Tire Chains on industrial tires?

   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #31  
Still hesitant about the front. Lots of folks here have me a tad gunshy. What tipped the scale for you on the front tire chanins?


Not to speak for Compact1, but...
Nothing wrong with front chains combined with rears, the issue is with those (Like me) who run fronts only sometimes.

If you have steep slopes and are not worried about scratching asphalt a little, then go with the v bars. Any chain makes for incredible traction but v-bars are killer, also, the 2 link spacing makes for a little smoother ride.

jb
 
   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #32  
I run 4 link ladder bar chains front and rear on my R-4's.
They work great. The 4 link ladders give me all the traction I need.
 

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   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #33  
Compact1,

Looks ready for anything. Couple questions: Did you use Tirechain.com? How'd the install go? Did you get the handy dandy install tool? Do work around any steep inclines?

Sorry that's more than a couple but it looks like some chains are in my not too distant future and I'm trying to do the homework. Right now I'm on the fence between the 2 link ladder that you have and the 2 link V bar. We have some pretty steep slopes in our drive and the tires alone just don't get the job done safely. Still hesitant about the front. Lots of folks here have me a tad gunshy. What tipped the scale for you on the front tire chanins?

Thanks, Diamondback


Not wanting to spead for Compact 1. I've run front chains only on my JD 4210 for several years with no ill effects. But I would do it only if you had a specific reason. Such as a FEL mounted blade, etc. If your snow gear is on the back (e.g. blade, TPH snow blower, etc), then I would go with full chains. Matter of fact, now that I finally have chains on all 4, I strongly recommend it's that only way of going. I waited too many years to get rear chains, and regret that I didnt do it sooner. I makes too much difference.

RE the 2 link vs V bar, I guess it depends on your road surface. I have the 2 links from tirechain on my R4 rear tires. This am I got out early to clear our driveways from a 1"+ snowfall we got last night. All the driveways are paved, some are severely sloped, with out common drive chip-and-tarred. I had no traction issues at all!!! This is one of those things that I've kicked myself for waiting so long to do. Get off the fence, bite the bullet and put chains on all the way around. You will be glad you did. :D
 
   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #34  
Set up like that on all fours with the 2 link spacing, you don't need v's. Unless you were logging in the woods or something.

What's on the back of your tractor, A heavy duty blade? at first I thought maybe a log splitter. looks like it would have very little upward travel, or is that just an illusion?

JB

JB,

That's a Landpride RB3572 rear blade. It raises pleanty high for my use...about 14" off the ground at the lowest corner (when angled).
 

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   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #35  
Compact1,

Looks ready for anything. Couple questions: Did you use Tirechain.com? How'd the install go? Did you get the handy dandy install tool? Do work around any steep inclines?

Sorry that's more than a couple but it looks like some chains are in my not too distant future and I'm trying to do the homework. Right now I'm on the fence between the 2 link ladder that you have and the 2 link V bar. We have some pretty steep slopes in our drive and the tires alone just don't get the job done safely. Still hesitant about the front. Lots of folks here have me a tad gunshy. What tipped the scale for you on the front tire chanins?

Thanks, Diamondback

Diamondback,

Yes I used tirechain.com. I'm ashamed to admit it but the total installation of all 4 chains took around 4 hours...by myself. From what I understand, the first installation is always the longest. I had to remove links from all 4 chains to custom fit them for each tire. The chains always ship a little long because tirechain.com doesn't know the wear condition of the "end user's" tires. Better too long than too short! It also took me awhile to figure out the proper tension for each chain. A second set of hands would have been useful.

No I didn't buy their "hand dandy tool" but wished I had when I had trouble with the tensioners. Those springs are tougher than I gave them credit for! I went to my local farm store and bought a small Koch Industries load binder with a working load limit of 375 lbs. The tightener made all the difference in the world for getting good tension.

Yes I work around steep inclines. My driveway is about 1,300' long, gravel and mostly uphill. I think rear chains alone would have been fine if lateral traction wasn't an issue. Before the chains, I've had trouble with a simple 3 point turn under slick conditions. The rear tires would push me forward even when the front tires were turned as far as possible.

Hope this lengthy response made sense and helps with your decision.
 
   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #36  
Another viewpoint. I have R1's, plow with a 7 foot blade, loaded rears, loader, and 25 hp tractor. Got by with duogrips for years on the rears only but had problems out in pastures, dirt roads that are pitched side to side and on inclines. Ok plowing downhill, struggle going back up IF I wanted to plow. Got ladder type for fronts. Well worth the $, should have done it years ago. Did I get by without them?? Yes, but they make the machine easier to use and more efficient. Why not maximize your machines usefulness? R4's would see even better benefit.

