MULE 2510. What can make a vehicle so USELESS in the Snow?

[grsthegreat]

Who the heck wants to sit 3 abreast......... my only passenger is my dog

 

[Industrial Toys]

I couldn't agree more. Maybe people don't realize, I'm talking about being able to stick your legs out the front on the passenger side as that side doesn't have a dash.

 

[LouNY]

We have 3 abreast quite often,
fixing fence likely to have 3 to and from the fence,
moving cows, lots of time 3 or more,
catching a new born calf to ear tag, one or two to catch the calf another to keep momma cow from stomping on people.
Giving grand kids and nephews and nieces a ride.
Lots of little jobs that go faster with 2-3 people.
Transporting people and shuttling them from one tractor to another.

 

[Zebrafive]

I do when the other two are female! :thumbsup:

 

[oosik]

Weight is the answer. The Mule, like my Polaris ATV, is designed to "tread lightly". In two feet of snow my ATV has a really tough time. Wide tires and light weight do not work well in deep snow. AND - getting up to HYPER speed in my plowed yard, then busting out into the deep snow - not the answer. I've never used a shovel in these conditions but the tow strap comes in mighty handy.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Plowed to the back of my place again with the tractor and ten foot fixed V-Blade.

Mule made it. Of course, I took a portable winch!

It is annoying though, how the mule won't steer or pull itself out of the mildest of ruts. The steering has no effect.

 

[zzvyb6]

Jack it up to see if you have 1 or more wheels dragging (brakes, bearings, interference).

Check your tire pressures: steer should be higher to reduce drag and profile. Drive wheels soft for larger footprint and traction base.

Other than this, even if the tires are new, a tread pattern and tread material unfriendly to ice and snow traction is the problem. It takes real rubber to stick to ice. All the new tires from overseas are made from artificial compounds but are cheap. So, no traction. BTW: on mine I had a flat from a thorn. No steel belted 'screen matrix' in the tires found. WTF ???. Applied rubber cement. The tread DISSOLVED at the puncture site and I would up with a 1/2" hole in the tire.

Heck, my golf car (electric one is heavy from batteries) is really impressive in deep snow. Gas one not so good (probably too light).

 

[Industrial Toys]

My one wheel drive Electric Gator is useless in more than 6" of snow, or ice. I sure wish they had incorporated a dif lock! Those turf tires would have worked well in limited winter conditions. With chains, it could even have been somewhat amazing, I'm sure.

I was reading that it's the snow trapped between the lugs of some snow tires that is intended to provide the adhesion to the snow on the ground.

 

[zzvyb6]

Snow packed tread blocks do provide extra mu (surface friction force coefficient). But there must be enough weight on the snow columns within the tread blocks to actually partly melt and refreeze into a traction link. High speed video and cameras under glass show this very nicely. But light weight, high tire pressure and too much speed reduces this capability. Natural rubber always wins on pure ice, though, even a slick. Think of your favorite snow boots. The downside of this is very poor wear longevity.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ok......something weird going on. I just blazed a trail thru an area of my woods with about 8+ inches of untouched snow. Tires spun once when climbing a hill, and had to Set diff lock, but no issues otherwise.

I’m wondering what kind of tires you have, and whether or not the 4x4 is actually working on yours.

Mine are semi knobby tires, not true turf tires.