Turf tires good in snow? YOU BET!

[wny770]

To all the posters that clain turf tires are good in snow, you were right. I will eat my words. I've plowed with ag's, R-4's and turfs on the same tractor (NHT1510). BY FAR, turfs are best. Not as much tire slip in reverse as with R-4 tires. But what suprised me was how they gripped on blacktop. Mind you, I was only pushing about 6 inches or so, but NO wheel slip in 2wd on a slight uphill. I have to admit, I was impressed. Now, we just wait for a real snowfall.

 

[Thomas]

Flat w/down hill pushing?
I ran turfs for 14 plus years but w/chains,wet snow or even pack once needed that little extra bite.

 

[murphy1244]

On my simplicity Conquest the front with no chains does not steer much.
Are you saying you use NO chains on the rear at all????

 

[MG1867]

That's good to know. I just purchased my first tractor and it had turf tires on the back and skid steer type on the front. The front were wore out and I replaced them but was not wanting replace the back if I did not have too. We are still waiting for snow here in Illinois also.

Mike

 

[Marveltone]

I'm running turfs with chains. Without the chains, 6" was nothing, but once I got into 16" or more, things got way different. The chains provided the needed traction for bucking the big drifts. With the chains, it's nothing short of amazing what it will go through. Now, to be honest, I've never had R1s or R4s to compare performance, so this is really an incomplete assessment.

Joe

 

[Diamondpilot]

Drive and snow type along with tractor will make a difference. My neighbor has a 35HP JD with Turfs and it will not do anything in the snow. He calls me to plow with my tractor and R1's. My tractor is only 28HP but will move 10 times the snow his will. He wants R1's but does not want to spring for new wheels and tires.

What I am saying is there is variables.

Chris

 

[wny770]

These are the Titan multi trac R-3 tires. No chains. I imagine a foot or two will be different, but with a blower I am not pushing as much as if I was plowing. I remember a few years ago blowing snow with my 62 HP Oliver... 16.9 x 38 rear rubber with an 84" 2 stage blower. You can't compare a tire over 5' weighing about a ton w/ballast with a little CUT tire, I understand that. But none the less, over the R-4's I had last year, for me, a big improvement. Who knows, maybe we'll get another 7 foot snowfall like we did in 2001? I sure hope not!!!:laughing:

 

[pat32rf]

Once we get a good frozen base of snow/ice on the driveway the tires don't matter. Its the chains that make the difference....

 

[oldballs]

Once we get a good frozen base of snow/ice on the driveway the tires don't matter. Its the chains that make the difference....

My BX has turfs also, without chains. Even in the deep snows that we had last season, it performed up to my expectations. I call "deep" about 12 inches around here. It's the wind drifts that make the FEL handy along with the RB. If there is ice, i think I'll just stay indoors since I don't plan on buying chains. Being retired and not "in business", gives one that luxury. I'm not against having chains (have them for my truck), but can get along fine without them on our relatively flat road. Yet, who can "snow blow" or "grade" ice........ regardless of the traction?

 

[fgross335_2210]

I have a JD 2210 with both turfs and bars. I ran the turfs one winter and then switched to the bars the next year. No chains on either set, and 200 pounds of weights on the rear wheels plus a backblade which weighs ~300 lbs. FEL on the front.

While either tire works OK on my asphalt drive when plowing snow, I have found that when trying to drive through deep snow (for this little tractor, 18" or more) I can go right through it with the bars, but the turfs will give up quickly and get stuck. Since I frequently haul firewood from the back of my property to nearer the house, and cut a new path each time, the bars work much better. I have not noticed any lose of traction with the bars while plowing the driveway.......

 

[brandoro]

I have never had anything but turfs on the tractors I own or have owned. The reason is I think they are the best all around tire for my purposes. I have yet to get this tractor stuck despite dropping it in a hole last summer that put the cab step under water.

 

[wny770]

I have never had anything but turfs on the tractors I own or have owned. The reason is I think they are the best all around tire for my purposes. I have yet to get this tractor stuck despite dropping it in a hole last summer that put the cab step under water.

Dude, that's one nice looking set-up! I am jealous of that cab!

I know ag's would paddle through deep snow better, but that's the nice thing about a snowblower. You don't have to. I'm glad I've switched to the turfs. They work good.... for me.

 

[arrow]

I have never had anything but turfs on the tractors I own or have owned. The reason is I think they are the best all around tire for my purposes. I have yet to get this tractor stuck despite dropping it in a hole last summer that put the cab step under water.

Nice winter shot. I am a sucker for any log skidding pics.

 

[Garybake]

I agree!!!
Best time of year for logging, no brush or leaves, sap... Beautiful box setup for your saws/equipment/fuel/chains... (& Emerg. shovel, smart) and logging hook.:thumbsup:

 

[Toyboy]

I've got turfs also, and do not see the need for anything more aggressive or chains. There are occasions though that when I'm snow blowing my blacktop that I do get wheel spin when backing up a small incline that has a light coating of ice under the snow. A quick shift into FWD and away I go.

By the way, I rarely use fwd or the differential lock in winter or summer. My machine seems to have plenty of traction as is. Tires are not loaded either.

 

[taborekle]

I run just turfs on my B2920 with no chains and it has done a excellent job of blading snow, both up hill and down hill.

Here's a short video of me moving some snow in my driveway. This is a longer then recommended 6 ft blade. If you look closely you can see that snow coming off the far side of the blade is higher then the blade.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1DW7ZVIYs0"]Blading Snow with Turfs[/ame]

I will say that there is all different types of snow, some light and some heavy, but so far I have had no issues with just turfs.:thumbsup:

 

[Don87]

I puchased my Massey specifically with turfs. They are the best tire for my purposes.

I use chains on the rears in the wintertime, just isn't safe to clear my driveway without them.
This is a picture of my yard, you can get an idea of the slope. Driveway is steeper, paved, and deadends into a busy highway.

 

[RoyJackson]

I run just turfs on my B2920 with no chains and it has done a excellent job of blading snow, both up hill and down hill.

Here's a short video of me moving some snow in my driveway. This is a longer then recommended 6 ft blade. If you look closely you can see that snow coming off the far side of the blade is higher then the blade.

Blading Snow with Turfs

I will say that there is all different types of snow, some light and some heavy, but so far I have had no issues with just turfs.:thumbsup:

Nice video!!

Seems like a lot of snow for St. Mary's County (southern MD).
Was that the surprise snowfall we had on 30 Oct 2011?

 

[JDgreen227]

Have used my Deere 4210 with FEL, RB, and non-loaded turfs with winter snow removal for 9 years now, the MFWD does an excellent job and even in deep heavy snow I never lack for traction. The only time I get wheelspin is when I am pulling deep wet stuff forwards with the RB and it builds up and stops forward motion. To me turfs are roughly comparable to radial tires in snow on a car, large contact patch and self cleaning tread.