Tires 4WD Tire Chain Survey: Front, Rear or Both?

[spencer200]

Just a warning about chains on the front tires. I have seen many twisted front axle shafts because of chains used on the front 4x4 tires! Extreme caution should be used when doing this!

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>...use chains in the winter and which wheels you have them on...</font color=blue>

The first thing you want to look for is "clearance"... normally not a problem on utility or full size ag tractors... but on a compact it can become tight...

With the tighter turning radius of a MFWD unit of between ~50-55 degrees... the front tires have very little room to spare...

Turn your steering as far as it will go in one direction... now dismount and check the clearance of the tire and front frame... will front chains interfere...? (now do the same, turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction... it can be different)

 

[jlong]

spencer2000,

I have run front chains on 4X4 on both a previous tractor and my present TC35D. I have a pretty nasty sloping, blacktop driveway and have slid down in 2WD with this setup, so I don't think no front chains is an option for me. Is the problem you refer to due to the chains actually coming off of the wheel and wrapping around the axel, or something more complicated with the mechanical aspect? I try to only use the 4X4 during snow/ice. I did have a chain come off and start to tangle, but fortunatly saw it before it caused any damage.

 

[jlong]

Corm,

I run chains on all 4 on a TC35D, with loaded R4's. I thought about just using front chains in 4X4, but have been too chicken. I too have a hilly 1/4 Blacktop drive, and have actually slid most of the way down when I forgot to go into 4X4. (still don't know how I avoided catastrophy!) During that slide, the rear tires with chains did'nt seem to do much at all. Since my front chains have the bars, they seem to dig in better and I think provide the traction I need. But since I also do snow removal for a local development, which requires me to drag uphill with a blade, I always put the rears chains on, since it would be too late during a snow.

I sure would like to know that I did not need the rear, since they are a bit of a pain to put on and off.

 

[Corm]

spencer200 - Please don't take any offense, but I have to question your statement, based on my own experience and my investigation done before I tried using chains on the fronts. Before I started using chains on my front axle, I spoke to people from every dealership within 25 miles of my home, representing all of the major brands of tractors, and some of the not so major brands. I also spoke to most everyone I know that has experience with tractors. Not one single person I spoke to, save one, had ever heard of problems associated with running chains on the fronts. A couple of folks said they didn't know of anyone trying it, so didn't have any experiences to share. One person at a JD dealership I spoke to said he 'seemed to remember' one customer that had troubles with a front axle, and he used to use chains on the fronts (please, I'm not flaming JDs, this just happened to be the only person that had any negative experience). If you do indeed personally know of many tractors having troubles with twisted axles as a result of using chains on the fronts, I'd be real interested in hearing the details, like tractor make and model especially. Thanks in advance.

Corm

 

[spencer200]

Well let me put it this way we see 3 or 4 tractors every winter with twisted axles in our shop! This happens when the chains on the front end grab somthing solid with this quick grab the axle will twist sometimes. I can only speak from experience at our own dealership I can not go by what other have experienced. This was just a friendly have caution type of warning. I see it happen more than it should on all makes.