Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[hunt4570]

I preferred to move south of the snow belt so I dont care anymore.

 

[IXLR8]

What chains do you prefer? It would be primarily for snow plowing etc. But I could use them if I ever get the chance to use the winch in summer as well.

Are you going to be driving on asphalt, concrete, gravel, in the woods??

 

[Gordon Gould]

This type is what I prefer with Ag tires plowing gravel and in the woods.
These are made by OFA. Fronts are OFA ECO 8's and the rears are ECO 9's. Better priced than others but still not cheap.

gg

 

[VroomVroom]

Are you going to be driving on asphalt, concrete, gravel, in the woods??

No asphalt. Gravel, ice, sometimes little woods path maybe.

 

[VroomVroom]

This type is what I prefer with Ag tires plowing gravel and in the woods.
These are made by OFA. Fronts are OFA ECO 8's and the rears are ECO 9's. Better priced than others but still not cheap.

View attachment 772226

View attachment 772234

gg

They look alright. What would I be looking at when paying for a similar set?

 

[John_Mc]

They look alright. What would I be looking at when paying for a similar set?

I have OFA EKO 8 chains on the rear tires of my NH TC33D (Which would be the same as what is on your Mahindra 2816, if you have R4 tires on your tractor). They cost me $515 for the pair, but that was back in 2017. I'm sure they are significantly higher than that now.

Looking on Tirechain.com, I see a similar style in that size going for $884 (they do not say who the manufacturer is).

I have to agree with Gordon. This style of chain is by far the best I've tried.

I started with 4-link ladder style with V-bars (i.e. studded). I was a significant improvement over my bare R4 tires in snow and ice. Going striagh up and down hills was fine, but the lateral traction was lacking, making working on side-hills tough. Ride on pavement or hard packed ground at higher speeds was "tolerable", but things did get shaken around a good bit when running down the road in high range.

I switched to Duo Grip with V-bars they worked much better on side hills and on rough terrain in the woods. I would have stuck with these, but I regularly drive my tractor a few miles down the road to another property, and the ride at high speeds was really rough. For work on softer ground or lower speeds, they were fine.

Since I switched to the OFA EKO 8 chains, I have been VERY happy with them. The forward and lateral traction is great, and the ride at any speed is smooth. I often leave them on in the summer as well: they definitiely improve traction in the woods. If I ever manage to wear these out, I'll be putting another set right on.

THere are others who make similar styles to the OFA EKO chains. Trygg is one highly respected brand... I can't remember the others off the top of my head. The style is often referred to generically as "Euro-style" chains.

 

[VroomVroom]

Ouch. Canadian dollar I’ll be looking at $1000 then. I do need them there however. Always something. I’ll look them up. Tire chain.com

 

[shooterdon]

VV,

Chains are the best but I remember what a PITA they were to put on my Ranger SxS. I am 72 and cannot imagine wrestling with them on a tractor tire as I get older. I am looking at adding studs to my LS. I do not work on paved surfaces so studs may be OK.

 

[aeblank]

I'm 43 and dread putting my chains on. I gotta have em, so I do, but dammit they're heavy.

 

[LD48750]

Hummm... 76 & chains on the front of the Ford 1510.
(Just a hair bigger then riding lawn mower tires)

Chains on the rear of the 2N.
Left them on from last year.

Chains on front & rear of the F250 plow truck.
THAT was a pain...

 

[John_Mc]

Ouch. Canadian dollar I’ll be looking at $1000 then. I do need them there however. Always something. I’ll look them up. Tire chain.com

I bough my OFA EKO 8 chains at Reed Supply in St Johnsbury, VT Turns out they have a delivery truck that makes its way over to my side of VT on occasion, so delivery to a local lumberyard cost me just $15. My Ladder-style and Duo Grip style chains were purchased at tirechains.com. I would look for a more local distributor before ordering online - freight can get expensive on these.

OFA makes other similar styles worth inquiring about (In fact, I don't see the EKO style on the web site, but there are others that seem identical in design.)

Other brands to consider in the same style: Aqualine Talon and Trygg

None of them are cheap. I have noted that steel prices are plummeting (I work in the steel wire business and have seen our steel rod mill suppliers go from a limited allocation system for the past couple of years to now out there trying to drum up sales.) I don't know if or when this might translate into lower prices on chains, however.

As noted in my earlier post, you might be able to get by with a less expensive design: I gave my brother my old studded ladder-style chains. He is happy with them plowing snow on mostly flat ground and rolling hills where there is not much of a side slope to deal with. (Unlike me, he does not need to wory about slipping sideways when working on rough terrain in tight quarters in the woods and ending up hung up on a tree.) The studded Duo Grip chains would have worked out for me working in the woods, but the rough ride on the road made them a pain to use when I needed to run back and forth between a couple of properties. However, none of those designs match the traction I have now or the ability to run at high speeds without shaking myself to death.

 

[John_Mc]

VV,

Chains are the best but I remember what a PITA they were to put on my Ranger SxS. I am 72 and cannot imagine wrestling with them on a tractor tire as I get older. I am looking at adding studs to my LS. I do not work on paved surfaces so studs may be OK.

I'm 43 and dread putting my chains on. I gotta have em, so I do, but dammit they're heavy.

