Do I need chains?

[mcj115]

On my first season with a "new to me" tractor and plow. I have read trough some of the chain threads and am on the fence if I need them for my applicaiton, so I tohught I'd ask. I have never plowed before, just use a snowblower on an JD 322 which was a beast. Now with new situation and equipment I am not sure what I need in terms of traction to be successful. Differences for me are plowing instead of blowing, and having 4wd instead of 2wd when blowing.

Equipment JD 2305, turf tires, 54" JD front hydraulic angle plow, a lot of weight on the rear hitch (don't know how much as I am using some hand me down homemade weights, but the hitch is near max capacity as I need really rev the engine to get enough hydraulic pressure to lift), no weight in the wheels themselves.

Plowing situation....I will need to plow my two residential driveways (one for the house, one for the pole barn). Both drives are paved and are on the larger side for a normal residential area ~2000 sqft each (~4000 sqft total) , they are both asphalt paves surfaces. I am in central PA so more often than not we get frequent but annoying snows, not large on average 4-6", annual largest is probably less than 18" . Last year we have a 36" snowstorm but that was the largest on record.

Additionally if I get really mad I may try to plow my dead end circle out to the street which is ~2000' ft long---that may be a last resort type of situation.

So do I need tire chains? If yes what are the ways to prevent them from scoring the surface of the asphalt? As a side project, if I have time I may try to line the bottom of the slow skid shoes with delrin to cut down on scoring.

Thanks

Mark

 

[nybirdman]

I would think in your situation you should not need chains.Turf tires seem to work pretty well in snow,better than R4's.Chains and asphalt don't mix really well either.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

ditto, chains are going to mark up some. If you spin a tire when you hit a larger pile you will leave scuff marks. If that is your biggest concern, you can always add ballast to the rear tires or plow more often. If you have a paved driveway, ice melters are also an option. On the plus side, chains are relatively inexpensive and don't really deteriorate if stored properly. I will say that if you have a lot of ice to deal with, chains are the only answer unless you can stud tires or wait for the ice to melt.

 

[atsah]

Try it without them, I have R4's loaded and I need chains, as a matter of fact I installed a set on the front of my tractor as well this year, I found that it steers much better now.. They will scratch your driveway but if you use regular chains and not V-BAR ice chains they don't scratch nearly as much.. Here in Maine, my 4WD tractor is useless without them in the winter..

 

[kco]

Chains give a significant improvement in traction on ice and snow.

I have H-pattern chains on the front and rear of my DK35 SE. The rears are heavy chains (9 mm). The front chains for the 27x10.5-15 R4's are much lighter (7mm) and, from the CanadianChains.ca website, probably the same size would fit your rear turf tires (26x12.00-12). I am mostly on gravel but also clear a fairly large paved area and carport.

As atsah mentions, get regular chains--NOT V-BAR. My situation appears similar to his--I have chains all-round and it would be a struggle without chains. As RedNeckRacin states, don't spin your tires.

I find there is minor bruising of the pavement with the rear chains but don't believe the lighter front chains cause any noticeable marks. But then, my pavement is 12 years old so not super-smooth to begin with.

I like the H-pattern chains for my R4's but 2-link ladder chains would also be effective for your turf tires. I disliked the original DUO pattern for my rear tires and modified them to the smoother and more effective (at least for R4's) H-pattern.

 

[George2615]

They use the same set up at a local commercial building for sidewalks. JD2305, 54" PA plow, and 3 pt. PTO spreader for salt.
They've been plowing mainly sidewalks around the complex and salting after. I think its about 8 years old now and they have never used chains.

I currently have it in my shop for some repairs and service. This one has R4's and a cab.

 

[Dave M7040]

I have a M7040 with cab and Fel using a pull type or inverted blower.
Even with 4 WD, I found on icy surfaces I needed more traction. Braking on slopes was also an issue even with the 4WD driveline providing braking to the front wheels.
I bought TRYGG tire chains model SMT.
They have hardened studs everywhere as you see in this photo.

My two brothers have nice paved driveways and I was afraid of damaging them.
When you look closely after the chained tire has worked on the pavement you see a small circular areas about 5/16" in diameter where chain stud has polished the asphalt and these spots on the pavement are an off white color.
In the spring, the sun quickly bleaches the asphalt and you dont see the small polished area from the chains. The increase in traction from the chains means the wheels are not spinning.

Two winters with lots of snow. I just put them on again last night.

The tire chain material is so hard that 36" bolt cutters cannot cut even the side chains. You cannot buy a better long lasting chain in my opinion.

Dave M7040

 

[oldballs]

As others have said, I'd try it without the chains.....in snow that is. Ice is another whole discussion. I did fine without chains with turf tires on a Kubota the same size as you JD......But I did not have a plow....used the FEL where needed and a Rear Blade for most of the work. Think I rather have a plow however.

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

I've been wondering the same thing. Planning to have the rears on my Kubota B2710 loaded with Rimguard on Tuesday. If I decide to add chains can anyone recommend a vendor that ships quickly?

EDIT: Just saw another thread that recommended tire chains.com

 

[Copperhead]

If a tractor is 4x4, not sure chains are worth it. I cleared a lot of snow on elevated drives and around out buildings and such and never used chains. I did have wheel weights on rear though.