Chains on all winter?

[Royboy]

Trying to decide about putting the chains on my tractor. I don't want to put them on and take them off several times because it's a pain in the butt but I am concerned about what they might do to my asphault driveway over the winter. Mine is not a huge tractor, its a Kubota 2410 so it's not a behemouth tracking up and down my driveway, but I don't want to ruin the pavement either.
Does anyone leave them on all winter? Should they just go on in case of a blizzard like last year?
How do you folks handle this?
Thanks for your input!
Roy

 

[Gizmo2]

What type of chains?
I leave mine on all the time, rear only, summer, fall, winter and spring. Never saw any adverse effect on our asphalt driveway. Been doing the same for the last 20 some years.

 

[RalphVa]

My Gravely needed chains in the winter until I put duals on. The chains didn't harm the driveway. Think you'd only have a problem if the driveway was in its first year. After that it hardens enough to not be harmed.

Don't need chains on the turf tires of my 4010. Maybe I might if our driveway had much of a slope to it. Did fine on our record 56" last winter.

Ralph

 

[mbrule]

My experience with my little Yanmar is that the driveway is not harmed UNLESS I spin the tires.

I had cable chains (broke, need to make a new set) that didn't really do any more than scuff it up even if I spun.

My "v bar" chains will damage even seasoned asphalt if I spin the tires.. My tractor is probably around 2k pounds weighted up for use.

 

[dave1949]

Like others said, it depends a lot on the style of chain. Mine have two square-cut spikes on each link. Very bitey. They will do a number on my concrete garage floor without spinning the tires. I park the tractor on rubber horse stall mats in the garage. Driveway is gravel, so that's not an issue.

I agree about the pain of putting them on, I leave mine on all winter.
Dave.

 

[JB4310]

I leave mine on all winter, If yours are regular plain chains with no v bars then it won't be a problem driving over the asphalt the only time it will leave marks is if you spin the tires, even then with plain chains it will just leave a cosmetic scratch, that will not be noticed after a while.

Mine do have the V bars and they will do some damage, leave permanent scratches/ galling if spun andas Dave mentioned even just driving on concrete will leave chips.

JB.

 

[Royboy]

Thanks all! I just put them on and will not think about them again until spring. My chains are just regular ladder chains from TireChains.com so hopefully they won't do much to the driveway but I'll be ready for the snow if it comes.

Actually... I figure that since I went out and put them on it might not snow anymore for the rest of the winter.

All the best-
Roy

 

[Jerry/MT]

Trying to decide about putting the chains on my tractor. I don't want to put them on and take them off several times because it's a pain in the butt but I am concerned about what they might do to my asphault driveway over the winter. Mine is not a huge tractor, its a Kubota 2410 so it's not a behemouth tracking up and down my driveway, but I don't want to ruin the pavement either.
Does anyone leave them on all winter? Should they just go on in case of a blizzard like last year?
How do you folks handle this?
Thanks for your input!
Roy

If you're worried about damaging your drive then drive on the side in the grass. I doubt that driving on the asphalt will do any damage to it however.
Studded tires are probably worse than chains, albiet smaller. be careful if you have an FEL and have it loaded. You don't want to spin the tires or they can damage the surface.

I've found one sure way for the weather to improve is for me to put chains on the tractor and the ranch pick up. Seems as soon as I do that, a chinook blows through and melts the snow and I don't need the chains!

 

[Dead Horse]

I put the chains on this big guy as needed. When not needed, I take them off. Each chain weighs in excess of 80 pounds. Yes, pain in the tail, but this tractor weighs a LOT and will wear out a set on the pavement if I don't do this.

The drive is 3/4 mile long, pavement. and the tractor makes a couple trips a week up and back for firewood from the wood shed to the outdoor furnace.

I really don't mind, as it is rare that this tractor actually needs chains for his usual chores.

The guy who does this plow route gets his truck stuck in a ditch on a narrow gravel road above me, about once a season. His truck can weigh in excess of 30,000 # with a load of sand. When I have to go get him, I stop at the barn for the chains, as a matter of course.

Otherwise, if I am dealing with a storm like the one in the picture, I chain up, too.

 

[JimP]

I used 4 bar ladder chains with loaded R4s on a Kubota 2410 for ears. The chains went on in the late fall and came off when snow removal stopped. I never saw any damage to the concrete garage floor or paved driveway except for cosmetic scratches if I spun the tires.

 

[adjusterr]

I have been installing chains on my 1010 JD and L2250 Kubota every Fall, lay the chains out on the ground then drive over them, pull them up onto the tire, pull, cuss, pull, cuss, until installed. This Fall, a friend came up to help me install the chains. I started the same process when he sked, why not lift the rear of the Kubota off the ground with the backhoe stabilizers. I did, and the chains were on in a few moments. Every time I think I have everything figured out and know about everything, something comes along and proves me wrong. I'm posting this helpful hint in case there are others out there, like me, who never considered the obvious.

