Hey DEWFPO, did you ever buy chains for your 29" tires? I'm sick of getting stuck on almost level ground with 3 35 gallon plastic barrels full of stone and sand in the back for ballast. there are some peerless chains I was going to get for the front to see if that would help.. any watchouts for fitment with the taller tires? I found these (my price point) for limited personal use and should be easy on/off with the tensioners included as Momma Bear doesn't want chain marks on her brand new concrete in the pole building.
http://www.truckntow.com/v-bar-single-tire-chains-trc399.htmlk-Chains-with-Camlock/46379022#about-item"]https://www.walmart.com/ip/Square-Link-Alloy-Truck-Chains-with-Camlock/46379022#about-item[/URL]
Hi mykleh,
Yes I did. The one's I bought (RUD 3210R) fit several tire sizes (all the way up to 31x10.5's) and I have a lot of chain take up when I install them so tensioners are a must. The chains do help quite a bit in deep snow and on glare ice but it makes the ride pretty darn lumpy. Not as bad as driving on 4 square tires, but close.
I try to stay in 2WS with my "D" Series since I get better traction in 2WS than in 4WS. I only use 4WS when I need the maneuverability.
I sometimes also air down the tires a bit if I don't have the chains on.
I can do pretty well with about 5-600 lbs. of sand bags at the back of the bed but the extra weight can also help you get stuck easier (and harder to get unstuck) under certain circumstances.
When I clear paved driveways I curl the SB down so I scrape the asphalt as clean as I can get it but that takes some load off of the front axle (if I'm not floating the boom). When I start loosing traction I curl the SB up some to put more load on the front axle and occasionally have to lift the SB off the pavement completely to regain traction (or I back down). Some driveways I can only safely blow going downhill (especially those that are also off-camber.) I've slid sideways into brush and trees going down off-camber paved driveways a few times and it's no fun getting unstuck without doing any damage to anything so I just try to avoid those situations if at all possible.
You can still spin the tires with the chains on as well so be aware of that. And spinning chained up tires will degrade whatever surface you spinning on.
The chains do leave 'visual' marks on the asphalt but there's nothing I can do about that and it's worth the extra traction IMO. I don't have any experience with them on concrete surfaces. Most folks out here have gravel drives and only a very few of us have asphalt.
If it weren't for the lumpy ride, I'd leave the chains on the Toolcat all the time.
I've been really busy this year and unfortunately I haven't put the chains on yet this season but wish I had already. I'll be doing that as soon as it warms up a little here. We were -8F this morning.
The chains your looking at are a similar design to the ones I have. I've used V-bar chains in the past on other equipment but I opted not to get them for the Toolcat due to more damage to the pavement and a much higher cost, also the sharp edges wear down fairly fast especially if your spinning the tires and you've lost the expensive advantage fairly quickly.
DEWFPO
High (elevation-wise) in the Rockies
