Chains Are chains the answer?

Thomas · Dec 23, 2009

" plowing w/ R4's. Loaded tires this year and it's now like a new machine. "

Same here,also easy on the pedal when backing out not to spin the tires.

20 20 · Dec 23, 2009

weight to help with keeping the tire on the ground. Chains to dig into ice and get traction. Can't beat the compo especially when plowing snow. Reminder please only use chains on the rears. I know some folks say they work on the front. The tractor is not disigned to have that much forced slammed onto the front drive.

RalphVa · Dec 23, 2009

My 4010, which is probably about the same weight as your Iseki, was fine with loaded turf tires. I only had to watch about putting more than one tire off the pavement when dumping the FEL. Long as I kept 3 tires on the pavement, it was fine. Otherwise, I had to lower the FEL, blade down and do an upcurl to get back onto the pavement.

I hauled about 22 tons of gravel with my 4010 early in its life. I put a heavy attachment on the back for that. In the snow, it was just my lightweight back blade.

Ralph

jpm1 · Dec 23, 2009

Hi there Sideways, welcome to the world of tractors. I have a Mahindra 2810HST with a FEL. I have a deep bucket on the front most of the time for snow and a rear mount 3pt hitch blower. I have never used chains nor would I put them on my tractor. My tires are not loaded because of the other seasons work we do. I move a lot of snow with my rig in the winter just as it came from the dealer. I think after considering your problem I would check the front axle to make sure it is engaged. Also I would stay with the box blade for ballast. Good luck. . . John

Sideways · Dec 23, 2009

Thanks everyone!
Certainly alot more options/soultions than I thought of, especially lowering the air pressure. I will give that a shot first then filling the tires and adding more ballast to the rear
Thanks again!

jda1961 · Dec 24, 2009

Sideways said:
Here is a picture of my tractor with the box blade attached.
Not sure of the exact weight of the tiller but I would guess 250lbs.

JD, the front tires did not appear flat when the FEL was full.

its 4x4, it should move even with the rear off the ground. just put some weight on the rear and you'll be fine.

Dan W · Dec 24, 2009

20 20 said:
weight to help with keeping the tire on the ground. Chains to dig into ice and get traction. Can't beat the compo especially when plowing snow. Reminder please only use chains on the rears. I know some folks say they work on the front. The tractor is not disigned to have that much forced slammed onto the front drive.

Thanks for the word of caution Mr. 2020,
I had flipped my B7800 front wheels around (tire valves on the inside) and from side to side to get enough clearance for front chains. My trusty Kubota dealer said nothing when I told him I wanted to do this so as to run chains on the front end all winter. I plowed twice so far, works like a charm. On the other hand, the ride is very lumpy (steering wheel jumps radically) I was considering removing the front chains. The fact that I paid a small fortune for the chains in the first place is what is driving me to keep them on the front.
Reading your warning this am, there're coming off this morning, thanks again for confirming what I thought might be the right thing to do.

Dan

Ps: I love this site don't you all?

jas67 · Dec 24, 2009

forester2 said:
My b3030 was terrible in icy conditions while plowing w/ R4's. Loaded tires this year and it's now like a new machine.

My B7610 has R4's, which ARE loaded with WWF, and they still suck in icy conditions. I had turfs on my B7100, which were way better.

bp fick · Dec 24, 2009

Be really careful about lowering the air pressure, as it can lead to a spun tire syndrome, which I am sure you understand.

+1 on this being almost entirely being a balance issue.

Ford850 · Dec 24, 2009

You do not want to lower the tire pressure too much, but they might be over inflated now. The entire width of the tire bars should be touching the ground as the tire rolls. In other words, when you stand to the side of the tractor, the bars as they roll against the ground should be flat on the ground to their outside edges and not curled up off the ground due to high tire pressure. Lowering tire pressure to the proper amount will increase the surface area touching the ground, and improve traction. It will also extend the life of your tires since they will wear more evenly and spin less.