Snow John Deere 3120 sliding on snow

[pruntyc]

John, your idea of chains on snow, might sound good to someone that lives in the south. But coming from snow country and hills also. Chains are OK on ice without snow, or ice with snow on top. But in general, they aren't much, if any help, on plain snow. A good tread on a tire, with no quick changes, works best. And the hydro does work kind of fast when you take your foot off of it. A gear tractor would be the best for this kind of work, with snow and being where you can slide into something, like a car. If one would just knock it out of the range instead of taking his foot off of the pedal, might work real good. I have never did that as I didn't have a hydro when I lived up there. So not sure if it will come out, while under load. At my age, I don't plan on ever living back in that country, as I am retired and tired.

 

[EHydro]

Sounds like your hydro is set for what I call short stop. Get in your operators manual and find the section where it talks about setting the stopping distance on your EHydro. Adjust for long stop or not as aggressive stopping.

 

[pat32rf]

I run a 4300 HST with loaded industrials and find that without chains I am helpless in our northern snow. It might be OK in light fluffy stuff when you have a solid base but my driveway still has 6" of packed white stuff. I mostly stay in 4wd ALL year long unless i am road running or on the lawn.(Bancroft is the mineral capitol of Ontario so we have all kinds of soil and rock, piled in big hills) I think nothing of running 5miles up the road without removing the chains. Sure I'll wear them out, but I built them in the first place. I can always fix them when it happens. Just keep them tight. My truck also stays in 4wd unless the roads are bare. If you got it use it, it helps.

 

[tom30519]

Around here (Quebec/VT border) chains are put on all tractors as soon as the snow comes, and left on until mud season is finished, no matter what the type of tire. The chain pattern varies with the intended use, but all tractors get chains.

I have R4s with chains on my new 4520, and it gets driven over pavement, hard packed snow, soft snow and ice with no traction problems. I don't weight the tires or the wheels, but I do have a ballast box filled with rock dust, so about 600 pounds on the 3PH.

Tom.

 

[matthew3120]

I have my Loader on with the rear weights and ballest or back blade on.My tires are not filled with fluid ballest.I have also set my motion as high or as the tractor reads LONG_9 and set the start up and roll out switch to long also but it does not help any and I have tried to take my foot off the petal slowly but will still slide bad.I ask my John deere dealer and that is what they said to is try and take my foot of forward petal slowly but thinking the john deere Rep. has not drove a tractor on the snow going down a street at 13.5 MPH.The top speed on my 3120 23.5MPH.And really don't want to hit moving car or a park car thinking that the loader is is going do alot of damage.

Thanks everyone
Matthew3120

 

[RRacing]

Are you sure about the 23.5 MPH as top speed for your 3120 tractor? I have a 4320 and wide open is about 17 MPH I could be wrong it just seemed high to me?


Thank you
Jim

 

[jcmseven]

That was my thought, too. My 4520 will go about 16.6 mph on the speedo if I am going downhill with a tailwind and in the aero tuck (which adds 0.000001 mph). Our man does not have a 3120, he has a green John Force made John Deere dragster. Also another thought came to mind--can't you just go slower when it is really slick? At first I was thinking the tractor slid badly all the time, but from Matt's post, it seems he has been speeding, which I would never do.

John M

 

[matthew3120]

Really am not kidding my readout says 23.5 mph on flat ground the other day the John deere dealer picked up the tractor to look at why it way sliding and the computer was set to high at the factory and had to hook up a new little lap top computer to my tractor to reset the brakes. The Tec. that was working on my tractor also was alarmed on how fast the tractor was going with R4's.When the tractor really should be only be going 16.8 mph on flat ground .I told him leave it if it does not hurt the tractor.The tractor was on the computer when it was doing 23.3 when he tested the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Matthew3120

 

[Dutch445]

I wonder if your tractor's speedo is calibrated to a
different tire size.. that could explain the reading you
are getting. Is there any chance the tractor has had
the tires swapped,, possibly before you took delivery?

 

[matthew3120]

No I personly unloaded the tractor off the semi at the John deere Dealership.It is set up for R4's. Everything checks out on the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Matthew3120