Tire chains on DK35SE with cab

[kco]

kco, I am really hoping that we are done with the snows this season. and I have until the fall to get the spacers and the chains repaired (shouldn't be hard).. I am not looking forward to putting on rear spacers as the tires are loaded. I think I will groove the front tires before next winter. I have the tool, and I did it to my old Kubota, but I only had one rabbit tracking snow before I traded it off to test it on, so I could not really give it a good test. But others report much improvement. I think I will give it a try.. So with spacers, and the chains back on and grooved fronts,. I will be unstoppable

Well with my hills, maybe not unstoppable. Oh, today also the retaining pin fell out of my rear blades kickstand and it got bent up. Just one more dang thing to fix.

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Those hills do look challenging, James. I am always surprised when I see the winters people get in the south and east. The conditions look far more challenging than here.

If you find the front tire grooving does not meet your needs perhaps you could try screw-in studs:



I don't have experience with them but it seems they would be effective on ice and hard-packed snow; but have negligible effect in soft, deep snow.

 

[k0ua]

Those hills do look challenging, James. I am always surprised when I see the winters people get in the south and east. The conditions look far more challenging than here.

If you find the front tire grooving does not meet your needs perhaps you could try screw-in studs:

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I don't have experience with them but it seems they would be effective on ice and hard-packed snow; but have negligible effect in soft, deep snow.

I have thought about them, and I am sure they would work. I screwed several 1/4 inch hex head sheet metal screws into the soles of my snow boots and they make a huge difference, especially on ice. But the thing that worries me about them is if they popped out on the driveway, now I have built in flat tires on my cars and truck tires. That is my main concern.

 

[kco]

I got my front spacers from Bro-Tec today. They fit great and solve my chain clearance concerns. CanadianChains.com would have let me return the chains for a 20% re-stock fee or exchange them for free. But they will work fine with the new spacers, so I'll let them know I'm keeping them.

The spacers fit perfectly and took about 1/2 hour to try on one side. I took them off as I just use them for the winter seasons. They aren't any more trouble than changing vehicle winter tires.

Here are a few photos:



The specification for the Kioti DK35 front spacers is 6 x 6" with 16 mm bolts. I measured the tire hub opening as 118 mm which must be a standard distance because Bro-tek had a set in stock, and the ones I received were labelled LS 6x6.

The spacers were shipped the same day I ordered them and arrived via surface mail from New Brunswick to the BC interior in 7 days.