Welllll, unfortunately I did not read this thread before I bought a set of rears chains for my
M59. I installed them today and realized theres not much room between the chain in the wheel well/fender, in fact it hits some links when spinning.
(( Anyone have any suggestions on the remedy or am I stuck buying the spacers which I didn't even know existed. Any input would be greatly appreciated
Well, no real remedies....just some thoughts.
Front chains are sure much easier to put on. Lighter too. A set or rears can be a real wrestling match. You can lift the tractor to put on rears by using the outriggers, but will still have to crawl around to the back side of the tire to fasten the inside chain.
A set of front chains will cost less than the rear spacers. My fronts cost a couple hundred bucks custom made to fit the flat shape of the M59s industrial tires. In average use I've not heard of front chains causing any problem with 4WD tractors. I've used them for 30+ years on many machines for simple work like clearing driveways. But if I was doing commercial type work all day I'd probably go to rears myself.
IMHO, chaining up both the fronts and rears so that the machine can't slip a tire if it needs to is asking for a drive train problem.
If you use rear chains on the
M59 you will have to space the wheel out from the inner fender wall....but there still isn't much room between tire and the outer part of the fender.
Chain prices go with the size/type chain and the over-the-tire pattern. My own preference is for a medium/soft steel chain without bars or cleats. On pattern, if it's just for deep snow than any pattern works the same. If the chains are used on a icy slope where side slippage is a problem then an "X" pattern is better than a simple ladder or "H" pattern.
Starting out with H pattern chins is nice because it is easier to make a set of H pattern chains that fit well than any other configuration.....and then as you modify the center link of the H pattern and maybe spread the legs to get it to fit just right it does tend to morph towards an X pattern shape. And that's all to the good.
Before I bought this custom set of fronts for the
M59, I'd never bought a set of new chains that didn't need some re-positioning of the cross links and tweaking of the link spacing to make them fit right for the tires. The object there being to make the chains fit well enough so that they won't walk around the tire or slap the tractor. No point in eating up the tractor or the tire.
If I were in your shoes I'd probably get a used set of standard old-fashioned automotive chains and put a little work into fitting them to the front tires on the
M59. See how they work. Leave the rears hanging in the barn for that once-a-decade snow storm.
Luck, rScotty
