Thinking of buying tire chains. What is your opinion and experience?

[Jay4200]

I run 4x4 and use v-bar 2-link ladders on the front, and nothing in the back. I have a set of brand new 2-link ladders for the back, but never needed them. Someday I'll put them on, but I'm not looking forward to figuring out the process - the fronts are hard enough even with the tires hoisted in the air with my bucket. I have a fairly decent hill I have to climb, but have never slipped even once with just the front chains. Fronts are only like $100 or so for the pair vs. $300-500 for rears.

Yea-HAH!!

JayC

 

[super55]

I have the exact chains and purchased them from the dealer as a matter of fact. Great guy to work with called him up to ensure the price came with chains for each tire and they did. Told him I was making a purchase as soon as off the phone and he had them shipped that day.

I have the chains on an old oliver super 55 that I put the back blade on and they work great. They say not to drive these on concrete or asphalt but I drive them on my garage floor and haven't seen any marking or cracking of the concrete.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I have the exact chains and purchased them from the dealer as a matter of fact. Great guy to work with called him up to ensure the price came with chains for each tire and they did. Told him I was making a purchase as soon as off the phone and he had them shipped that day.

I have the chains on an old oliver super 55 that I put the back blade on and they work great. They say not to drive these on concrete or asphalt but I drive them on my garage floor and haven't seen any marking or cracking of the concrete.

I've lost track with all the possibilities mentioned. Whose chains do you have the match to? Whistlepigs aqulines or the Canadian agricultural ladders? Both great products.

 

[dave1949]

I agree that it is handy to have chains with bite (unless you have a paved driveway)...I have always gotten mine from Canadian Chain in Skowhegan Maine Canadian Chains [Agriculture Charts]. The type I have is what they call Agricultural Ladder Type.....they can custom fit these to any size tire,,,View attachment 307260....they are great on snow, more and ice...useful after an ice storm to "rough up" the driveway.

My chains are very similar, bought them at the same place you did. They are real beasts for traction and chewing up ice. The only drawback is they weigh a ton to handle but since they only get put on once a year, that is minor. In five years of use, only once has a coupling "c" link dropped out, and that was back in the woods on some very rough ground. And I found it!

 

[super55]

I've lost track with all the possibilities mentioned. Whose chains do you have the match to? Whistlepigs aqulines or the Canadian agricultural ladders? Both great products.

sorry about that I have the chains in the first pic the duo-grip i believe they are called on the link from the OP of this thread. I even ordered them from the same website.

They are great chains that bite quite well but like most conventional chains. You get them on ice and lock the brakes it's going to slide. I doubt that would be an issue with some of the chain sets with that shark tooth design.

 

[vtsnowedin]

sorry about that I have the chains in the first pic the duo-grip i believe they are called on the link from the OP of this thread. I even ordered them from the same website.

They are great chains that bite quite well but like most conventional chains. You get them on ice and lock the brakes it's going to slide. I doubt that would be an issue with some of the chain sets with that shark tooth design.

Oh the studded ones do have their limits, just higher ones. If you are going along on hard ice and jam on the brakes you will slide a foot or so till they dig in but you don't go all the way to the bottom or sideways. And you can spin once there is more load then there is traction, like in deep snow with thawed ground below. If you took a wet ice covered grade that a bare tire could not move on and the Dou-grips could pull say 5000 lbs on the Talons etc. might pull 10,000 but not 15,000. Still any good set of chains makes a tractor useful in icy, slippery conditions not just a weight trying to find a hole to slide into.