I Give Up! Buying Chains for my Kioti RX7320 Cab Tractor

[OrangeAgain]

I just spent a frustrating afternoon trying to clear snow from our driveway and parking lot neither of which has much slope but my tractor is ice-challenged.

I would appreciate the following:

1. Type of easy to install chains to buy?
2. Do I need front and rear chains or just rear?
3. Will chains tear up my barn wood floor?
4. Best source?
5. Anything else I should know?

 

[Jstpssng]

What is the tire size of your tractor? Nothing less than steel works well on ice. You won't tear up your barn floor if you don't spin the tires.
You probably won't need them on front, unless you are having problems steering.

I haven't had to buy chains, as my father gave me a set when I bought my 275, and my 3301 came with them. However, a lot of people have good luck buying them Tire Chains-Best Snow Chains-TireChains.com here.

If you look around you can probably find a deal on Craigslist, or I found a discounted set of Wallensteins for my cousin's Kioti at an orchard supply place in Massachusetts that I do business with.

Member Gordon Gould described an easy way to install them a few months ago; it was part of a long running thread, but perhaps he will post it again.

 

[Greenland South]

Couple recent threads in the snow removal section that might be of use to you.

 

[George2615]

1. All vehicles are ice challenged, not just tractors.
2. All chains can be a hassle to install. You have to figure out which install method works best for you. On mine I put the tractor in neutral, jack up the rear, lift a chain up and onto the R4 lugs then rotate the tire around to pull the chain around. Then I can connect the inside and outside of the chain. I keep mine tight with bungees on the outside. Fronts I lift off the ground with bucket and put them on. They are smaller and not bad to put on.
Front chains do help you steer.
3. If you are worried about the barn floor lay down a couple sheets of OSB or plywood to drive on.
4. See previous post.
5. Make sure you can install chains without having to space your wheels out. Not sure if you have adjustable rear wheel spacing, if not you may need to buy spacers so the chains don't hit the frame.
I use simple ladder chains but V bar duo grip I think are the best for ice.

 

[fruitcakesa]

Chains on before the snow flies and stay on till the mud dries.
Front and rear wheels, have no fears

 

[atsah]

Night and day after you buy some..

 

[MarkE]

Front and Rear or you can't steer. If you drive slow into the garage,don't turn and stop slowly it will still damage the floor, but not terribly. I agree with atsah that is is night and day after you get them. Mine came with wires and hooks to loop over a rear tire lug and hook to the chain. Then when you drive forward it pulls the chain on so you just have to clip them together.

 

[HillStreet]

I almost went to the shed today to dig out my chains when I was clearing this storm, what a mess. I haven稚 used them in two years because it was not needed. Nonetheless I did snow blow today and it did work out, but slow.
I have a Kubota B2650 with ladder roller chains. They are very good and I place them on R4s. To install, I place them on the floor parallel, place a piece of 2 x 6 stock between two of the links (each side) and drive on until the tires sit on the 2 x 6s, then wrap the chains. Don稚 worry about the slack as they should be fairly loose. No chains on front tires.
This arrangement works fine for me but I rarely need them. My driveway was icy today and the snow was like concrete. I did go out right when the rain/snow mix ended. I did slip and slide a bit but it did turn out ok. Oh, I did have the dealer install spacers when I bought the tractor. Best of luck.

 

[mykleh]

I use horse stall mats from Tractor Supply to park on the concrete no scratches and no rust stains and if it melts off not as slippery and won't absorb and ruin the OSB every year..

 

[LouNY]

The ONLY chains I would recommend are the Euro type;
Auiline,
Trygg,
OFA's
these style of chains will provide the best traction and ride quaility of any conventional style of tire chains.


the link below should take you to a thread I posted on how I install chains,
this method works very well for me.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/405039-mounting-tire-chains.html?highlight=

 

[crazyal]

I agree with Lou (I have the same style of chains). You will pay a premium for them but you will only need them in the rear and they will last decades. But they will do damage to wood and cement. I got an old rubber conveyor belt given to me that I use to protect the floor. Before that I had some old carpet. One of the best things about these chains is that when we get rain and it's freezing I can just drive over it and the spikes rough up the ice. Often I don't need to put sand down.