If you have not already seen it, you really should try the chain mounting method described by @LouNY in this thread: Mounting tire chains

From Lou's first post in that thread (his thread includes pictures and a pretty good discussion, so it's worth checking out):

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

I use a slightly different method than what he describes in the first post:

1. rather than looping the string/rope over the tire tread, I pass one end through a hole in the rim and then tie the ends to the chain. (My R4 tread is rather worn, so the rope sometimes fell off if I just hooked over the tread)
2. Rather than tie on to the side chains, I tie one end about 1/3 of the way along the the cross chain, and the other end 2/3 of the way across. This leaves my side chains free to make the connections before I untie the rope.

When installing with this method, I rarely have to go back and tighten up my chains after driving on them for a bit. They just wrap right on the tire fairly tightly. (It helps that my OFA EKO 8 chains recommend leaving a little slack - NOT running them tight, an dthey don;t recommend chain sensioners. However, I had the same experience when installing my ladder and Duo Grip style chains: this method really minimized the need to go back and fiddle with chains after the initial installation.
________________

Other tips:
The "Euro-style" chains (OFA EKO, Aqualine Talon, etc) fasten in four places, not just at the side chains (as ladder and Duo Grip Chains do). Fasten the inner connectors first before fastening the side chains.

Lay out your chains so the ends with the connectors get pulled over the tire first. I'm not sure exactly why, but I always seem to have an easier time connecting things than if I start with the other end of the chain. (This also matches the installation instructions that came with my chain.)

I've also attached the instructions that came with my OFA chains.

 

[Hilbilly]

If you have not already seen it, you really should try the chain mounting method described by @LouNY in this thread: Mounting tire chains

From Lou's first post in that thread (his thread includes pictures and a pretty good discussion, so it's worth checking out):


I use a slightly different method than what he describes in the first post:

1. rather than looping the string/rope over the tire tread, I pass one end through a hole in the rim and then tie the ends to the chain. (My R4 tread is rather worn, so the rope sometimes fell off if I just hooked over the tread)
2. Rather than tie on to the side chains, I tie one end about 1/3 of the way along the the cross chain, and the other end 2/3 of the way across. This leaves my side chains free to make the connections before I untie the rope.

When installing with this method, I rarely have to go back and tighten up my chains after driving on them for a bit. They just wrap right on the tire fairly tightly. (It helps that my OFA EKO 8 chains recommend leaving a little slack - NOT running them tight, an dthey don;t recommend chain sensioners. However, I had the same experience when installing my ladder and Duo Grip style chains: this method really minimized the need to go back and fiddle with chains after the initial installation.
________________

Other tips:
The "Euro-style" chains (OFA EKO, Aqualine Talon, etc) fasten in four places, not just at the side chains (as ladder and Duo Grip Chains do). Fasten the inner connectors first before fastening the side chains.

Lay out your chains so the ends with the connectors get pulled over the tire first. I'm not sure exactly why, but I always seem to have an easier time connecting things than if I start with the other end of the chain. (This also matches the installation instructions that came with my chain.)

I've also attached the instructions that came with my OFA chains.

I started using that method when I got my Trygg chains for the rears on the L6060 and it was / is an absolute game changer. I no longer agonize about putting those heavy chains on the tractor. It's almost a pleasure ....... almost.

 

[BackRoad]

Mr. John_Mc said it the best. I love the EKO's, plus Mr. LouNY's install method.

I'm watching the weather to see when I need to mount them again for this winter and looking forward to giving Mr. John's modified method a try!

 

[Skeans1]

 

[Gordon Gould]

Mr. John_Mc said it the best. I love the EKO's, plus Mr. LouNY's install method.

I'm watching the weather to see when I need to mount them again for this winter and looking forward to giving Mr. John's modified method a try!View attachment 772498View attachment 772499

I put mine on Sunday - 3 pair. So probably won't snow again for a while now. Use the same method but with a loop of rope and a couple S-hooks so I don't have to deal with knots.

 

[hunt4570]

So glad we moved out of the snow belt! No more chains!

 

[Hilbilly]

I look forward to the snow each year. Everything is bright and cheery plus the outdoor scenery is beautiful. It's also nicer to watch snow falling instead of rain plus my driveway is a nice white color instead of turning to mud and spraying all over the truck. I will take the snow over rain but I have to admit that some years I can't wait for the snow to go away so that I can go camping and fishing.

 

[hunt4570]

I look forward to the snow each year. Everything is bright and cheery plus the outdoor scenery is beautiful. It's also nicer to watch snow falling instead of rain plus my driveway is a nice white color instead of turning to mud and spraying all over the truck. I will take the snow over rain but I have to admit that some years I can't wait for the snow to go away so that I can go camping and fishing.

And when I was younger I liked the snow, and used to go winter camping quite a bit, a new set of challenges to camping.

 

[arrow]

And when I was younger I liked the snow, and used to go winter camping quite a bit, a new set of challenges to camping.

ain't that amazing how some lose (probably most) "the kid" in themselves in regards to snow. How it once delighted us and how it's turned to drudgery.

I wonder where the transition occurs?

Can't be having to drive in it because i did for miles and miles.
Can't be the accident it caused because i did that as well.
Can't be being hit in the face with a snowball because that also happened.
Can't be having to shovel it for years.

I still delight in the stuff and don't even know why.
I musta never matured.