Chains: What's wrong with V-bar?

[FatTire]

Need to get some tire chains for R4's in size 17.5-24. I want something with good lateral traction so I'm considering duo-ladder or similar. Are there any disadvantages to V-bar for off-pavement use, other than the extra cost? (Other than damage to my garage floor.)

 

[themichelob]

FatTire--V-bars have worked great for me on my R4's on my gravel drive and lane. About a quarter mile total with some horizontal and some vertical slope, and never slid once. As you mentioned, I have some pitting on my garage floor--my own fault cause I was too lazy to put wood or rubber protection down. (BTW-my kids from Fort Collins just left after a weeks vacation here.) Regards, Mike

 

[bubbacuse77]

FatTire,

I bought a set of cheep v-bars for the front tires and have run them for 4 years. They work great but as mentioned before they will crush your concrete if you’re not careful. The chain also tends to fall between the lugs of an R4 tire and since the chain is not in continuous contact with the ground they tend to slip between the rows when on slick ground. This really causes damage to finished surfaces as the chain catches or the wheel spins. This year I am going to get ladder chains with regular links so that the chain is in constant contact with the ground and won't fall between the lugs. Hope that helps.

 

[jgayman]

I had a set of Dual-grip V-bars on the 13.6x28 tires of my Ford NAA and they were Mac Daddy! Even on ice those babies grip. The down side was it made for a VERY bumpy ride on pavement and even without wheel spin the little cleats can leave marks.

I sold that tractor and now have a JD 2720 with R4's so I'm in the market for new chains. As much as I would love Ladder V-bars again I think I am going to go with a set of 2-link standard ladder chains on all four wheels. It's definitely a trade-off between heavy-duty ice traction and the ability to navigate pavement without damage.

 

[FatTire]

We are several miles from the nearest pavement, so other than protecting our garage floor there's no issue pavement/concrete. One idea is to purchase a couple of rubber stall mats and cut them into strips. I might even get enough from one. I may try the "duo ladder" (tirechain.com for example) because it looks like they be less prone to slipping between lugs.

Michelob-- Ft. Collins is a great place to visit. We went through there recently and noticed there are still signs up thanking the firefighters for their hard work on the big High Park fire.

 

[themichelob]

FatTire--My son-in-law who just visited is a firefighter, just promoted to captain, who worked on those fire lines. Actually, not much of the chains slip between the lugs if you use care when installing them. Regards, Mike

 

[jgayman]

I had a terrible time keeping the chains out of the lugs on the R1 tires which is why I eventually went with Duo-grip. It looks like the standard 2-link ladder should work better on a R4. Here is what the Duo-grip V-bars looked like on my old tractor.

 

[FatTire]

FatTire--My son-in-law who just visited is a firefighter, just promoted to captain, who worked on those fire lines. Regards, Mike

Hats off to him and his crew members. Hundreds more homes would have been lost if not for their for efforts.

 

[FatTire]

I had a terrible time keeping the chains out of the lugs on the R1 tires which is why I eventually went with Duo-grip. It looks like the standard 2-link ladder should work better on a R4. Here is what the Duo-grip V-bars looked like on my old tractor.

View attachment 274033 View attachment 274034

Those are excellent photos for illustrating the difficulties with chains on R1's. chains. Even with the Duo-grip most of the chain is buried. That's one of the primary reasons I went with R4's.

 

[Mark Page]

I always leave at least 3 links of slack in the chain. It's not enough for them to come off and the centrifical force of the wheel turning assures they are not buried in the tread.