 

[TractorNH]

I bought ladder style and the ride can be bumpy. If I were to do it again I'd go for the Aquilline MPC style. The chains running around the tires make for a better ride. They are a low profile chain so less chance of clearance issues and these also don't have big lugs so they should be a little easier on your floor.

Tractor Tire Chains - Aquiline MPC | Free US Shipping

Front chains are helpful and if you're running a plow on the front you really NEED them to be able to steer effectively. If you're just using the bucket or a pusher then only on the rear might be okay but you want to be sure you have plenty of rear ballast for added traction.

 

[Gordon Gould]

If you go Euro style chains, which I prefer, email Reed Supply in St. Jay and ask for a quote. They carry OFA-EKO 8 and 9 mm chains and I believe they will be your best price. Very good quality chains. I have two sets. 9 mm on the rear and 8 mm on the front A set on the rear will allow you to push snow straight ahead. If it is icy or heavy snow you may need to lift the bucket to turn. A set on the front will help steering with a floating bucket. Don't expect to steer to well with heavy down pressure on the bucket.

Reed Supply Company, Inc. VT Inustrial Supplies – Industrial, Safety & Logging Supplies



gg

 

[sd455dan]

my FIL was having ice traction problems with his yanmar with rear mounted blower on his hilly driveway

and had me order up a couple box fulls of these

KOLD KUTTER RACING TRACK TIRE ICE STUDS/SCREWS 3/4" #1 25 KK34-1-25 | eBay

he is running AG R1's and screwed them into the bar lugs
tractor has no wood floors to drive on, I haven't heard how they worked out yet...

had good results with the large link H style chains on the rear of my Ford 3000- that and about 1100lbs on the 3 point worked well together for using the FEL when on ice

 

[Avenger]

I bought a full set from tirechains.com this year. Shipped total was about $1500 but I got the spring tensioners and binder that helps install.
The style is completely up to you and your tire size.
They are very difficult and heavy to install if you have never done them before. Best method that I do for my tractor is to:

Jack up the rear, DEFLATE the tires, as in remove the valve stem. This shrinks the tire. Roll the chains on, or try to lift and stuff them under your fender on top of the tire. Hook the inside first, as tight as it will go.

Get a friend

Connect the outside, but dont cam it over.

Spin the tire and get the chains centered and even as best you can. A pry bar works well for this. Keep adjusting.

Cam over the chains, they should be tight, very tight.

Install tensioners or bungees

Re-inflate your tire to normal psi. You will hear the chains rubbing on the rubber. Tight chains are happy chains.

The fronts are really easy. Lighter and easy to get to. Use an FEL if you have one to life the front axle. Put a block under the other side so your axle does not articulate when you put the heavy chains on.

For the floor. Put down a layer of wood, like 2x6s where you will be driving. Let the chains chew them up.

Front chains are great for steering and helping pull if you have 4wheel drive.

Try not to spin the tires with chains on. This tears them up. Feather the clutch type of thing.

Trim or zip tie the excess chain material. You dont want that flying around.

I will put my chins on in the late fall and will keep them on probably until mid to late April. The work in the mud too!
The ride quality will be more bumpy. I'ts just one of those things. But you will grip like glue!

Totally worth the hassle and $$

 

[LouNY]

I have not deflated tires in over 50 years of installing chains on tractors,
I have deflated pickup tires some times.
I do not try to super tighten chains, I only run tensioners on my pickup chains,
don't have any on my tractor chains.
Wire or tye wrap or use quick links or clevises on any loose links or remove them.
If you remove them you may have trouble next year when installing them if you switch sides.
I normally install mine in the fall and remove them in the spring.
On the tractors that we use on the roads going to the feed lots those chains are removed and installed
several times a year depending on conditions.

