Tires what tires are these?

[big e]

Hi. This is my first post and my first season of snow plowing. I have a 1/2 mile long driveway with two steep icy hills and my L3130 with FEL does not have filled tires or wheel weights. After sliding frontwards, backwards, and sideways down the hills I decided to get fresh underwear and consider tire chains. From reading posts here I guess I'd get rear chains.
Questions:
1 - What chains are best for blading snow on icy gravel roads? Should I get something like the V-bar duo or Double Chains? I don't foresee being on any pavement.
2 - Does salt harm gravel roads? What kind of salt is cheapest. I'd just apply it by hand or hand spreader in the worst curvy hill spots.
3 - In trying to determine proper chain size, I did a search and tirechain says my size tires (420/70-24) have two different kind of treads. Tirechain.com says:

420/70-24
NORMAL NHS TRACTOR TREAD ONLY
and
FOR INDUSTRIAL TREAD GO TO:
420-70R-24

Which are mine??
Heres a photo of my tires... can you ID?
and
a photo of one of the offending hills (the curve makes it worse.)
and
a photo of why I don't want my tractor rolling.

I might try to wait out this winter and attempt to score some used chains in the off season but I'm running out of underwear.

Thanks in advance. This website is a great resource.

 

[RoyJackson]

You have industrial tires (R-4's). You'll want to clean off the sidewalls and see which brand and size tire you have before you order chains.
Rather then order online, perhaps you should call Tirechains.com and tell them the brand and size.

Added: NHS is Non-Highway Service (learned something new today!). I'd guess your tires are "NORMAL NHS TRACTOR TREAD ONLY ". This should be embossed on the sidewall of your tires, so check before ordering.
During my search, it took me to tirechains.com and there was one picture (NHS tread) that look identical to yours.

 

[kebo]

big e, is that a watercraft registration decal on your tractor?? You take it fishing too?? Or maybe ice fishing??

 

[jdgreg]

There's a thread here about chains on industrial tires.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/159205-tire-chains-industrial-tires.html


At a minimum get chains on the rear. If you can swing it, get chains on all 4, you'll be glad you did. I have standard 2 link chains on my R4s and they work great. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/159205-tire-chains-industrial-tires.html

 

[big e]

Thanks for the info and the tire ID. I thought they were industrial tires but the "NHS" listing baffled me.
and
Yes, thats a watercraft registration... good eye! I mow/hog on the pond levy so if I go in I'd want to be IN COMPLIANCE! Actually, it came off my canoe when I renewed the registration.

 

[Redneck in training]

There's a thread here about chains on industrial tires.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/159205-tire-chains-industrial-tires.html


At a minimum get chains on the rear. If you can swing it, get chains on all 4, you'll be glad you did. I have standard 2 link chains on my R4s and they work great. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/159205-tire-chains-industrial-tires.html

I second that. I bought my chains on line and ordered wrong size (for R1 tires I suppose.) so they are about two cross links shorter. Since I needed them right away I put them on. They work great even with missing links.

 

[jda1961]

always load the rear tires on a tractor, you need that weight for traction and stability on hills. since you have those useless industrial tires the best thing you can do is put chains on them, front and rear, but without the loaded tires it won't help much.

 

[neucam]

Everyone is right, a little or a lot of ballast on the rear of the tractor goes a long ways to regain some traction and balance front to rear. Could be some kind of liquid in the rear tires and or a heavy weight on the rear. Doing that some kind of chains on the rear would do wonders. Obviously more cross bars are better, but if it not ice anything would work. It take all these things to make a stable tractor that has traction in snow and ice, not just one thing.

 

[Diamondpilot]

They are R4's and the best thing you can do with the current tires is fill them then think about chains.

Chris

 

[scesnick]

I am in the same boat that you are. I have a 2.5 mile driveway up over a mountain and the R-4 tires really suck in the snow. My tires are not loaded either , I just bought the tractor. It is pretty helpless for sure.
As far as the salt thing on gravel/dirt roads goes, I was always told not to use salt or you will have a muddy mess. It is said to " take the bottom out" of your road. I tried salt on a short stretch once and it did make that section a total mess for quite a while... I wouldn't do it if i were you. If you have a wood/coal stove or know someone that does, ashes work great on the icy spots and it will not harm your road come spring.