Only front chains?

[Dingo Man]

For this year and just to save a little money I am thinking about buying tire chains just for the front tires (r4). These are great tires but I have found their weakness is any kind of lateral grip on snow, ice, and hard ground is non-existent. Snow removal in my driveway is no problem. But let's face it one of the things I looked most forward to with my tractor is being able to plow the entire friggin yard if I felt like it. I have been speaking with my dealer who advised me he remembers experiencing the same thing with his first tractor with r4s. He stated that running front chains was alright to do and is fine for any kind of warranty issue, but warned this would put a little extra strain on the "ring n pinion". Did he mean rack and pinion? Anyone running just front chains and has it help with hilly frozen terrain.

 

[nybirdman]

Ring and pinion,is your front differental gears.Expensive to fix if you break them.

 

[Coyote machine]

Ring and pinion,is your front differental gears.Expensive to fix if you break them.

If I were to run chains - all four wheels would be the thing to do. You gain traction all the way around; whereas just fronts leaves possibility of rears breaking free when least expected, and could lead to unfavorable consequences.

 

[MF1433V]

Some do this, but I wouldn't. Running a blower I would no issue, but plowing I wouldn't do it. The savings in the difference between the front and rear chains is chump change compared to front axle repair. Its been a while since I have priced chains , how much difference are we talking, $200 or $300?

If you eventually want to do all 4 and you can spring for the rears next year, IMO it would be fine to use front only for 1 season. Even with chains you should run out of traction before you risk damaging the front axle in mos snow/ice situations.

 

[kco]

I rebuilt some old chains into 2-link ladders for the front of my DK35. I also have rear chains and there is a noticeable improvement in traction and steering with the fronts, even when not in 4WD. My dealer also suggested front only chains last year but I went with rear chains. You're on snow and ice so I think there won't be undue stress with front only chains as long as you don't shock the heck out of them.

One thing I found with my front chains is the crosschains need to be fairly short so the cross hooks run near the top of the wall. Otherwise there will be inadequate clearance because the clearance to the vertical member of the front assembly angles closer to the wheel from top to bottom. Here is a photo of the chains I made:



The front components of the DK35 and DK40 are the same I believe.

I considered ordering new chains. The crosschains would have been longer than those I ended up making. Before ordering I tested with my longer old chains and saw there would be problems. I also saw I could shorten them and convert them from 4 to 2-link ladders for free. They actually aren't that large or heavy duty. I think they are some old truck chains with very worn (some non-existent) v-bars. But they do the trick.

 

[Dingo Man]

I have priced out some chains and doing both front and rear I can handle buying both but thought if I could save money on just fronts I would. I agree with CM it is definitely not as safe, and I do not want to put added stress on the front end. At this time I am looking at 2-link Vbar ladders for the front and the basic H chains for the rears both from tire chains.com totaling $788 delivered. This site seems to have the best selection and prices. If anyone else has any other options I am all ears.

 

[kco]

By basic H chains for the rears do you mean 4-link ladders? If so they may get lost in the lugs. That's what happened for me when I tried the old 4-link ladders. But they were also light cross chains so more prone to that. I recall grtsthegreat has 2-link ladders all round and they work well.

My DUO rear chains are very rough on hard surfaces. They ended with a large end gap that I filled with two 9 mm crosschains, but they're still rough. I am considering shortening the cross patterns by two links over the summer, repositioning the patterns to be more like the small garden tractor H patterns (i.e. each DUO cross hook will attach two patterns as opposed to having a link gap to the next pattern). I would need two more DUO patterns for each side.

The advantage for me would be more DUO patterns giving a smoother ride. Plus the chains will ride higher on the tire giving more clearance to the fender upright support (which now is very tight). You won't have such a problem on your DK40 since you have adjustable rims (my DK35 doesn't).

Also, my previous comment about tight clearance for the front chains may not apply to your DK40. It has larger rims and therefore your chains will be further from the front end components.