Re fronts only. I would not do that. I do NOT want my fron axel to be my primary drive mechanism for the tractor. I want it to ASISST the rear differential which is both bigger and heavier duty than the front. For that reason, while I would and did go with rears only or both, I would NOT just chain up the front axel. The $200 you save on another set of chains isn't worth the chance of tearing up your front axel.
 
   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #37  
This is a very interesting thread.
I've always suggested tire chains on both front and rear tires...it just makes sense. Years ago, auto makers never recommended 4 snow tires. Two seemed to be enough to get you by. Now, with 4wd and awd cars, 4 snow tires are a must, and if you use studs, they must be installed on all 4 tires as well.
Same with 4wd tractors.
Money is always a factor in the buying process, so many dealers don't push chains for both front and rear, but they should. As you guys have said, "I wish I had done it sooner".
Thanks for the word on the street. It's always helpful to get great feedback from the end user!

Brian
Ken Jones Tire Blog
 
   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #38  
I realize this warning will probably be ignored, because it is lengthy and
because there are a bunch of folks out there that have used front tire chains
and have never had any problems, but here it goes anyway.

A Kubota tech called me a couple of days ago
to answer a guestion I had posted on the Kubota web site about
discrepancies in my Kubota Manuals, on an electrical issue.
While I had him on the phone I asked him about useing front tire chains on my B7800,
to help improve the lack of steering traction on ice, and that I already had
2 link ladder chains on my rear tires for traction.
I also asked him about front tire chain use without rear tire chain use.
He didn't believe me when I told him I had read of folks just putting chains on the
front tires only.

He said Kubota could not recommend front tire chain use, even if rear tire chains
were used too, because chains on front tires could damge
the gears in the front axle assembly.

(Although the following is not his exact words,
this is my understanding of his explination,
why front tire chains are not a good idea)

The majority of traction is meant to come from the rear wheels,
that is where the larger gears and larger tires are,
and they where designed to be able to transfer all power to the ground.
The front wheels (in 4 wheeldrive) are meant to assist the rear wheels, if needed.
The smaller gears in the front axle assembly were not designed for very large torque loads,
and could be damaged if placed in a situation where they could be overstressed.
Front tire chain use could cause overstess to the front axle assembly, especially
if more weight is placed on the axle, like in loader use.
Front tire chain use without the added traction assistance of rear tire chains
could be even more stressful for the front axle, because now it could be tasked to transfer the
power that the rear tires (without chains) may not be able to apply due to lack of traction.

Two local Kubota Dealers in my area don't recommend front tire chain use either,
because they have seen the damage front tire chain use can cause the front axle assembly.

I was thinking of using front tire chains too, just to improve my steering traction on ice.
I really don't believe chain use for steering traction improvement
would produce the stress needed to cause front axle damage,
especially while I had my rear tire chains for added traction.

But what if I want to use my loader, am I going to remove my front tire chains for the short period
I'd be using my loader, then reinstall the chains when I completed my loader task.
Probably not.

So for me, eventhough steerng traction on ice is a hassle sometimes,
it's not worth the risk of the hundreds of dollars in front axle damage repair
that I might incure.

Here is the Kubota site if any Kubota users out there are interested in asking about front tire chain use:

Kubota Tractor Corporation - Contact Us

I heard back from them in less than a week, on my posted electrical question.
 
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   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #39  
DHD, very nice piece of information, thanks for sharing.

I will say, I am one that has, and still am, running front tire chains, and only recently added rear chains. The information you posted makes a lot of sense, particularly if one is doing a lot of heavy loader work on surfaces with no traction, or working the tractor hard where there is no traction (like pulling logs out in snow/ice). But in my case, I get maybe 2 or 3 good snowfalls a season, pushing a snowblade on a few paved driveways. The chains on the front are very much needed to keep the blade from pushing the front of the tractor around. They are also needed to keep from having the tractor swap ends with each other on slick, sloped, paved driveways. :eek: Not fun!

The information you received makes a lot of sense, and I appreciate it. But I cant help but wonder how much of it was generated from a corporate warranty/liability perspective. :rolleyes:

I really believe there may not be no one answer that works for everyone. There is no way I can get by without chains on all 4. If I could, I would. And I'm sure there are others in the same situation. But in the end, you have to do what you feel the most comfortable doing, and what keeps you safe while on the tractor.
 
   / Tire Chains on industrial tires? #40  
jdgreg

I just posted Kubota's and my two nearest Kubota dealer's recommendations.
I asked Kubota and my two nearest Kubota dealers about tire chain use only because I
could not find any useful guidance about it in my owners manual or on Kubota's website.
Seems as though if Kubota was against the use of front tire chains they should warn folks about it in the owners manual.
Do you know if John Deere touches on tire chain use at all, in your Instruction Manual
or anywhere else ?
I'm wonder if other tractor manufacturers do ?
 
 
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