Tire grooving with my chainsaw

[motownbrowne]

First off, don't construe this as a recommendation on my part to try this. Chainsaws are dangerous, tires are expensive. I'll let you figure it out.

That said, I grooved the rear R4 tires of my New Holland this morning. To do both sides took less than half an hour. I used my 40cc Dolmar 421 with a 12" 3/8 low profile bar. The chain is Oregon VXL semi-chisel. I kept my RPMs high and went to town. Tried to watch the depth of the cutters in the tire. The rubber was an easy cutting material, and I didn't have any issues with the chain wanting to grab and cut too deep. It might be worth noting that I use a chainsaw almost daily, so it is a familiar and comfortable tool for me.

Anyway, we got rain on top of slushy snow last night, which now is frozen. It's a hard, crusty combination, so the grooves don't work as well as they would in wetter snow. Still, though, i think that there was a noticeable improvement. These tires were awful on hard packed snow. It's my main snow removal machine, so any improvement at all will be appreciated. I figure for the cost, it's worth a shot.

Here's a couple of pictures.

 

[lilranch2001]

you have bigger testis than I do sir

 

[dieselcrawler]

Cool... Id do it. Ive done worn out mud tires for offroad truck toys, and the forklift tire at work. Not for everyone, but fine for thoes with the ability and budget constraints I have.

 

[k0ua]

you have bigger testis than I do sir

I was thinking ...big as church bells.... I can't ague with the results though..

 

[flyerdan]

For a job like that one of those chainsaw discs for an angle grinder would be a good choice. Seems like it would be much easier to control the depth and follow the line. Plus there would be no cast off chain oil. Looks like a great way to increase the footprint for better snow grip.

 

[gsganzer]

you have bigger testis than I do sir

I thought the exact same thing!

 

[lilranch2001]

I was thinking ...big as church bells.... I can't ague with the results though..

Agreed, the results look very positive

 

[lilranch2001]

For a job like that one of those chainsaw discs for an angle grinder would be a good choice. Seems like it would be much easier to control the depth and follow the line. Plus there would be no cast off chain oil. Looks like a great way to increase the footprint for better snow grip.

Also agree with this, it may be a task in my future.....
My fronts seem to wear worse than my backs, may start there

 

[Gary Fowler]

I could think of lots of tools that I would use prior to picking up a chainsaw- grinder or small skill saw set to proper depth comes to mind. Cant argue with your results though however I can guarantee that your saw skills top mine considerably.

 

[motownbrowne]

I could think of lots of tools that I would use prior to picking up a chainsaw- grinder or small skill saw set to proper depth comes to mind. Cant argue with your results though however I can guarantee that your saw skills top mine considerably.

Yeah, I did consider the chainsaw-cutter angle grinder blade, but I figured I'd try the saw since i had a good one for the job. I don't have the angle grinder blade, although I wouldn't mind owning one.

Honestly, I didn't know that it would go as well as it did. I figured I'd fire up the saw and try one or two cuts. They went very well, so I carried on. It's a light, controllable saw with a very short bar. Also, as mentioned, it's a tool I use almost daily. I was impressed with how easy it was, and it never felt like it was difficult to control.

Now, for the record, I didn't price out replacement tires before I started this project. Perhaps if I had, I might have reconsidered. It was very easy, though, and I was finished before I knew it. Honestly, I could have done the job in the time that I normally warm up the tractor.