Chains Knucklehead Needs Tire Chains!
- Thread starter DaveM
- Start date
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I've got a few more but this photo shows the most detail. The path I need to get up is just ahead and to the right. To the left is the woods with a steep 4' drop and then another 100' of gentle slope before it gets REAL steep all the way down to a creek! I definetely don't want to get in the woods!!!
Note all the snow I abused with the FEL and all four tires /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.
Note all the snow I abused with the FEL and all four tires /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.
Attachments
Bird
Rest in Peace
Good pictures, Dave. You're just getting into that learning curve like the rest of us have done./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Bird
Bird
gerard
Veteran Member
Dave, FYI I have an L2500 w/ R1's and a 7ft backblade I use for plowing. I live in Syracuse NY up in the hills so we get a lot of snow. Just picked up a set of the duogrip chains from tirechains.com and am very pleased. Cheapest I could find (gemplers had same set for $260, I paid $160 + shipping) and they fit fine. Made a BIG difference with the wet heavy snow, especially on grades. I'd stay away from the ladder type because they tend to fall between the lugs. Those norse type diamond pattern would be the mercedes of chains but for $160 vs $500 I can make do with the duogrips!! FYI tirechains advised me I got the last set (in my size) and they wouldn't be getting more until next season. You can also consider modifying the ladder chains yourself. (Once you get a basic set you can use quick links and loose chain running down the center of the tire and attaching to the middle of each cross link. By doing this you could kind of make a cheaper version of the norse link style, just without the carbides (which you may not want on a paved driveway anyway since you'll do a hell of a job if you spin the tire)
hayden
Veteran Member
Try to dig out as much as you can with the loader. The more the tractor is on hard ground the better off you'll be. Deep soft snow will get you stuck real fast, but once you scrape it down to get a solid surface for the wheels, I think you'll find you can plow through good chunks with the loader. Just keep pushingthe snow out of the way and off to the side.
Good luck,
Peter
Good luck,
Peter
TWINKLE_TOES
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2000
- Messages
- 1,366
Dave,
Look at this way, at least it's not mud. Still looks like a new tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. Nice looking place also. I'll bet it's pretty in the spring and fall.
Look at this way, at least it's not mud. Still looks like a new tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. Nice looking place also. I'll bet it's pretty in the spring and fall.
JohnT
Bronze Member
Dave,
I run a NH FWD TC45D with hydro, R4's, FEL and 7 foot box scraper - no chains or tire ballast. This winter I ran it in 2+ feet of snow in the field and woods with no problems. You do need to clear snow with FEL whenever depth of snow meets or exceeds tractor ground clearance.
I run a NH FWD TC45D with hydro, R4's, FEL and 7 foot box scraper - no chains or tire ballast. This winter I ran it in 2+ feet of snow in the field and woods with no problems. You do need to clear snow with FEL whenever depth of snow meets or exceeds tractor ground clearance.
Boondox
Elite Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 3,871
- Location
- Craftsbury Common, Vermont
- Tractor
- Deere 4044R cab, Kubota KX-121-3S
Dave -- Is that where you're stuck? How deep is the snow under those tires? Granted you have no weight on the back of that baby, but have you tried laying pine boughs on the ground behind those tires for additional traction? The snow still looks fairly firm, and under those conditions I've gotten myself out of trouble several times using branches...
Pete in Northern Vermont
www.GatewayToVermont.com
Pete in Northern Vermont
www.GatewayToVermont.com
Everyone- Whoohoo!! With alot of luck and a little elbow grease I parked the tractor in the garage about 1.5 hours ago /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif! I'll try not to ramble on too much.
Last night it still seemed hopeless w/o chains. I tried going forward and in reverse with no further progress than the night before. The top 2-3" was hardpack snow and below it was that slippery, granular snow I mentioned before. The snow shovel I took couldn't cut through the top layer at all. This slope is east facing and down wind so I expect this snow to stay around here longer than the hill top and the south facing slopes. This morning I went down with a stout garden shovel thinking I at least needed to get down to the ground for the first 8-10' The hardpack was now solid all the way down to the ground. It was actually 10-12" deep! With the shovel I was able to break away pumkin size "snow boulders". I then used the shovel to carve a gentle ramp from the ground to the top of the hardpack. Lo and behold I was finally able to get all 4 wheels on the slope with a few extra feet of cleared ground in front and away I went! The snow was so hard that I was riding on top now and the frozen tread marks from my trip down added something for the tires to grab on to.
Many lessons were learned and some of them weren't even tractor related! I think the eskimos have something like a dozen words for different kinds of snow. I just experieced the difference in at least a couple of them /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.
Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their support, advice and opinions. Now I have some time to get a good set of chains which I will have BEFORE I go on any more "joy rides". /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Dave
Last night it still seemed hopeless w/o chains. I tried going forward and in reverse with no further progress than the night before. The top 2-3" was hardpack snow and below it was that slippery, granular snow I mentioned before. The snow shovel I took couldn't cut through the top layer at all. This slope is east facing and down wind so I expect this snow to stay around here longer than the hill top and the south facing slopes. This morning I went down with a stout garden shovel thinking I at least needed to get down to the ground for the first 8-10' The hardpack was now solid all the way down to the ground. It was actually 10-12" deep! With the shovel I was able to break away pumkin size "snow boulders". I then used the shovel to carve a gentle ramp from the ground to the top of the hardpack. Lo and behold I was finally able to get all 4 wheels on the slope with a few extra feet of cleared ground in front and away I went! The snow was so hard that I was riding on top now and the frozen tread marks from my trip down added something for the tires to grab on to.
Many lessons were learned and some of them weren't even tractor related! I think the eskimos have something like a dozen words for different kinds of snow. I just experieced the difference in at least a couple of them /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.
Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their support, advice and opinions. Now I have some time to get a good set of chains which I will have BEFORE I go on any more "joy rides". /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Dave
