amtf
New member
I just bought this tractor. Since it is new, I cannot comment on its performance. I can write a novel, however, about trying to get some tire chains on the front wheels of this tractor.
It all started by asking the local John Deere dealer for the chains at the time of purchase.
The first response I got from the dealer was that for my purposes (150 ft driveway) I did not need them. I replied that having plowed that driveway in the middle of the winter for 30 years, I am very familiar with snow conditions in Mt. Shasta. I am also, like every normal human being, familiar with the fact, that rubber tires, without chains, slide on ice. Therefore, I pressed on with my quest.
My second response from the dealer was that placing chains on the front tire might void the warranty. That also did not discourage me. I was not not spending $16000 for a tractor that would slide when the going would get rough.
Than I ordered chains from Vulcan Tire. That was a mistake. The tires chains were too wide. I called. The receptionists had no technical knowledge. Their sales staff, which is supposed to be highly skilled, makes it a point to not answer your questions directly, including those placed through E-Mail, (in communications they call this "bypassing").
Therefore, as of today, 5 weeks after first discussing this item, I am still without chains for the front tires of my tractor. How do I hope to finally solve my problem? I will hire a truck driver who will come with a bolt cutter and who will remove the excess cross links from the chain to assure a proper fit. Hurray for John Deere and more than 60 years of American ingenuity!?
It all started by asking the local John Deere dealer for the chains at the time of purchase.
The first response I got from the dealer was that for my purposes (150 ft driveway) I did not need them. I replied that having plowed that driveway in the middle of the winter for 30 years, I am very familiar with snow conditions in Mt. Shasta. I am also, like every normal human being, familiar with the fact, that rubber tires, without chains, slide on ice. Therefore, I pressed on with my quest.
My second response from the dealer was that placing chains on the front tire might void the warranty. That also did not discourage me. I was not not spending $16000 for a tractor that would slide when the going would get rough.
Than I ordered chains from Vulcan Tire. That was a mistake. The tires chains were too wide. I called. The receptionists had no technical knowledge. Their sales staff, which is supposed to be highly skilled, makes it a point to not answer your questions directly, including those placed through E-Mail, (in communications they call this "bypassing").
Therefore, as of today, 5 weeks after first discussing this item, I am still without chains for the front tires of my tractor. How do I hope to finally solve my problem? I will hire a truck driver who will come with a bolt cutter and who will remove the excess cross links from the chain to assure a proper fit. Hurray for John Deere and more than 60 years of American ingenuity!?