 

[VictorW]

I have been running two link ladder chains on a CK30hst with R4s for the past seven years. I have them on all four tires and it does turn it into a Winter tank for pushing snow with a 6 1/2' Myers adapted snow plow. I too was loosing steering when plowing due to the fronts not grabbing enough. I did all four because I didn't want the front to bite in and have the rears slipping putting more stress on the smaller front axle compared to the rear. I don't have a problem with the chains falling into the tread on the R4s because it's not that deep anyways. My fronts are 1/4" link chain and the rears are 3/8" link chain. The smaller links on the front give it plenty of bite for traction and steering and the larger rear links let the rears do the work they were intended to do and that is push like a tank especially when you have the diff locked. I've driven it through 2 feet of snow in my yard and I get hard packed snow along with ice in my driveway and it has never failed me with the chains.

 

[Dingo Man]

VictoeW where did you find your 2 links for the rears. I have only been able to find 4 link for my size rears. Do you have just standard chain or Vbar.

 

[VictorW]

I have just regular two link ladder chains with no v-bar. The two link give a better ride and always seem to have a cross link on the ground. I bought mine from Tire Chains by TireChains.com which had the best pricing even with shipping from several sites and local places I compared. They have many styles of chains for tractors; h-bar, v-bar, duo-link, etc. I'm not sure of your tire size to know if they would have the two link to fit yours but I bet they would have your size in one of the styles or if you call them, they will make the chains for your size tires. On their site, click tractor chains tab, then the style you want. It will list all the tire sizes they have that specific style for. I hope this helps and they have what you're looking for.

 

[Dingo Man]

I have just regular two link ladder chains with no v-bar. The two link give a better ride and always seem to have a cross link on the ground. I bought mine from Tire Chains by TireChains.com which had the best pricing even with shipping from several sites and local places I compared. They have many styles of chains for tractors; h-bar, v-bar, duo-link, etc. I'm not sure of your tire size to know if they would have the two link to fit yours but I bet they would have your size in one of the styles or if you call them, they will make the chains for your size tires. On their site, click tractor chains tab, then the style you want. It will list all the tire sizes they have that specific style for. I hope this helps and they have what you're looking for.

Yup that is the best prices I could find as well. I went back on after my last post and found the 2link for my rears in standard chain not Vbar. I was thinking of the Vbar but I am sure the standard chain would be just fine, and cheaper. Thanks for the help. Anyone else with opinions on standard chains versus Vbar let me know.

Thanks

 

[CJONE]

Yup that is the best prices I could find as well. I went back on after my last post and found the 2link for my rears in standard chain not Vbar. I was thinking of the Vbar but I am sure the standard chain would be just fine, and cheaper. Thanks for the help. Anyone else with opinions on standard chains versus Vbar let me know.

Thanks

Well here's my story. I purchased a set of duo v-bar chains used and after 1 trip around the yard they got cut up and made into a set of 2 link chains. As duos they rode like crap. I purchased a set of 2 link v-bars for the front, they work well but gave me too much vibration going down the road so they came off and I have them if I need them. Do not buy regular chains as they will sink into the tread on the rears and you will get almost no benifit. the V bars stick up out of the tread and give good traction. If you run both front and back chains do not run in 4WD, you won't need to anyway. If you get stuck click the 4wd on then shut it back off after you get unstuck. Turning sharp with the 4wd on puts a heck of a load on the front end. T front chains stick up farther on the tires and change the ratio by making the tires bigger, that IMHO is what causes the gear problems. I really don't know if you need v-bars for the front like you do in the back but they sure grip well. The chains do not sink into the tread in the front like they do in the back. I hope this helps you. CJ

 

[CJONE]

Yup that is the best prices I could find as well. I went back on after my last post and found the 2link for my rears in standard chain not Vbar. I was thinking of the Vbar but I am sure the standard chain would be just fine, and cheaper. Thanks for the help. Anyone else with opinions on standard chains versus Vbar let me know.