 

[markb74]

This thread is very timely... We put an asphalt driveway in in June 2010 so the kids could have something solid to ride their bikes on. Between my neighbors drive and mine, we have about 700' of gravel drive and now 120' feet of pavement. I was worried about the chains on the 2210 hurting the surface, so I held off putting them on until this past weekend. I just have the non-aggressive JD chains, and was hoping to get away with it on the asphalt. I couldn't tell from the driveway that the chains scuffed up the surface at all. My thought was I'll use 4wd and low and decrease the chance for spinning.

Chains sure do make a world of difference - I can do alot of the gravel in just 2wd with the chains, whereas I have to work the tractor harder and in 4wd without the chains.

I was glad to read there were others using chains on asphalt as well.

 

[93Mustang]

This is a timely thread for me as well. Had a heck of a time today with all the snow. Have a really steep section of driveway (which my neighbor has slid down on his tractor) so I have been thinking about chains. Honesly have been surprisingly happy with my R-4s (this is my first winter with the tractor and have been able to traverse the hill carefully the last couple of storms) but...today with all the extra snow I got stuck even on small inclines when plowing where I haven't had any trouble before. After a while I just got stuck everywhere, plowing or not as I compacted the snow! I didn't even attempt the steeper section... My one worry which has made me hold back on chains is the paved driveway (part of which is shared and I wouldn't want to mark it all up). I have search high and low for threads on how chains impact pavement but I didn't really seem to find anything that spoke directly to this. I even posted about some rubber straps being marketed as a substitute but got no response. It appears that non aggressive chains should be fine and no worse than the scuffing my blade puts on the driveway. Now I need to find my tire size so I can order something.

Dana

 

[Toddao]

Put them on and leave em on all winter , have a steep gravel driveway and the gc2410 goes like a tank in 2wd . Had the chains on the front 2 link regular chain , but have removed them after reading the negative and don't want chance front end damage. The rear chains are studded and don't really hurt the garage floor , just driving in and out . May put the front back on going into the woods still have 2 plus feet of snow on the ground.

 

[First one]

A good friend came up last year to show me how to put on my chain's so this year I did it alone. They"ll stay on for the winter ,but I wouldn't do anyone's hot top driveway for fear I'd mess it up , my chain's have studs on them.
He showed me to lie the chain's on the ground with the studs up. Start with the end without the clamps on and put a small piece of chain though the inner hole in the rim, shackle to each side of the end of your chain. Drive tractor forward a foot or two ,that will pull the chain up on the tire and pulls it fairly tight as it goes. I try and get it centered as much as I can. Then drive another foot or two and keep doing this until the chain is ready to shackle together .Unhook the chain that was used to hold the chain to the tire and hook the inside first then do the other side. It's easier to hook the inner side first , because you want the extra room to pull if it's alittle tight . Then shackle the inner cross links . Drive around back and forth and re check. I just picked up a tractor jack not to long ago ,and will give that a try next time.
When you guys use a jack do you use a chain though the rim to help hold the chain on the tire as your spinning it?

 

[Marveltone]

I'll leave mine on all winter, as I see no advantage to taking them off and have no desire to install them multiple times in one season. I got the European style
net reinforced chains from TireChains.com. It's absolutely unbelievable what they'll do on the rear of a set of R3s, since there are no lugs for the links to fall between.

Come spring, they'll hang on the garage wall.

Joe

 

[dave1949]

When you guys use a jack do you use a chain though the rim to help hold the chain on the tire as your spinning it?

I do. I jack up the whole backend of the tractor. I turn the tire wheels by hand to pull the chain up on it, then set the brake to hold it in position while I center the chain and get it in the right place. My chains are just light enough to allow that method - if I do enough cussing
Dave.

 

[Gizmo2]

if I do enough cussing
Dave.

That's about the reality of it all.

 

[PILOON]

I leave my studded double cross chains on all winter.
Being double and studded they just don't slip so there are no marks on the pavement.
OK, odd time I did spin and yes it scratched the frozen asphalt but come spring when the melt washes away you can't find those few skids.

Besides, a drive is but a private road, not my living room floor!

 

[JB4310]

I use the jack also and don't have any tricks, just alot of struggling, using your hip to hold one end of the chains, as you pull the other side over at the same time trying to teeter the tractor with some other part of your body, so the tire your working on is off the ground but the other side is not touching the ground, so you can turn the one you're working on, etc etc. That's if you just use jack in the center like I do.

So yeah A PITN, not something I'd want to do every storm. Much easier with an extra set of hands.

My V-bars are tearing up the driveway this year, with all the snow and trying to push the piles back as far as possible.

JB.