Tire chains for Vermont woods

[nctacoma]

Greetings,

for those of you in the northern New England I am looking for some advice.

I need to get a set of rear chains for my Kubota 4330 with R4 tires. They will be used for logging in the winter with a skidding winch as well as for plowing a 1/2 long gravel driveway in a fairly snowy (not this year) area of the mountains.

Also, can you recommend some dealers in the Montpelier area(or within an hour or so of that area where I could get them from) Or online if I can't find them local.

Are the aquiline chains worth the almost (gulp) $1000 per pair over something else? I have no asphalt or concrete to chew up and this is primarily going to be a woods tractor so I want traction.

Thanks in advance

 

[JB4310]

Greetings,

for those of you in the northern New England I am looking for some advice.

I need to get a set of rear chains for my Kubota 4330 with R4 tires. They will be used for logging in the winter with a skidding winch as well as for plowing a 1/2 long gravel driveway in a fairly snowy (not this year) area of the mountains.

Also, can you recommend some dealers in the Montpelier area(or within an hour or so of that area where I could get them from) Or online if I can't find them local.

Are the aquiline chains worth the almost (gulp) $1000 per pair over something else? I have no asphalt or concrete to chew up and this is primarily going to be a woods tractor so I want traction.

Thanks in advance

I'm from southern NE and can't help you with the local dealer.

But can say any chain will be fine for your needs, not necessary for the big money ones, just simple ole 4 link spaced snow chains help tremendously in the woods, you can upgrade to 2 link spaced chains with V-bars for smoother ride on hard flat surfaces, and more grip on ice, but it wont make a huge difference in the woods IMO.

JB

 

[joeyd]

I can't help with what type of chain to use in the woods but try Tirechain.com for you purchase. They are on the east coast and have reasonable prices. I use 4 link v-bar for my gravel drive and dirt road. They work great on icy hills. Good luck.

 

[devildog1]

When I was using my Oliver Super 55 to log (just for me) in my woods I had dealer install what was called Bull Chains. They had like huge knuckle like links that were almost like an endless letter L. Crazy traction never got stuck on ice or snow or for mud either, only draw back was the ride was terrible on hard surfaces, weather road or driveway.
DevilDog

 

[Gordon Gould]

I bought mine in 2005 from Desmarais Equipment in Orleans for $365. It was the best price I could find anywhere. They are made in Norway by Tellefsdal. My tires are 12.4 X 24 Ags. Prices and suppliers change but I would give them a call. Ask for Andy at extension 105. You cannot beat these chains.

 

[tessiers]

If you want good traction in the woods the old fashioned canadian ring chains are hard to beat. Otherwise some sort of net chain would be my choice. I like these from Labonville, I don't know how close they are to you but they are great folks to deal with.

Tractor, Grader & Loader Studded Chains - Labonville Inc.

I have never been to impressed with regular cross link chains on a tractor. On the other hand I have never worried about what I am tearing up with them either. I run a sort of modified ring chain from canadian chains and my only comment is they are worth the money several years after spending it, but at the time I swollowed hard and hid the slip from my wife.

 

[Mechanos]

Canadian Chains [Home]

 

[Groo]

tractor tire chains aren't cheap.

If you really need to do it on the cheap, maybe join a couple pair of used semi-chains into 1 set of tractor chains and add some cross links.

I ordered some chains for the front and rear of the Kubota a couple years back. The rears worked great, I haven't bothered to put the fronts on since the first week.

I want to think the ones I ordered were over $700 for the rears (for the made in China ones ) with the cross links and the Vs on the traction chains

 

[Groo]

I bought mine in 2005 from Desmarais Equipment in Orleans for $365. It was the best price I could find anywhere. They are made in Norway by Tellefsdal. My tires are 12.4 X 24 Ags. Prices and suppliers change but I would give them a call. Ask for Andy at extension 105. You cannot beat these chains.

those look like some quality chains.

 

[hammer54]

When I grew up in the real upstate NY we used Canadian logging, ring chains with about 1 inch cleats during the winter and they worked good. Growing up I had used them on both our WD Allis and our D-17 Allis. Where they really shined was in the woods or the rare occasions where we were forced to do our fall plowing in wet weather. Plowing in wet weather, cross direction on a 30 degree, grass covered blue clay sidehill pulling a 3 bottom 16" mounted plow was a thrill when you were 14 year old. The Canadian ring chains made it possible. Pulling full loads of corn up 2 blue clay hilla, in woods was also possible. The officals didn't care for it when I chewed 2 trenches across the paved County Route 12 road as I crossed it some where around 200 times. The pull coming from the field road onto the pavement was 1 foot or more deep blue clay and the 10 tons of corn required 3rd gear high range full throttle to make it if a car wan't coming over the hill. The ruts acrosss thwew road came from the Canadian chains spinning getting the wagon moving if I stopped for a car. The only problem was keeping the front of the tractor on the ground to steer. Good brakes for steering were requird. Canadian chains are Excellent in mud.