B2920 Chains rubbing

[tractchores]

I have a B2920 with turf tires and I decided to get some chains for plowing and for work in the woods / on a steep hill in the snow. There is very little clearance on the inner front side of the rear tires and the frame. The chains do clear, but they rub very slightly (just enough to scratch the paint). Nothing is binding and I used it to plow the other day with no issues (traction is fantastic).

My question is do other folks have this issue and am I in danger of doing any long term damage here? I imagine I'll have to touch up the paint in that area after the winter. I'm not sure if it's the actual tractor frame or maybe the BH subframe I'm rubbing. I can put wheel spacers on it, but that is a lot of effort, probably requires a trip to the dealer given the weight of the loaded tires and will cost at least $300...

If anyone has any ideas or tricks those are welcome too!

 

[deerseeker001]

do you have bungee cords to take up the slack on your chains.

 

[tractchores]

do you have bungee cords to take up the slack on your chains.

They're on pretty tight so there is little to no play. The section rubbing is the section that holds the cross links together (the one that goes around the rim VS the bigger chains that are on the tire treads, which have clearance). I do have a chain spring tensioner on it, but used a crowbar to get it very tight when I put it on so there's no play at all on that part of the chain. It'd be weird, but maybe I should try putting the chain tensioner on the inside if it'd clear....

 

[deerseeker001]

I have the double ring chains on mine and with out the bungees on inside and out my would rub on the loader frame.

 

[oldballs]

I've got two link ladder chains on my B2620 but no BH/ frame using R4 tires. The chains don't rub on mine. Sounds like it may be the frame that's catching. It just occurred to me that the turf tires could be wider than my R4 industrials, therefore the difference in clearance.

 

[bigtiller]

Can you get by with a little less air in the tire? That will make the tire a fraction smaller and maybe not rub on the paint anymore.

 

[Dave M7040]

Go to Tractor supply and buy a steel ring about 2" in diameter. Then buy some springs that will go from the chains to the ring. In this way there is a uniform pull towards the center of the wheel and it will help much more than either having nothing or pulling from two points on the chains which results in areas of the chain which are not uniformly tensioned and are able to slap the fender when you drive.
The photo may be an easier way to visualize this.

Dave M7040

 

[tractchores]

I've got two link ladder chains on my B2620 but no BH/ frame using R4 tires. The chains don't rub on mine. Sounds like it may be the frame that's catching. It just occurred to me that the turf tires could be wider than my R4 industrials, therefore the difference in clearance.

Thanks. Yes the turfs on the B2920 are quite a bit bigger than the R4's. Clearance is good all around except for that one spot where the metal frame actually goes a bit outward towards the tire for some reason...

 

[tractchores]

Go to Tractor supply and buy a steel ring about 2" in diameter. Then buy some springs that will go from the chains to the ring. In this way there is a uniform pull towards the center of the wheel and it will help much more than either having nothing or pulling from two points on the chains which results in areas of the chain which are not uniformly tensioned and are able to slap the fender when you drive.
The photo may be an easier way to visualize this.
Dave M7040

Thanks, that's a good idea. I'm going to try to measure the clearances to see if I got it perfectly uniform if that would solve it, or if it's going to just rub no matter what due to the chain thickness.

 

[tractchores]

Can you get by with a little less air in the tire? That will make the tire a fraction smaller and maybe not rub on the paint anymore.

Unfortunately I think I'm at the minimum with about 20 lbs of pressure and a rimguard filled tire. I may experiment though, maybe more air will make the tire a tad taller VS wider and get me the MM I need.

 

[kco]

My Kioti DK35SE with R4's has a similar inside clearance problem. I adjust the chains so they ride above the tire sidewall centre line (up toward the tread). For the fronts I actually shortened the crosslinks to make them ride higher on the tire.

Here is another idea for chain tensioners:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/299418-tire-chain-tensioners.html

 

[GPintheMitten]

If you can't eliminate the interference by tightening or adjusting the chains, if the interference is small you may consider trimming or grinding then prime and paint.

Of course this would not be advised if it required major trimming of a structural part.

 

[HillStreet]

I installed chains and spacers on my Kubota B2320 with turf tires and they are great. Bought the spacers from Kubota dealer, specific part number for that application. They are machined really well and fit perfectly.

I did it myself, and I am not a mechanic. Yup, tires are a real bear but you can leverage them back on with a bar and wood blocks. Chains make a huge differenceon my paved steep driveway.

 

[tractchores]

I installed chains and spacers on my Kubota B2320 with turf tires and they are great. Bought the spacers from Kubota dealer, specific part number for that application. They are machined really well and fit perfectly.
I did it myself, and I am not a mechanic. Yup, tires are a real bear but you can leverage them back on with a bar and wood blocks. Chains make a huge differenceon my paved steep driveway.

Do you happen to know the part number and what they cost? It'd be the same part for the 2920 I believe. I'm having trouble finding the part number. Spacers are probably the right thing to do and I could use the extra stability as I operate on hills all the time anyway...

At this point it doesn't appear that tightening is going to get me the clearance I need and I don't want to risk rusting out or trimming part of the frame given that I use the BH a fair bit and that puts serious stress on the tractor.

 

[kco]

Another wheel spacer source is Bro-tek. There are threads on TBN that refer to them.

If I had not been able to solve my Dk35 chain clearance problem I would have gone with their spacers.

 

[corl]

Not sure it is possible but I had the same problem with my turf tires on my Kubota F2100. All I did was take off the wheel and turn it inside out. Now a wider track and plenty of room for the chains.

 

[tractchores]

Another wheel spacer source is Bro-tek. There are threads on TBN that refer to them.
If I had not been able to solve my Dk35 chain clearance problem I would have gone with their spacers.

Thanks! I'll check them out. I have to imagine that someone may have them a bit cheaper than the what I've heard the kubota ones cost....

Not sure it is possible but I had the same problem with my turf tires on my Kubota F2100. All I did was take off the wheel and turn it inside out. Now a wider track and plenty of room for the chains.

I looked at that option as I've heard of folks doing that. Unfortunately the way the wheels are the lugs are way on the inside, so turning around isn't possible. I thought of putting a few washers on the lugs, which would get me the MM of clearance I need, but haven't checked to see if that's feasible with the length of the lugs.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Check the clearance for the mmm with spacers. You might need to remove the spacers in the summer to mow.

 

[HillStreet]

Do you happen to know the part number and what they cost? It'd be the same part for the 2920 I believe. I'm having trouble finding the part number. Spacers are probably the right thing to do and I could use the extra stability as I operate on hills all the time anyway...

At this point it doesn't appear that tightening is going to get me the clearance I need and I don't want to risk rusting out or trimming part of the frame given that I use the BH a fair bit and that puts serious stress on the tractor.

Part number B8786, they cost me $299 plus tax, and include the extended wheel studs.

The instruction sheet says: IMPORTANT: "..is recommended for use on rear tires when installing tire chains for winter applications such as snowblowing. The B8786 wheel spacer kit is not approved for backhoe and mowing applications."

Hope this helps your decision. I do not mow with this machine, nor do I have a backhoe.

 

[tractchores]

Thanks for the part number. The mowing doesn't bother me as I don't mow with this machine, but I do a lot of BH work. I'm guessing the issue may be stress on the axle... Though once the ground is frozen I don't use the BH that often so if putting on and taking of spacers isn't too hard maybe that's the right way to go. Surprising they didn't ust make it with enough clearance in the first place...