hard), but for anything bigger it would make a lot of sense.

Sean

 

[John_Mc]

The instructions for mine recommend looping a piece of rope from each side chain up and over a tire lug,then driving ahead enough to pull the chain up and over the tire. I didn't do it that way (old habits die hard), but for anything bigger it would make a lot of sense.

I've tried putting my v-bar ladder chains on in a lot of different ways. The technique you describe is very close to what I ended up using, and saves a whole lot of work, both in getting the chains on, and in adjusting teh tension once they are on.

I lay the chain with the side I want out facing up (don't need those v-bars shredding my tires). Back the tractor up to one end. Tie a rope near the middle link of the end "ladder rung", pass it through a hole in the rim of the tire, out the other side and back to fasten on near the middle link on the ladder rung again. Drive tractor forward slowly (I occasionally need to get off and readjust the chain as it settles onto the tire - sometimes I'm lucky and can just drive it right on). Keep driving until the end of the chain is at about the 8 o'clock position on the tire (as viewed from the outside of the tire). Fasten chains, and I'm ready to go.

Every other method I've tried requires a lot more adjustment of the chain, driving around a bit for it to "settle" into position, then re-adjust/re-tighten. This method generally doesn't require all the fiddling. I tried hooking the rope on my tire lug, rather than passing it through the rim, but it kept falling off the lugs of my R4 tires.

BTW... learned this technique right here on TBN -- just wish I'd learned it years earlier.

John Mc

 

[cspot]

Yep, and the OP has turfs...not R-1's.

Yep, Just pointing out that they are good for turfs but not so good for ags. I have run them on Ag tires though and they are better than no chains. The best is if you can run them a little loose because they will fall back out of the cleats and still do you some good.

 

[cspot]

I've tried putting my v-bar ladder chains on in a lot of different ways. The technique you describe is very close to what I ended up using, and saves a whole lot of work, both in getting the chains on, and in adjusting teh tension once they are on.

I lay the chain with the side I want out facing up (don't need those v-bars shredding my tires). Back the tractor up to one end. Tie a rope near the middle link of the end "ladder rung", pass it through a hole in the rim of the tire, out the other side and back to fasten on near the middle link on the ladder rung again. Drive tractor forward slowly (I occasionally need to get off and readjust the chain as it settles onto the tire - sometimes I'm lucky and can just drive it right on). Keep driving until the end of the chain is at about the 8 o'clock position on the tire (as viewed from the outside of the tire). Fasten chains, and I'm ready to go.

Every other method I've tried requires a lot more adjustment of the chain, driving around a bit for it to "settle" into position, then re-adjust/re-tighten. This method generally doesn't require all the fiddling. I tried hooking the rope on my tire lug, rather than passing it through the rim, but it kept falling off the lugs of my R4 tires.

BTW... learned this technique right here on TBN -- just wish I'd learned it years earlier.

John Mc

Works like a charm. It is nice if you have someone standing there that can help "adjust" them as you drive them on.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I like the rope hooked on the lugs method. I tie the rope on the second link on each side so it isn't in the way when I link the two ends together.

 

[Chilly807]

I have a couple extra links left in my side chains. I wasn't sure how easy the chains would be to put on the next time after I cut the excess off, so I left 'em a little long just in case.

Sean

 

[whistlepig]

They are quite probably the same, in today's global economy there is an excellent chance they're made in the same factory as the Tellefsdal (Norse) chains.

As I said earlier, I really like them, but I have a gravel driveway and woods use for them. They damage paved or concrete surfaces pretty quickly.

Sean

The Aquiline Talons (perhaps your Tellefsdal) are the most aggressive chains I could find online. I have gravel driveways and barn lots to clear with the loader. Last winter was the worst for snow drifts. The B7800 4WD with just R4's and loaded tires was a joke. I'm looking forward to getting these chains.

 

[whistlepig]

I went with the 4 link due to cost, weight and the fact that my drive is level. Also, 4 links were what Arrabil recommended for my use.
I know they won't be as smooth to operate as the 2 link chains, but there'll be very limited use on pavement (my drive is hard packed gravel...my neighbor's is asphalt (but I only do his if requestd)).

They must be pretty heavy. I paid $150.00 for freight to have them shipped LTL to my house.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I have a couple extra links left in my side chains. I wasn't sure how easy the chains would be to put on the next time after I cut the excess off, so I left 'em a little long just in case.

Sean

Probably smarter than cutting them off like I did but I knew I would not be able to remember what link to use the next year :laughing:

 

[Chilly807]

Probably smarter than cutting them off like I did but I knew I would not be able to remember what link to use the next year :laughing:

:laughing: paint marker... it saves me from all kinds of trouble remembering.. what was I trying to remember again ??

Sean

 

[Gordon Gould]

Another good idea from TBN