Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Tire chains on blacktop

   / Tire chains on blacktop #11  
You need Soft tires in snow, not these cement like hardness these tractors come with.
 
   / Tire chains on blacktop #12  
As someone pointed out earlier, you need to soften to snow/ice before you try to scrape it, I have V-bar ice chains and I do scratch my hard top a little every year but very little.. If it's thick and solid you very well could damage the hard top way worse with down pressure than any scratch marks a chain will make..
 
   / Tire chains on blacktop #13  
Rusty, in my experience it somewhat depends, when we paved our road i noticed several changes-i initially used 4-link v bar chains and when they were on the unpaved but iced and frozen drive the tips would dig in and penetrate the ice giving better traction and actually smoothing ou the ride because they weren't riding on the tips and lifting the tractor as much- my theory too is that because the tips and cross chain penetrate they adjacent chains stay somewhat engaged longer also enhancing traction.


Fast forward to the paved drive- same drive same tractor same chains and the ride became very lumpy and when really pushing hard i could end up with a slip then grip repetitive situation on the rears- this would leave some marks- usually this only happened when trying to scrape up the ice. When just driving the chains did not really seem to leave real marks- maybe just some spots but like said above they just go away.

I then changed to 2 link ladders and the ride improved they still can spin but mark minimally when they do. These don't grip as well as i would like and i think eventually the answer will be to pony up and get something like those try's or aquilines- i had trouble finding them in the right sizes when i needed chains though. I was thinking a sticky thread on chains and sources for them in the tire forum would be really helpful.

One option you might have that might work really well would be to take the chains you have and add cross chains to convert them to 2 link- they would weigh more and be harder to handle but should improve grip on both surfaces and lessens spinning, doing the work yourself it would be a lot cheaper than the exotic chains.

All of my advice is according to our local conditions which often have long icy periods and steep hills - here i do not believe the siping would accomplish anything as we have found studs to basically be a necessity on our AWD vehicles (with hakkapelittas even). If you live in a flat place and don't get ice then maybe siping would cut it.

It can be so slick here that my last accident was in my own drive on the flats - i just slid off at under 10 mph, could not even stand when i tried to walk home.

i also had a memorable ride on the tractor with the v-studs leaving grooves as i slid down the hill on a steep part since abandoned and rerouted.


I am considering using my tractor to remove packed snow/ice from the paved driveway at work. My tractor has v-bar chains on all four tires, which I know can damage blacktop.
I had a great deal of difficulty putting the chains on the rear tires, and would rather not have to take them off and on.
My question is: Are tires with chains more likely to spin on blacktop than tires without chains?
 
   / Tire chains on blacktop #14  
Dave M7040, what does the gal smuggling raisins have to do with tire chains and snow removal or is this just another one of those wierd Canadian things?
 
   / Tire chains on blacktop #15  
dickfoster - "gal smuggling raisins" ???

I guess you are due a direct answer by now - tires with chains will provide superior traction over bare tires. Tires with chains will be LESS likely to spin on blacktop that tires without chains. Leave your chains on and just clear the driveway. Normal clearing of ice/snow using a 4WD tractor with chains on all four will not cause objectionable damage.

Now - lets let the differing opinions come forth........
 
   / Tire chains on blacktop #16  
dickfoster - "gal smuggling raisins" ???

I guess you are due a direct answer by now - tires with chains will provide superior traction over bare tires. Tires with chains will be LESS likely to spin on blacktop that tires without chains. Leave your chains on and just clear the driveway. Normal clearing of ice/snow using a 4WD tractor with chains on all four will not cause objectionable damage.

Now - lets let the differing opinions come forth........

No differing here, I completely agree..
 
   / Tire chains on blacktop
  • Thread Starter
#17  
dickfoster - "gal smuggling raisins" ???

I guess you are due a direct answer by now - tires with chains will provide superior traction over bare tires. Tires with chains will be LESS likely to spin on blacktop that tires without chains. Leave your chains on and just clear the driveway. Normal clearing of ice/snow using a 4WD tractor with chains on all four will not cause objectionable damage.

Now - lets let the differing opinions come forth........

Thanks for the answer.
I wasn't sure if the chains would grip better than bare tires on a paved driveway, or if they would spin easier.
 
 
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