front tire chains?

[mikester]

I use chains on my R4 fronts and it works well when Im off roading on hills and in deep snow. Generally I only put the chains on around February March when freeze thaw turns everything to ice or we get a bad ice rain.
If you have really steep hills you might want chains on all your tires. Life gets exciting when your rear end tries to pass you while you are driving down an icy hill.

 

[Corm]

I've been using front tire chains on my Cub Cadet 7260 with R4 tires since it was new in 1998. They work great. I built my own set of chains using some that the boys in my local town garage discarded from their plow trucks. They told me they were too worn to continue to use on their trucks, but they have lasted me over 20 years on my tractor. I bought a set of chain pliers, and reassembled the truck chains to fit my front tires. All it cost me was a box of donuts for the boys in the garage, and those chain pliers. My gravel driveway has one steep hill just before my house, and the chains made all the difference for me. I also built a set for my rear tires, and have used them only once in all these years when my 1/4 mile drive was very icy.

Corm

 

[CobyRupert]

Without weight and/or chains on the rear you might be VERY dependent on the front tires to move. Especially when you have the blower lifted up. Front chains will help.

So will rear ballast and/or loaded tires...or rear chains.

 

[PILOON]

If it's 4WD - then the same type chains on all four wheels. Otherwise - you could easily be putting undue strain on the drivetrain. Even auto chains will provide a great benefit on all four wheels.

Lou, I'd doubt that as the chain links would simply be buried in the snow plus on snow/ice slippage would compensate for any ratio difference.
It is on hard surfaces (asphalt, concrete) that you can expect damage to occur.

 

[LouNY]

Frozen ground will definitely create the situation,
I have almost quit using my fronts unless a major ice storm is forecast.
The windup that I got in the front was considerable.
The tractor would actually lurch several inches when the 4wd was disengaged.
My 4wd is a multi disk wet clutch with electric engagement.
When I ran my fronts on hard packed snow or ice you could see were the front was actually pulling on the rear.
That was using the Euro studded chains on all 4.