Thanks

If you have a e-mail I can take a few pics and send them to you so you can see how the chain sinks into the tread on the rears. DO NOT buy regular chains for the rears. I can not ever seem to figure out how to post pics on these sites. CJ

 

[vtsnowedin]

I can not ever seem to figure out how to post pics on these sites. CJ

I use photo bucket. Upload you pictures there then you can pick one you want to post out of your library and copy the link to it. Come back to the tab where you are writing your post and right click at the bottom of your text then hit paste. I choose the wrong format sometimes as I'm still a newby geaser at computers, and there are four choices. One of them posts just the thumbnail and another links them to your whole library. Keep your library PG in case you choose poorly.

 

[seacap04]

Last winter I went with plain duos on the rear R4s. At that time my rears were not loaded. The ride was down right awlful. But I needed them, so I put up with the ride. This winter my rears are loaded. That first big snow we had, there was some rain in the middle of it near the coast. We ended up with about 9". 5" dry on top of 4" heavy sticky. 3 time while plowing that mess I almost broke down and put the chains on. But I would think about the ride and I would put up with curling the plow to get unstuck on the hard packed snow. The snow storm was about 7-8" dry, with a lot of drifting. Tractor did OK plowing that one. I think like CJONE, my duos are going to become 2 link ladders.

As far as the front goes, I could use something. From what I have read, 2 link ladders are the way to go. I like the vbar but I drive 1 1/2 miles on pavement between my house and shop plowing I worry about ride. Also as CJONE said I worry about anything that changes tire diameter and now can't slip. Maybe I will wait and see what you do and how it works.

 

[CJONE]

Last winter I went with plain duos on the rear R4s. At that time my rears were not loaded. The ride was down right awlful. But I needed them, so I put up with the ride. This winter my rears are loaded. That first big snow we had, there was some rain in the middle of it near the coast. We ended up with about 9". 5" dry on top of 4" heavy sticky. 3 time while plowing that mess I almost broke down and put the chains on. But I would think about the ride and I would put up with curling the plow to get unstuck on the hard packed snow. The snow storm was about 7-8" dry, with a lot of drifting. Tractor did OK plowing that one. I think like CJONE, my duos are going to become 2 link ladders.

As far as the front goes, I could use something. From what I have read, 2 link ladders are the way to go. I like the vbar but I drive 1 1/2 miles on pavement between my house and shop plowing I worry about ride. Also as CJONE said I worry about anything that changes tire diameter and now can't slip. Maybe I will wait and see what you do and how it works.

I drive about 4 miles on the road each way to my rental and the rears with the V-BAR are not noticable at all. Now the 2 link ladders on the front vibrate too bad and I removed them. They are fine around the house but not acceptable to me on the road. I had to drive 10 miles each way in our last storm to plow out our church and the V-bars show almost no wear. I will keep my fronts if/when we get our usual ice storm, I can have them on in about 10 min. CJ

 

[CJONE]

Pics on the way dingo

 

[Coyote machine]

Just spoke with my selling dealer and he said clearly to NOT put chains on the front tires. He said that doing so, regardless of whether chains are on the rear tires, WILL damage the front differential. The front is designed to turn at different speeds and allow for spin to allow the wheel which has further to turn to do so. Chains on the front prevents this geometry from working properly and kills the bearings, etc.
Your mileage may vary, but I trust his 50+ years in the business.

 

[MF1433V]

Just spoke with my selling dealer and he said clearly to NOT put chains on the front tires. He said that doing so, regardless of whether chains are on the rear tires, WILL damage the front differential. The front is designed to turn at different speeds and allow for spin to allow the wheel which has further to turn to do so. Chains on the front prevents this geometry from working properly and kills the bearings, etc.
Your mileage may vary, but I trust his 50+ years in the business.

This appears to be just describing an open differential. I don't see how chains could possible cause and issue in absence of any other support or explanation.

 

[grsthegreat]

I called Kioti itself last year, and they said no problem with chaining up all 4 tires. i didnt ask about doing just the fronts.

Makes a world of difference in plowing with front chains. A snow covered ground will allow any tire to spin as it sees fit .

Ive chained up all 4 tires on trucks for years and years. never an issue.

And the fact that the front tires revolve at a different speed than the rears has nothing to do with dangerous to use chains. that makes no sense at all, seeing as the front and rear arnt linked directly.