Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snow, driveways & tractors.

MadDog · Dec 11, 2005

I have R4s. Last winter I had no trouble using them in 4WD to move (with FEL) even pretty high hardpacked snow left by the town plow at the end of my cul-de-sac. This year I have put a 3ph snowblower in the rear and put chains on the rear wheels because a number of neighbors are counting on me to clear their driveways. Cleared 9 driveways after Friday's storm without any difficulties. I am not sure that I even need to have the chains on but I figure they'll probably help on hardpacked snow or ice.

I wouldn't hesitate to get R4s. They are pretty serviceable for just about all uses.

trlong · Dec 11, 2005

( I also plan the get front chains to help with steering/braking when we get ice.
) 

Woody,

Is that 3320 4WD? I run chains on the rears with blower in front and RB. Dealer, mechanic, and several others warned against front chains, even just in 2wd. I can definitely understand the problem with chains on the front in 4wd. Not so sure about problems with them in 2wd... just repeating warning's I've been given about use of front chains.

Anyway, I blew snow and bladed off the drive last year with just the rear chains. Driveway is crushed slate so, not an issue with leaving chain marks and they actually help with reducing ice and/or providing some grip for the cars. I like to keep the chains on, once things freeze up, as the driveway slants, curves, and gets pretty icy sometimes. The only time I had any problem was with all 600' of drive a solid sheet of ice under a new snowfall. Steering got a bit tricky but nothing I couldn't deal with by slowing down.

Tom

Slamfire · Dec 11, 2005

I'm on the other side of the hill from jcmseven, and I didn't plow my drive the last couple of years, it only lasted a couple, three days. Other winters though, we've had hard freezes followed by warm spells. My Ags work ok in the mud, but there was way too much slippin' and slidin' on the frozen hard packed snow. I'm using a rear blade and floatin' it an inch or two to keep the gravel in place. I guess I'm gonna have to invest in chains. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif My old crawler worked great on the level but you didn't want too much camber as it would slip sideway pretty easily. Fortunately there is a big runout area where that happens. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Egon · Dec 12, 2005

Slamfire:

Weld some caulks on the grousers. They will dig in on the ice.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Woody_NH · Dec 12, 2005

Tom,

Yes all of the JD3x20 machines are 4wd. My issue is control of the machine going down the steep section of my driveway when we have ice. This is usually when I have a 1" hard packed snow surface on top of the gravel after plowing previous storms and then we get some rain and a freeze and then a few inches of light snow on top of the ice. I have lost control of my plow truck in the past and now use chains on all 4 wheels of the truck with ice on the driveway under the snow. Of course I don't drive the truck at speed on the road with the chains.

As I said, the R4s work well in snow on moderate grades. I do have loaded tires and either the blade or a ballast box on the 3pt hitch so I am running at about 5,500 lbs which is great in plain old snow. The chains give me control on ice in my special situation.

Woody

jdgreg · Dec 12, 2005

What's the issue of running front chains only on 4WD? I've done that in the past on my old Ford 1700, never had any problems.

djradz · Dec 12, 2005

Bruce, I had R1s on my smaller and lighter Ford 1720 for 12 years and would have to agree, they are far superior to the R4s I now have on my TC 40D for deep snow. The R1s are so much more aggressive and always dug in. The R4s tend to float so much more, I think mostly because of the less aggressive style and less weight per square inch. I, like you, didn't want my yard so torn up, so I didn't get them loaded. That probably would improve their performance, but my concern is they then tend to make more marks on the lawn. Were the R4s you used loaded? I think the only time the R4s would be better may be on ice, when the greater surface area might actually help. To answer your question though, I think the R4s are useable, just not great, nor comparable to the R1s when it comes to much snow.

I think you'll find the front bucket a real pain for most of the plowing. It's great to push back some piles, but for a long drive like you've got, a rear blade would be much, much faster. Just angle the blade to push the snow to one side and then the other, and go.

CTyler · Dec 12, 2005

( I think you'll find the front bucket a real pain for most of the plowing. It's great to push back some piles, but for a long drive like you've got, a rear blade would be much, much faster. Just angle the blade to push the snow to one side and then the other, and go. )

I use both in heavy snow to keep from pushing the back end of the tractor around. Hold the bucket up 5-6" and let the blade do the rest. I'd agree using the FEL alone isn't very efficient if you have much to clear.

jimmysisson · Dec 12, 2005

Probably any 4wd tractor with good R4s will go better than most driveway situations call for. On a road vehicle, the narrower taller tires do seem to get down to traction better than a wider. A tractor is the same, but usually we don't know the difference as we only have one to sample.
On a driveway, plowing or blowing in a forward gear, usually the tires are on squashed down snow or maybe ice depending on conditions. I like being chained up because we get ice and some hardpack I like to know I can stop before I slide out into the road. Never noticed chains ruining a tire either, for some reason.

daTeacha · Dec 12, 2005

Reading all the posts here, it seems R4s work for some, not for others. In looking at a lot of tractors, I've noticed there are different styles of R4 tires. Some have a square shoulder, some are rounded. Some are more open than others. Would it be asking those who have posted about R4s working or not in snow to tell us what size and brand their tires are?

Also, snow conditions can vary tremendously, as you all know. The specific conditions in question on any given day can cause your tires to act differently. Stuff that's nice for snowballs is also pretty good for traction with lugged tires, but fresh powder on top of hardpack is not.