Pics of my new Ice Chains

mtg65 · Dec 30, 2007

Here are pics of the chains I put on two weeks ago. I had to fit the chains to my tires which required cutting some of the links but aside from that everything went very smoothly. Some helpful tips to a successful install

1)Research the many posts on TBN regarding this topic Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experience. It really helped me to decide on what type of chain and how to install.

2)Warm, dry, level work area I didn稚 have such a place, so I loaded her up and 澱orrowed a friend痴 garage for a few hours.

3)A heavy duty floor jack and stands

4)Ratchet binder, load binder and a handheld grinder / cutoff wheel ( the binders are a must)

5)An extra set of hands

We laid the chains out on the garage floor, behind the back wheels, with the studs facing up. I put the front bucket down and jacked the tractor up so the rear wheels were up about 6 inches. With the help of my friend (help is strongly recommended because the chains are heavy and awkward) we draped the chain over the top of the tire and tied it off with twine to keep it in place. We rotated the tire forward slowly and adjusted the chain every few inches to keep the chain centered on the tire. Once we had a full rotation, and both ends met, the ratchet binder was used to tighten things up and hold the chain in place while I cut off the excess links and latched the chain together. After having the chain on as tight as I could get it, the tensioner was installed using the load binder.
In 典racks on snow 1 picture, the left side track is the rear tire and the right side track is the front tire. As you can see the rear tread barely touches the road surface due to the height of the studs! Without those chains, my tractor would not have made it up my road in last week痴 icy conditions.

Ductape · Dec 30, 2007

Don't run over anyones toes !!

Nice chains.... no more getting stuck for you !

19977 · Dec 30, 2007

Nice lookin tractor.Those chains sure are aggressive looking.Thanks for the pictures. Mike

1948berg · Dec 30, 2007

I love the sound of chains cracking into the ice. You can hear they are doing their job!

john_bud · Dec 30, 2007

Good tips, but you did do it the hard way. Try this next time. Put the chains tips down, back over the chain until the first cross link is directly under the tire. Use a short bungee strap thru the wheel to tightly (TIGHTLY!) hold the chain to the wheel (this assumes you have reachable holes thru the wheel - you do some may not). Slowly back up and the chain will wind up onto the wheel. Connect the chains up (both tires). Drive a short distance and the chain will loosen. Tighten up a link and repeat until tight.

It looks like you could move your last cross link back two side links and then shorten the connection by 1 link, maybe 2. But if it stays tight like it is then its ok. Those spring tensioners are nice, but if you drive fast the force will pull the chain out and it may come off or slide to the side.

I do chains by my self and you're right, it's a real bear. Helping hands would be nice, but once you have the technique down it's not needed.

Egon · Dec 30, 2007

You're gonna leave marks on concrete or pavement!!!!

I finally got my chains on today but having a small tractor things go much easier. The tires are not filled so let out the air prior to installing the chains and then pressure up the tire. A guy can do things different with a toy tractor John!

Egon

mtg65 · Dec 31, 2007

john_bud said:
Good tips, but you did do it the hard way. Try this next time. Put the chains tips down, back over the chain until the first cross link is directly under the tire. Use a short bungee strap thru the wheel to tightly (TIGHTLY!) hold the chain to the wheel (this assumes you have reachable holes thru the wheel - you do some may not). Slowly back up and the chain will wind up onto the wheel. Connect the chains up (both tires). Drive a short distance and the chain will loosen. Tighten up a link and repeat until tight.

John_bud, Thanks for the suggestion but I'm not so sure that would have been the easier choice. Two weeks ago my gravel road was snow covered and frozen, the temp outside was not balmy and I have no indoor facilities to speak of. So fighting with new chains, that needed to be fitted, in the cold was not too appealing to me!

I can see where jacking up a larger tractor to put on chains would be challenging, but it was pretty easy on my rig. I could rotate the wheel and adjust as need be without having to get on and off. The chains are heavy but I think it could be done by one person, especially using the chain ratchet.When I put them on next year it will be a warm day in October!

These chains definitely would mark up pavement and concrete! So anyone who is interested in adding chains please keep in mind the road surface you are working with. I have a gravel road and no garage (yet) so I chose the more aggressive chains to help me with the steep inclines on my road.

Thanks for the comments and enjoy playing in the snow - got about 7 inches today and possibly up to 14 plus tomorrow.

dillo99 · Jan 1, 2008

Those are some serious chains!

daveinnh · Jan 5, 2008

Can I ask where you bought your tractor chains and the approx. purchase price?

I checked tirechain.com - they don't offer your particular chain pattern.

John_Mc · Jan 5, 2008

john_bud said:
Good tips, but you did do it the hard way. Try this next time. Put the chains tips down, back over the chain until the first cross link is directly under the tire. Use a short bungee strap thru the wheel to tightly (TIGHTLY!) hold the chain to the wheel (this assumes you have reachable holes thru the wheel - you do some may not). Slowly back up and the chain will wind up onto the wheel. Connect the chains up (both tires). Drive a short distance and the chain will loosen. Tighten up a link and repeat until tight.

Actually, there is an even easier way. Put the chains on the ground behind the tractor with the tips UP. loop a length of rope or baling twine through the rim, and tie the ends to the CENTER of the first cross chain. Drive forward, puling the chain up and over the tire. I sometimes have to stop once to center the chain as it goes over. Keep driving forward until the tied end of the chain comes all the way around and points straight back (at about the "9 O'clock position). Fasten the ends, and you are done.

I've used this technique since reading about it here on TBN a couple of years ago (first posted by one of our Norwegian members, I think). I've never yet had to go back and re-tighten the chains after driving around a bit. They seem to seat well the first time. It never worked out that way for me when I was using the "drive over the chains" method. I either spent a lot of time tugging, shifting, and adjusting, or I drove around for a bit then re-tightened.

John Mc