My first tractor (2wd with turf tires) got chains on the rear only. Past 2 (4wd with r4 tires) tractors have been fine without chains, other than some uphill traction issues in 35" of snow several days after the blizzard was over. Most of my plow customers don't want chained equipment on their driveway. One steep drive was a particular pain doing a long section with the bucket.
I grooved the tires on my previous L3410, but never had a chance to try them in snow before I traded it in on the L4060hstc. This fall I will probably groove my new tires.
I ran front chains only on my New Holland last winter. No loader, just a light duty back blade for snow removal. It was great, because I got to keep my Farmi winch on the Kubota all winter instead of switching back and forth based on the forecast.
I plowed a couple of times without the chains, but the R4s just didn't steer worth a darn on hard packed snow or ice. Threw on an old pair of truck chains and saw a dramatic improvement.
Best part by far is when I get to the end of the driveway and want to turn around, I crank the wheel, stomp the go pedal (usually almost at WOT, often in high range), and let the rears spin out and while the fronts grab. They still slip a lot while doing this, but the back end just whips around. It's really a lot of fun!
Never had a problem with R1's and snow with either of my tractors;ice and hills are a different matter tho.
Six ft.sub-frame mounted on a L3130 HST and a eight ft.FEL mounted on my L4240 HSTC.Loaded rears on both.
