Tire chains-looking for opinions.

[dave1949]

Joeyd,
I just bought chains for my tractor (about 9,000 pounds with both the loader and rear blade) and am planning to also put down wood to protect the garage floor, but I'm concerned that the OSB won't stand up to the melting snow on the floor. Do you think the OSB will be adaquate?

I think your weight will chew up OSB in one season if you have v-bar or similar chains. Snow melts, the OSB gets wet, and that doesn't help either.

An alternative with higher upfront costs, but very long life, is to buy the heavy rubber stall mats at TSC or other stores. They weigh a ton and are tough as heck.

 

[3930dave]

OP - I too bought from Tirechains.com. Duogrip style - the extra connector chains give a bit of lateral grip, and help keep the chains Up out of deep lugs.

I use the Tchain.com metal spider ring tensioner - works well. I use HD rubber bungees on the front chains, and a couple of long HD rubber bungees on the inside of my rear wheels as well.

If you have steep hills and ice to deal with, add V bars or similar - great on gravel, but many people don't want to risk 'em on pavement, concrete.

Rgds, D.

 

[TKSalty]

I think your weight will chew up OSB in one season if you have v-bar or similar chains. Snow melts, the OSB gets wet, and that doesn't help either.

An alternative with higher upfront costs, but very long life, is to buy the heavy rubber stall mats at TSC or other stores. They weigh a ton and are tough as heck.

Thanks Dave1949,

I had been looking (unsuccessfully) for rubber matts, but didn't know what they were called. I've now found them thru google. Thanks again.

 

[joeyd]

Joeyd,
I just bought chains for my tractor (about 9,000 pounds with both the loader and rear blade) and am planning to also put down wood to protect the garage floor, but I'm concerned that the OSB won't stand up to the melting snow on the floor. Do you think the OSB will be adaquate?

My set up runs around 4,000#'s and the OSB, even after 2 previous winters looks like it will last this winter too. I do try and knock off as much snow as I can prior to putting it away but I still get a bit of melt and water. At more than twice the weight I am not sure how it would hold up. OSB is cheap relatively speaking I would try it, see how it holds up and if it doesn't maybe try some rubber horse mats cut to strips to drive on. Did you get standard chains or v-bar type chains? Maybe a combo of the two floor coverings if you got v-bars and the weight cuts into the rubber, OSB over rubber to keep the bars from punching trough the mat.

 

[dave1949]

I have 3/8" studded chains, tractor with loader and blower is probably around 4500 lbs. The chain studs will cut/dimple the rubber mats here and there, but I haven't punched through yet. Been parking the tractor on them for seven years. Before that they were flooring for a small dog kennel and got re-purposed. They last forever it seems.

I cut the standard 4x6 mats in half length-wise. Used a razor utility knife and that worked okay. I have to kick them back into alignment now and then, but the halves are a lot easier to pick up/slide around for sweeping. I leave them on the floor all year chains or not. Don't know where I would store them anyways.

 

[Egon]

Consider cutting up old tires and make a mat from them?

 

[bandaidmd]

Pressure treated plywood won't care if you get it wet.

 

[Coyote machine]

For the cost of a sheet of OSB, if it fails replace it next year, OR go with the OSB or PT under the rubber mats, to do the best job of all.

 

[dave1949]

Pressure treated plywood won't care if you get it wet.

Wet won't rot it, but it will soften it, and that will probably weaken it resulting in eventual ply separation from the pressure. PT plywood tends to get nasty bowed when it dries, ain't cheap either. I'd pick OSB over PT plywood.

 

[Rob-D]

Here's my take on chains.
I bought double link chains for my 3320 but I take them off in the summer when I'm running around on the lawns and in the gardens. What a pain to put them on especially with the spring tensioners which are pretty much a must have in my view. Anyway if I had to do it again I would have just bought 4 link chains, I wound up taking off every other link, well now my chains will last twice as long! This will be my first winter with a 4 link set up but the chains went on much easier. I don't have chains on the front and don't plan to. With a rear differential lock I seriously doubt I'll ever need to.
If you take off your chains every spring than think about how much chain you really need. A 2 link chain will give you a smoother ride and I'd go with that if I left my chains on all the time but I don't I'm always running down the road to help out a neighbor or two and I want the chains on the least amount of time as possible.
I do have my 485 BH hanging off the back and I leave that on all winter which does help with the traction and if I ever really get stuck, which I doubt, I can always dig in the BH and pull myself out.

ps: If you watch the video from TC.com you'll see the guy putting on 4 link chains.... gee I wonder why!