Chains for mud

[truartcle]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and would like some input please. I have a Branson 4220 tractor and am researching tire chains. I've been cutting trails on my 21 acre lot here in Vermont and I have some very wet and muddy slopped areas. My tires a industial loaded. Any help would be great.

 

[JJT]

I've had great success with double rings, good in the snow/ice and mud. They are rough driving on the road for any distance.

 

[JB4310]

Welcome to TBN.

As long as it's not a bottomless mud bog then chains will do the trick.
There's a bunch of different types of chains, but even reg old 4 link spaced chain will make a world of difference in the woods, even with just a 2 wheel drive machine.
The other end of the spectrum is logger type chains, which are pretty big bucks.

If your on slopes you probably need something in the middle, there are many that have a cross pattern that don't fall into the lugs.
I have the reg 4 link spaced V-bars, mostly for snow but they work great in the woods as well.

Good luck.

 

[Thomas]

Welcome to TBN neighbor..state.
Chains can give you that little extra bite needed to make it..grip rock,root,solid ground etc. plus keep you from sliding side ways less,hold traction better if mud in tread going down slope,but chains also can get you belly hung quick if they spin.

All in all chain are worth $$'s spent.

 

[dave1949]

Welcome to TBN neighbor..state.
Chains can give you that little extra bite needed to make it..grip rock,root,solid ground etc. plus keep you from sliding side ways less,hold traction better if mud in tread going down slope,but chains also can get you belly hung quick if they spin.

All in all chain are worth $$'s spent.

Thomas, you are such a spoil sport .

Along with chains, you might need a winch or decent come-along Never get stuck farther from a good tree than your chains or cables can reach

I've been working on trails too, some areas really need to be fixed with some ditching and culverts. Havng a backhoe attachment helps with this. Without really fixing the wet problem, it's always going to be wet and muddy except for maybe one month in late summer.

After you get your trails laid out for sure, you could consider renting or hiring a backhoe or excavator for a couple days. Put them in good shape for a long time. If you have soggy wet areas, a tracked excavator is the tool you want.

Welcome to TBN.
Dave.

 

[whistlepig]

Talk to someone in the logging business. I have seen skidders climbing mountains in mud. They all had chains on them. These guys could barely stand up on these hills but the skidders went right up them towing thousands of pounds of logs.

 

[studor]

As Thomas the spoil sport has said -- chains are great but if you spin the tires with chains on you will be down to the belly in no time. Lots of times a skidder relies on good clearance to hit something solid enough to grip. I have buried four wheel drive tractors with ags and chains on skidder trails enough times that my advice would be don't follow them. I have chains for all four tires in the winter for ice. In the summer in the bush I take the chains off and I maintain the roads (I also avoid one or two spots that I know are bottomless once you break the top layer). -- JMHO

 

[Thomas]

Dave & Studor.
"Thomas, you are such a spoil sport"

..Being belly hung one thing,but digging out and swating blackflies and there cousins can make one beware of wet spots.

 

[dave1949]

Dave & Studor.
"Thomas, you are such a spoil sport"

..Being belly hung one thing,but digging out and swating blackflies and there cousins can make one beware of wet spots.

It gets worse and worse with you, now you are bringing up the black flies You are going to give the OP nightmares and he hasn't been here a week yet! Heck ,you're starting to scare me.
Dave.

 

[truartcle]

Thanks to all for the advice. Chains it is. Now about the wet spots. There are a few areas that can't be drained so I'm thinking of putting down 1 1/2 to 2 inch black rock to bring up the trail bed. Any thoughts on that one.

 

[Egon]

Mud and chains on a Kubota B7100.

 

[JB4310]

Thanks to all for the advice. Chains it is. Now about the wet spots. There are a few areas that can't be drained so I'm thinking of putting down 1 1/2 to 2 inch black rock to bring up the trail bed. Any thoughts on that one.

You might try that in the bottom of the wettest part but would want to top it with something that can compact at least a little, or it will always be loose. If you have any native fill on your property that has some gravel in it you could dump that in there.

