Studs vs chains for tires

[SteveMo]

Hi, all:

My name is Steve and I live in New Brunswick, Canada. I just joined today and this is my first post.

I have a long driveway, approximately 900 feet, alĺ downhill (depending on your direction, LOL). It has several curves and one steep part at the end and is prone to ice up occasionally. I use a 7.5' plow on my truck. Last year, it was a light winter and the driveway was getting tight. So, this year, I plan to buy a blower for the tractor to keep it wide. The tractor has agricultural tires and I am sure that I will run into problems, as-is, and will need chains or studs. I prefer to install studs to save money but still want to be safe.

I am looking for some advice on whether studs will be sufficient enough to tackle my driveway.

Thank you!

 

[fatjay]

Chains are removable and generally penetrate deeper giving better performance on snow/ice. From what I have seen, studs are installed from the inside of the tire and not removable, and there's plenty of times that I would want to not have concrete and asphalt destroying studs/chains on my tractor.

 

[LouNY]

The screw in tire studs will help considerably from what I have heard, I have not used them.
Tractor Studs
I run chains on my driveway, the heavy Euro studded style.
I have not seen any damage to the paved roads which we do travel while chained up,
if you spin on a paved road, Yes, they will mark and chew on the pavement.
Normally good chains Euro studded chains will not spin unless you are pulling quite hard.
I road my tractor over 3 miles many times with the chains on with no issues, I do limit my speed to around 12-15 mph.

 

[CobyRupert]

Weight will also help with traction. Remember, when you lower a 3 point hitch rear mounted snowblower to slide along the ground and blow snow, you lose the additional traction it provided as a ballast when raised.

 

[bobholland]

I use both. I have installed tire studs on the front and have chains for the rears. I don't have really steep inclines to deal with, nor do I have concrete or asphalt to deal with in the summer (yet). I have some plywood protection for the garage where the tractor is parked. The snow pack where I am varies a lot. I got tired of putting chains on the front when I wasn't getting the traction needed. Most of the time I didn't need the front chains, but when I did it was always in a blizzard! The studs in the front have worked out well.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I have never needed chains or studs on my tractors For snow removal. But no idea how ”downhill” equates to slope. But def my plowing and blowing is easier going downhill on my driveway. I don’t see many tractors around here with chains. We don’t get “a lot” of snow. Maybe just 10-20 feet annually. But my guess is that is more than 99.9% of the population. We have already received about 1 foot. If the snow gets too deep I take smaller swipes…

I think it is all what you are used to. Because a 900 foot driveway to me, is pretty short…. I consider mine very short at about 600ft. But I have to go out to the barn etc which adds distance. My neighbors all are 1/2 Mile or more. I only have chains for my pickup and used to have to use them quite often. But now everything gets closed so quick and law enforcement is very particular now about driving on closed roadways.

 

[jmc]

I just priced some screw-in, carbide tipped studs and was surprised how much they cost by the time you buy their recommended number of studs. Haven't priced chains lately but suspect stud prices would make a pretty good dent in the price of chains.

 

[stumblinhorse]

1 storm, will be happy to have a cab this winter!

 

[SteveMo]

Thank you to everyone. I am new to tractors this year. I'll post when I decide what I'll use.

 

[ruffdog]

Studs are cheaper and some will pull out. On ice they make a world of difference. If I was crawling around a woods pulling logs chains would be the best way. On a plowed drive, studs will help tremendously.