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

[Zebrafive]

WTF? I plow with a Kubota..My NEIGHBOR PLOWS WITH A MULE..Geez.

I could not tell from your reply about not spinning tires, what was not spinning tires. Since you list a Kubota and we were talking about Mules. We were also talking about driving in snow, not plowing snow. So GEEZ your self.

 

[shooterdon]

I had chains on a Ranger 850 I used to plow with and thought I would be bullet proof.....wrong! Thankfully I buried it a few hundred feet from the house and the PU truck pulled it out without a problem. Chains do help and I put them on every year until I bought a beater plow truck. I have a Mule now but no chains for it. I leave it in the garage on a charger until spring as I have no need to run in the snow.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Are you plowing with a Mule? Or Kubota? Which I ASSUME is heavier. I ASSUME my friend is using 4x4.

I just looked them up, the Kubota 1100C is around 450 heavier than my Mule Pro DX. But my bed is larger and my off-road ride and suspension is massively better. I feel that the mule and Kubota would be pretty similar as far as snow goes, the mule has slightly more aggressive OEM tires when compared to the Kubota industrial tire. Both are well served with a more aggressive aftermarket tire for real off-road use in hills, mud and snow. Snow is tough if you do not have speed and power to whip the tires into a frenzy, speed and power are sadly lost on both the Mule DX and the Kubota. Put a more performance oriented SXS on the same trails and it will be no contest at all.

 

[LouNY]

Yes to the high centered, with the tires virtually suspended any tire-chain on any wheeled or tracked vehicle is done for. With snow coming in any imaginable consistency and various layers, then it will change also, deep snow is a challenge to "read" and once you're dragging the bottom..... And your right, the more capable your (fill in the blank) is, the more stucker it can get, mud, sand or snow. :thumbsup:

If you want to have a fun day get a IH 7120 bellied out in hard packed snow headed down hill,
nothing like having to unshovel a 20,000 tractor.

 

[Rustyiron]

Always be cautious not to stick the heaviest iron you have.:laughing: I stuck a Cat 951 in just a little snow after learning the hard way that the grousers don't do chit for any snowy frozen side slopes.
Bet that was a bit of work.:thumbsup:

 

[Industrial Toys]

An olds seasoned woodsman my Dad knew once told him. When you go to the bush, you take the BIGGEST tractor you have.

Maybe that way, if you get stuck you can get acqainted with a neighbor that has bigger equipment. Good to know.

Bright Sunshine here and nicer temps, Might just get on that chain project.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I'M SPEECHLESS! Took Tire off Mule. Those chains I has sitting here for decades "SEEM" to fit unaltered. Actually means I would have a set for the front if I didn't need them to lengthen the rears. (clearance permitting).

Air line from Barn FROZE up so it has slowed me down a bit, but I'm not complaining. Should go out and buy a lottery ticket. And I was gonna go out a buy a set!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Well, I got the chains put on. They are not super tight. But not really, really loose. These are six ply Kevlar Tires that don't swell up much. In fact, they are rated run-flat.

So, initial performance vas quite impressive! Then I backed up ten feet, and fortunately looked at the tires. Both sides hadthe chains hanging half off! The latches were still engaged. I figured that the latches had come undone going backwards, but not the case.

One thing I notice is that the chains hardly come down he sidewall at all. Now I stumped and don't want to make any costly mistakes or assumptions.

 

[LouNY]

That would be a problem, when chains don't come down good on the sidewalls they will tend to walk off.
When you tighten your chains be sure to keep the side chains the same length,
if one side is one link shorter then the other they will try and walk off to the short side.
Good luck;
If you end up buying a set this style will provide the best traction,
Diamond Studded 24-11.-8 ATV -UTV Tire Chains - Midwest Traction

 

[Industrial Toys]

THANKS. I'm guessing that given some lack of sidewall length on the chain, tightness is of even more importance. Also, the Ag style lugs are only about 1/2" in profile.

Maybe I should just ask the EXPERT if there is any point in pursuing these chains given their lack of sidewall length? No point trying to make something work when people with experience can tell you, it won't.

The latches are hardly designed to tighten the chains and not being able to inflate and deflate the tire to make for a size difference is a problem. I may try and use a 1/4" bolt to snug them up.

I did notice that the chains have little pieces of welded on rod, on the chain that contacts the ground for ICE I'm thinking.

I'm glad I noticed that the chains had half come off and not ripped off my brake lines.