If you had to buy material then IMO a large process mix would be best. That's like the first material put under a road or what they make temporary driveways at construction sites with. sometimes just 4-6 inches will stabilize a bad spot, especially if your just driving small vehicles over it.

JB.

 

[dave1949]

You might try that in the bottom of the wettest part but would want to top it with something that can compact at least a little, or it will always be loose. If you have any native fill on your property that has some gravel in it you could dump that in there.

If you had to buy material then IMO a large process mix would be best. That's like the first material put under a road or what they make temporary driveways at construction sites with. sometimes just 4-6 inches will stabilize a bad spot, especially if your just driving small vehicles over it.

JB.

Agree on the topping. If you have native rock laying around, even as big as 18", that would make a great base to build up the mixed sizes on. In Vermont, you must have a few rocks looking for a new home They might eventually heave up towards the surface a bit from frost over 5-10 years, but I don't think they would become obstacles. Water will actually drain through/across a bed of larger rocks.
Dave.

 

[studor]

+1 on the bigger rocks. I have a couple of areas that I filled with rocks ,then gravel. Makes a 'french drain" that even when wet can be driven across without sinking up to the belly .

 

[Thomas]

Depending how deep wet area is...
I agree w/stones,something in the lines of river wash gravel mix w/stones.
If you can dig some of the wet soil out,dump gravel/stone than pack,put extra gravel/stones on wet area in time in time gravel/stones well settle.

 

[truartcle]

Thanks for all the help. I now have a good plan that will be set in motion as soon as the grounds frozen. Thanks again

 

[Kevin M]

I agree with your thinking on the 1 1/2 stone, Like someone else said if its possible dig out the poor material if you can, If not use 1 1/2 if the hole is less then a foot deep otherwise the hole will continue to " pump" and stay mushy know matter how much 1 1/2 you throw at it , if you have a bigger hole then mentioned find the biggest rocks you can move and start packing them in, then top with item4 or shoulder stone , my industry has a bunch of different names for it , its generally 1" minus and the first thing we take out when screening crushed stone , it does not always work in wet areas , do to the dirt and fine material content !

 

[newbury]

..Being belly hung one thing,but digging out and swating blackflies and there cousins can make one beware of wet spots.

I hit this thread looking for info on chains in the mud because where I'm retiring I'll see a lot of mud and right now I could use the chains in Northern Virginia to help clear my street. The last time Fairfax County saw snow like this it took them a week to get the street cleared.

Apparently nothing specific, but I'm running Turf tires presently, anybody have an idea how hard it would be to reconfigure chains when I finally buy a set of Ag tires?

And on the subject of blackflies and mosquitoes etc. At my land in Vt and Ms swatting is about as effective as urinating against the wind. You breathe heavier and attract more.
Better is to mod your diet - low on dairy and high on garlic or a mix of B vitamins. The garlic doesn't help until they are REAL close, but I've seen mosquitoes in Vt, Va, Ms and Ak land on me and take off. Which is good, because the ones in Alaska have been known to carry small pets and drain them dry.

 

[JB4310]

I hit this thread looking for info on chains in the mud because where I'm retiring I'll see a lot of mud and right now I could use the chains in Northern Virginia to help clear my street. The last time Fairfax County saw snow like this it took them a week to get the street cleared.

Apparently nothing specific, but I'm running Turf tires presently, anybody have an idea how hard it would be to reconfigure chains when I finally buy a set of Ag tires?

.

Changing from turf to ag would require alot of modding to the chain as ags are usually taller as well as narrower. It can be done, I mod all my chains as I get them as cheap as I can (buy the misfits)

Taking in or letting out the cross links takes a little time, adding to the length and adding a couple of new cross links is pretty easy, just get some extra chain when you buy your chains so you wont have to look to hard when the time comes.

As far as your weather goes, I've been watching it on CNN, it's supposed to be coming our way next, starting this afternoon.
I've got to get a few things done in preparation this morning. Going to my 96 year old friends to help him put his chains on his 8N, I know they are all torn up so I'll be making some repairs as well.

.

 

[newbury]

(buy the misfits)
.

Do you get the misfits on line? If so - where?
And now I've got 12" on the porch, almost time to fill the FEL.