Mounting tire chains

[John_Mc]

Personally, I would return the long one for the correct one.

 

[dnw64]

I put chains on one tractor yesterday, there are lots of ways to mount chains I thought I would share the easiest way I have found to do so.

1) lay the chains out with the outside, the ground contact side facing up
2) tie a short cord to the side chains, the length will depend on your tire size, on mine I end up with a V shape about 3 feet.
3) back up to your chain, take the cord and hang it on the tire treads.
4) drive forward slowly, stopping to spread the chain out on your tire.
5) continue doing this till you have rolled the chain up on the tire and have working room at the rear of the tire
6) your chain should be well centered on your tire and have very little slack.
7) fasten your chains.
8) step back and check out your work

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This is the easiest way I have found to do chains, if you are doing this in a shop and can jack up a wheel it works good than also.
On the smaller tires I have jacked them up and chocked the other side to do this, then simply kneel down to do the fastening.
If you find that your rope V is to long when the chain is started up simply stop and leaving your other cord on run a new V and snug it up remove the old and continue. Using this method one person can install heavy chains on large tires. Without straining and hurting themselves. If you take your time after using this method a few times you will find that after your chains are laid out and untangled you can mount them in well under a half hour each with help spreading the chains accross your tire and telling you when to stop it's even easier and you are not fighting with the weight of the chains when fastening the side links.
The shorter the V that works for you the easier to line up and fasten the side links with all the slack taken up by the chains, no fuss no muss.

This is most certainly not the only way, but it is the easiest way I have found.

Lou

I have no idea why these pictures all rotate when I post them.

Not to minimize your efforts or value, but that is the way recommended by the manufacturer of my chains. In fact they came with a piece of rope for that purpose...

 

[John_Mc]

Not to minimize your efforts or value, but that is the way recommended by the manufacturer of my chains. In fact they came with a piece of rope for that purpose...

Unfortunately, far to few people - even those experienced in tractors - seem to know this method, and far too few tire chain manufacturers include this type of instructions with their chains.

 

[Ghostrider16]

Sounds like you are right,
you will need to cut the last square lose and run the excess to the side link and either cut it off or tie it back along the side.
Do yours have the pin drive clevis making the center squares?
Or do you have the oval connecting links?
I keep a hand full of 6mm or 8mm or 1/4" or 5/16" D shackles on hand for installing and adjusting chains.
D & Bow Shackle - Anchor Boat Marine Chain Rigging Screw Pin 34 Stainless Steel | eBay

or like these, a search for D shackles stainless steel screw pin will give plenty to choose from.
Screw Pin D Shackle Stainless Steel

or return your long one for the correct one.
Either way I use shackles for securing the extra links and have several in case a chain were to break.
I have close to 10 years on one set so I expect I'll be doing some repairs sooner or later.

Personally, I would return the long one for the correct one.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you guys, but thanks much for the responses!

A couple adjustments and we got 'em all fixed up and fitted. Been running them for a couple weeks now and they seem to be working fine!

 

[grsthegreat]

ive been putting chains on my beast of a tractor tire for 9 winters now. hate it every year.

one year i left them off out of spite, and ended up getting stuck, so now i just do it. its probably the least favorite of my chores to do. and its truly amazing how all my friends dont answer my calls come chain up season. how do they know.

and those stupid chains weigh more every year...like me.

 

[LouNY]

ive been putting chains on my beast of a tractor tire for 9 winters now. hate it every year.

one year i left them off out of spite, and ended up getting stuck, so now i just do it. its probably the least favorite of my chores to do. and its truly amazing how all my friends dont answer my calls come chain up season. how do they know.

and those stupid chains weigh more every year...like me.

I started putting chains on tractors or helping to over 60 years ago, did take a break for a few years in the 70's,
we used to use the big heavy double ring mud chains in the winter as they worked the best back then for getting thru the snow and the thawed ground under it pulling a manure spreader every day, they were heavy and clumsy to put on and rough riding on hard frozen ground.

Most years now I get them on before they are needed, but screwed up this year the first storm that I needed them for was one heck of a storm.
I only chained up one tractor as the forecaster talked about the approaching storm that went from 1-3 to3-6 then 6-12 then I put one set on and called it good.
The next day they started talking 20-30 inches and we got 38+ then my chained up tractor went down with a water pump.
So I ended up having to shovel that tract mostly clear then pull it out with the truck chain it up standing on 6 inches of packed snow to finish clean up and pushing snow back.

I can sure agree with the chains weighing more each year... just like I do.

But both tractors are all chained up for the winter now and ready to go even though a few days after the snow storm we got oer 50 and a couple inches of rain so most of the ground is bare now.

 

[toolslinger]

Completely failed to chain up on time... Did the first storm (10") without as I was pressed for time... (tires are filled with CaCl, and then there's the 1000# weight on the back that kinda helps)
Fortunately, the brand new R1 rears did a great job. Next time I'm out there in a couple weeks, those big double rings are going on. Will be interesting to see how they fit over tires that haven't been worn bald from 40 years of casual torture. May have to try the rope trick...
Next will be getting chains for the "new" MF135 that has a plow rig for the front. Dunno if I'll get double rings, or something else. Last time anyone bought chains out there, it was the 1970, and I wasn't around quite yet...

 

[LouNY]

I would never recommend the double ring chains to anyone unless they were going to be pulling hard in muddy fields.
The Euro style studded chains will out perform any other style of chains except for deep mud plus they will provide a very good ride
while providing excellent traction.
My IH574 rides on bald non-filled tires with no bolt on weight and she has as much or more traction on snow pack, ice or frozen ground
as she would pavement in the summer.

 

[dnw64]

After some trouble this last storm I decided I may as well capitalize on the money I had already spent on studded Euro-style chains and the spacers required to give the needed clearance.

Used the supplied rope and instructions. Granted, these are relatively small tires (12.4-16) but it went very slick. Took me a total of 45 minutes from walking out the door to having them locked in. And that included figuring out how to use the weird chain connectors that remind me of a trick game where you have to figure out how to put a square peg in a round hole.

Surprisingly (in spite of claims supporting it) smooth ride. I drove up a moderately steep grade with crusty slush in 2WD with nada slip, then came back down, stopped and BACKED UP, still in 2WD - loaded rears but no additional ballast, front mount snowblower fully lifted. Small amount of spinning, but it did it. Can't wait to use it in "real life".

 

[toolslinger]

As I need to do some work to the 135, it isn't on the schedule for use this winter... I guess that's good now that I looked up the price of the euro style chains in my size... Geesh.
I guess it'll be fine considering I will only need one set for the next few decades... Plus, anything has to be a better ride than the double rings.