Chains: Front vs Rear. Are front Chains bad for tractor

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Putting chains on the front of a light duty MFWD tractor does NOT magically make the ring & pinion explode...

Putting chains on the front and doing heavy work that loads the front for heavy pulling, now that can and does make the front R&P explode. I've done it, and I never abused that tractor either... I also saw some one else do it...

DANG, that was an EXPENSIVE lesson for me! The hundred dollar bills were just flying out of my pocket!!

SR

Exactly. I also did this to the front of my tractor with no chains. Carrying a 1700 lb log. Tractor fronts slipping on a small patch of ice and when it finally hit dirt, pop it went. Fixed mine myself and the $500 ring and the $200 pinion had two weeks left on a 5 yr warranty. Chains on the front or not, I don't think its the constant load (unless the loaded weight is much larger) that does damage but more of the sudden "grip" after some spinning.

The benefits of chains goes beyond traction as they offer a certain amount of protection to the tire as well when doing stuff in wooded and rocky terrain.

 

[Fastball]

I run chains, fore and aft, on my L2900.
We have a 700-foot sloped driveway. There are a few trees on the southwest side of it that keep sections of the drive in shade, causing ice patches. While traction has not been much of an issue, steering control when traversing these patches has been problematic in the past. The rear chains are the usual heavy steel H-pattern type, the front are just light aluminium ladder chains. Never had any front end issues since we got the tractor in the late 90s.

 

[Trillium Farm]

The ONLY chains I would recommend are the Euro type;
Auiline,
Trygg,
OFA's
these style of chains will provide the best traction and ride quality of any conventional style of tire chains.
View attachment 592513View attachment 592514

For sure! I've seen this one and it must work wonders on ice. TRYGG SMT STANDARD

 

[dnw64]

My OFAs are still in the box. With any luck, that's where they'll stay...

 

[Oldpath05]

What do you think of them so far?

The studs help on ice/frozen ground and do feel sharp but IMO not as good as v-bar chains or H-pattern Talons. One big up side is they stay on straight with no bungee cords. Would I put Grip Studs on again instead of tire chains on a small tractor like mine? Until the yes, no, maybe, question is resolved, Yes.

 

[Oldpath05]

My OFAs are still in the box. With any luck, that's where they'll stay...

Old Farmers Almanac, Order for Arrest, Object Free Area, Optimal Flexible Architecture, Oracle Financial Analyzer, Ohio Florists Association, Obama For America.........

 

[dnw64]

Old Farts Anonymous