Tire chains, again!

[ELMO67]

I know that this has been covered many times before, but being somewhat of a newbie to the forum, I have probably missed some of the info I'm looking for. I have an L3010 with ft hd. bucket, Landpride rear blade and R4's. Last winter was the first year I had a chance to plow any snow, only one storm and only 5 inches, but the problem I had was trying to get up two steep hills on my driveway.(1300 ft.) If I tried to plow going up, all 4 wheels would spin. If I tried going up without the rear blade down, it would spin. Now, if I backed up the hill, no problem, up I go. I realize that without my rear tires loaded this will contribute to the problem so I have invested in a fill- valve adapter from NAPA- this should be a big help when I get the tires filled (also for all the loader work I do). I also want to get chains for the rear, I can't risk the embarrasment of having the neighbors see a big, orange tractor spinning on a hill. Where can I buy Norse style chains, and for how much? Tirechain . com seems to have a good price on a v-bar duogrip, but just in case I would like to try the Norse style- they appear to be much more agressive. Thanks for any input, and please, let it snow this year more than once.

 

[Thomas]

Boondox {TBNer}I'm sure could give you some great advice on chains,for he gets both ice and snow and Clementine doesn't have a problem.

 

[ELMO67]

Boondox?

 

[Kodiak]

Boondox: ie: Peter Burk: owner of a Kubota L3010HST- aka Clementine. Member of TBN.

Go to who's users list at top of page quick on profile search, add Boondox. He should be listed there.

 

[Boondox]

Elmo -- are these what you're looking for? Let me know and I'll contact my dealer to see where he got them.

Pete

 

[edt]

Hi BOONDOX a question for ya? will these tire chains or any tire chaines screw up my paved drive way i have loaded rear tires and got through last year ok but expect mutch more snow this year i back blade and use my fel i also have a unpaved road to plow thanks
EDT

 

[ELMO67]

Boondox- those look Awesome! I think they would work great, maybe overkill for me, but I definitely wouldn't have any regrets about going that way, for sure. If you can get any info. and reply, it would be greatly appreciated- Thank-you.

 

[gerard]

I have regular duo grips on R1 tires, unloaded and they work well. Not as good as the norse chains which have carbide tips as you can see in the picture but they are essentially logging chains. Outstanding traction but I wouldn't drive on blacktop with them. I can't see how they WOULDN'T damage asphalt.......... oh, and I think they cost around $1000 vs about $200

 

[Boondox]

No way you want to use ice chains on pavement!!! They leave huge holes in asphalt and big scratches in concrete. Great in mud, though!

If your driveway is paved and you need extra traction, my feeling is you definitely don't need this much chain. Probably simple 2 space ladders would be more than enough.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

I bought mine from Windy Ridge in NH for about $550, but Ken Jones Tire in PA has the same thing for a little less $$$. You can reach them at (800) 225-9513.

Cons of using ice chains: they tear up pavement something awful, they're heavy so require finesse instead of brute strength to mount

Pros of using ice chains: phenomenal traction (how else could I plow a bobsled run down my meadow in three feet of snow?), don't get lost between the lugs of your tires, smooth ride, great for logging or in absolute muck.

Pete

 

[edt]

Thanks pete i will check into a little less aggressive chain for my driveway i will check windy ringe in N.H it's not that far
Thanks again
EDT

 

[ELMO67]

Well I checked with Ken Jones Tire in Pa., their version is called either single or double diamond chains, which refers to either 1 or 2 studs welded to the links. Single diamonds are approximately $590- $600 for the 420/70-24 R4's that I have. In light of the comments fielded by gerard and Boondox, I think that I will be going with the regular duo- grips and my soon to be loaded rear tires. If I need some additional weight, I have some ideas for a couple of different ways to add weight to my rear blade. Thanks Boondox, Thomas, Kodiak, and gerard.... All I need to do is figure out how to persuade the wife how nice a new L series Kubota would be in our garage. ( The 3010 hst only has 105 hours on it now).

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I know this is a different animal, but for non-ice chains I've seen prices no less than $200 running up to almost $400 for my Deere 4200 industrials. That has kept me from owning a set thus far (well, that and the super mild winter last year). I don't expect my second winter of tractor ownership to be as mild as the first so I'm thinking of chains again.

Just yesterday I was out at a local semi truck service facility (Fleet Service, where another TBN'er works) and wandered through the parts department while they were preparing my bill. I saw chains for semi tractors there. I asked and was told they were just over $100 per pair. That sounded pretty cheap to me.

I've not seen them on anything and don't know how they're configured but I'm guessing they're probably some simple ladder style. The size would seem to be close enough to work with some trimming which I'd be happy to do for $200-$300 per chain. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I'm wondering if anyone else has tried or even considered trying these on a (farm) tractor. Would they work with the type of tire I have? If they would work, they'd be a lot less expensive than what I've seen.

 

[snowman]

All things being equal (ie: same grade, link style, etc), there's no reason not to save yourself the money and buy truck chains and modify them. Basically, if it works, no reason not to.

Sometimes the difference in prices between things is just dependent on where you get them or who you know.

 

[Boondox]

Absolutely check around! There's a place down the road in Barre VT called McLean's that does heavy work for truckers. They custom make chains for very reasonable rates. If I didn't want the carbide spikes I would definitely have bought chains there

Pete

 

[Rowski]

If it is just a ladder type chain you might need to add an extra cross link. If you don't you may have trouble with the links falling into the voids of the tire tread. They won't all fall in but you might spin till the link comes around that isn't in the void. Make sure you can get your hands on some chian pliers. They will save you a lot of sweat, blood, and a few new words.

 

[Rowski]

I for got to ask. What is the tire size?

Thanks

 

[jimgerken]

Yes, truck tire chains work well for small tractors. I put a set of Peerless truck tire chains from local TSC store on my 4100 with Turfs. Perfect combination. Ride is still OK, traction is excellent. Price was well under $100 for the rear set. TSC orders from Peerless, and they make virtually every size. Take your tire measurements to the TSC store in both metric and inch numbers to make the process easier. Mine are 4-link chains and work great on turfs, but if using on R4 tires you may want 2-link.

 

[Corm]

I have R4's on my Cub, and I use old truck tire chains that I got for nothing from the guys in our town garage. They were glad to get rid of them... I used a pair of chain pliers to make them to the size I needed for my tires, and they work great. Took me about 3 hours on a Sat morning to make up chains for all 4 tires (and as a side benefit, I have lot's of spare parts /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif). BTW, I have yet to use the ones for the rear tires. The chains in the front give me all the extra winter traction I need, and they also allow me to steer much better when my driveway is snow and ice covered. I offer this as an alternative to buying new chains. This worked for me, and no $$.

Corm

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

The truck tires or the Deere tires?