 

[John_Mc]

The ONLY chains I would recommend are the Euro type;
Auiline,
Trygg,
OFA's
these style of chains will provide the best traction and ride quaility of any conventional style of tire chains.
View attachment 591585

the link below should take you to a thread I posted on how I install chains,
this method works very well for me.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/405039-mounting-tire-chains.html?highlight=

I agree with Lou, both on the Euro-style chain and on the installation method (It's well worth your time to read the description he linked). I wrestled with getting chains on my tractor for years. Using the method Lou describes, my 100#, 14 year old daughter could do it. The toughest part about the install is dragging the chains out of the garage (well, that and the fact that I always seem to wait until it's well below freezing and blizzard conditions to put them on).

I've tried a variety of chains on my tractor. I finally settled on the OFA Eko 8 chains for my rear wheels, and wish I had just bought them from the start. I started with V-bar ladder style, then went to V-bar Duo-Grip style, and now the OFA Eko chains. For my variety of uses, there is simply no contest. It was an expensive experiment, but the up side is that I've used all those chains on the exact same tractor and in the same terrain, so I really got an education in what the differences are. There are plenty of uses where one of the other styles would have been "good enough", but with the variety of my situations, the Euro-style is it.

If you are interested, I posted my impressions in more detail in a thread in the Kubota Owners section (apparently, they will let us NH owners in there if we behave ourselves): L3301 Snow Chains. The whole thread has some good info in it.

There was another good thread - I think in the Snow Removal section - but I can't find it now.

 

[Jstpssng]

There are two schools of thought on tensioners. I have never used or needed them as I run my chains tight. They also seem to be something to lose on a bush when I go out into the woods. I have never seen the Euro style chain which many recommend, but apparently they can't be run tight.

 

[finn1]

Look into screw in studs before you commit to chains.

They can be removed for summer, or so I have been told.

 

[John_Mc]

I bought a full set from tirechains.com this year. Shipped total was about $1500 but I got the spring tensioners and binder that helps install.
The style is completely up to you and your tire size.
They are very difficult and heavy to install if you have never done them before. Best method that I do for my tractor is to:

Jack up the rear, DEFLATE the tires, as in remove the valve stem. This shrinks the tire. Roll the chains on, or try to lift and stuff them under your fender on top of the tire. Hook the inside first, as tight as it will go.

Get a friend

Connect the outside, but dont cam it over.

Spin the tire and get the chains centered and even as best you can. A pry bar works well for this. Keep adjusting.

Cam over the chains, they should be tight, very tight.

Install tensioners or bungees

Re-inflate your tire to normal psi. You will hear the chains rubbing on the rubber. Tight chains are happy chains.

The fronts are really easy. Lighter and easy to get to. Use an FEL if you have one to life the front axle. Put a block under the other side so your axle does not articulate when you put the heavy chains on.

For the floor. Put down a layer of wood, like 2x6s where you will be driving. Let the chains chew them up.

Front chains are great for steering and helping pull if you have 4wheel drive.

Try not to spin the tires with chains on. This tears them up. Feather the clutch type of thing.

Trim or zip tie the excess chain material. You dont want that flying around.

I will put my chins on in the late fall and will keep them on probably until mid to late April. The work in the mud too!
The ride quality will be more bumpy. I'ts just one of those things. But you will grip like glue!

Totally worth the hassle and $$

You bought a full set of what style chains?

Also, I urge you to try the process Lou & others posted about. I've tried just about every way imaginable, and settled on that method. I wasn't kidding when I posted that my 100#, 14 year old daughter could put on my rear chains (OFA Eko 8) with this technique. She did one for me with only verbal help from me (well, I did buckle the last hook for her. It was cold out.)