Tire Chains

[Bob_farmer]

There are a lot of choices for tire chains. Can anyone make a suggestion on chains for a TC33DA? A little ice grip would be nice. Low cost would be great.

 

[Dusty]

Cost is in direct proportion to quality. A lesser quality chain will work well until you stress it, and then it might break. What size are the tires on the tractor? Also, there are varying types of tire chains. If you are looking to save money, you might find a auto or truck chain that will fit. I did this on my old tractor. I found some 9.00 x 15 car chains and cut them down. They worked well for my purposes. Large tractor tire chains can get expensive. I buy chain from a local company that makes and sells them. I pay more, but it is worth the extra money not to be stuck with a chain that is wrapped around the axle and you have to get it off before you can move the machine, with snow coming down at the rate of 3" an hour! After the sweetness of price is gone, the tartness of quality remains.
Dusty

 

[sandman2234]

I bought a set for my JD, from ebay. Hopefully having them will keep the snow away!
Actually I bought them to try them out in the mud, hoping they will help, even a little.
David from jax

 

[BillBee]

If you want ice grip and a good chain, I can speak for a set of 4, 3/8’s V-Bar Duo-Grip Tractor Tire Chains I purchased for my 4wd tractor. With the weight of my tractor at 10,000#’s, when driving over ice, the V-Bar chains actually chip themselves into the ice. They grip very well. The draw back for me was, last year when I mounted the chains for the season, my garage concrete slab was only 4 months old, the V-Bar tire chains also puck marked/chipped the garage’s concrete slab. As ice grip tire chains are a necessity for me, if the problem continues with now cured slab, I’ll resolve that. I’ve heard the V-Bars do wear.

I purchased my tire chains from Tire Chains by Tirechains.com

(You can select you tire’s chain size from the website and it will provide the cost; just don’t complete the sale until ready.)

 

[RalphVa]

I had a Gravely on which I had a dual set of ag tires. I put metal screws into the outer part of the lugs for grip on ice. Unfortunately, we didn't get much snow the last year of my Gravely ownership to try this combo out, and I bought my JD about then, too.

I got the idea from reading about folks putting metal screws into the tire treads of racing motorcycles on ice.

Lot easier than messing with chains. You might want to give them a try.

I had a tire chain on my Gravely hang up on a brake securement on the back side of the brake plate. You gotta secure any loose ends, keep them tight, etc. They're generally a pain to put on.

So far, my turfs and 4wd on the JD has worked here, but my driveway is fairly level.

Ralph

 

[vallyfarm]

Unless you want skidder chains, the very best are called "double O-ring chains". They are normaly made up for you at a good tire or ag store, not TSC, but a real ag store like Tempco. They ride rough on the pavement, but will not harm it if the surface is in good shape. Cheap chains are only good if you "think" you need them. If you "know" you need chains, get the good ones. I am still running a pair on one of my tractors tha my grandgather...yes, grandfather bought. I'll pass them down to mi kids too. A good pair of chains is like a good rifle. More $ today, but trouble free forever. Mike

 

[John_Mc]

I bought a set of 4-link ladder style chains with v-bars for my TC33D from Tirechains.com They've worked out well on ice while clearing my driveway in the winter... there is one hill that I just could not handle without chains (and it faces east, so it tends not to melt off very quickly). 4-link refers to the number of links in the side chain between each cross chain. The "V-bars" are basically studs welded on to the chain to give better traction on ice. I had considered the 2-link chains, but they were jus too heavy to deal with. They may have given a bit more traction, and a bit smoother ride, but the 4-link turned out to be all I needed.

I was originally looking for the "Duo-grip" style chains. These are closer to what you'd see on a logging skidder. They form more of a "mat" around the tire with diamond or square shaped openings, rather than the ladder pattern on the chains I ended up with. The Duo-grip style does help keep the chains from falling down into the tread of R4 or AG style tires, and would also probably provide better latereal traction when operating on side hills. Unfortunately, no one seems to make them in a size to fit the R4 tires on my TC33D. I've been told that's because the pattern just doesn't work out right on this size tire.

Another option that someone here mentioned is the "Double Ring" chains. These are great in Mud and snow... there is not much that can match them in that application. They tend to be self cleaning, so they don't load up with mud or snow and lose their effectiveness. I've heard they are not as good on sheer is as chains with v-bars, but I don't have personal experience with them in on ice.

John Mc

 

[sandman2234]

Billbee,
When you have chains on the tractor, why don't you lay a couple of two x six's down for the tractor to drive on? The should save the concrete. Just a thought from a guy who lives in the sun belt.
David from jax

 

[BillBee]

Billbee,
When you have chains on the tractor, why don't you lay a couple of two x six's down for the tractor to drive on? The should save the concrete. Just a thought from a guy who lives in the sun belt.
David from jax

The tractor is at the VT house and believe it or not, there's no snow and I have yet to install the chains. With the backhoe on the tractor and the front mounted snow plow off the quick attach, the tractor is long and takes some maneuvering parking in the garage. But that is my intention to use some type planks or other type of floor covering.

(I was planning on chaining up this weekend but the weather looks good through next weekend.)

 

[John_Mc]

Billbee,
When you have chains on the tractor, why don't you lay a couple of two x six's down for the tractor to drive on? The should save the concrete.

That's basically what I do. The v-bars on my chains can really do a number on the concrete, if I'm not carefull. But instead of 2x6's, I used some scrap pieces of plywood and particle board I had lying around. Using a little more width than the 6" on a 2x6 gives me some maneuvering room without worrying about falling off the edge of the wood. My plywood scraps range from 2 ft to 3 ft wide. Centery that under each rear wheel means I don't even have to think about whether I'm on the wood or not.

John Mc

 

[DaryleD]

I have a tc30 and use the valby chains on back. They are the ones that have round nubs that stick straight out from the chain links. I'm not sure if they are better or worse than the v-bar chains on ice, but I do know that they will last. They have served me very well and I'm very sure that I will never have to replace them. I have a long, fairly steep driveway, with a corner 3/4 of the way up it that makes it hard for even my 4x4 truck sometimes. I snow blow with the tractor, and have yet to get stuck or even slip with these. The only down side to these are that they are very pricey. I think I paid $600 or so. That price is just for rear chains.
Daryle.

 

[BillBee]

Well, I did chain up the rears this past weekend just in case. I'll get to the fronts next weekend. Still chipping the concrete, I'll cover the floor tire runs with scrap wood.

When I chained up, I droped the rear tire presure to about 5lbs and installed the chains (tires are loaded). When I reinflated back up to 20lbs, chains are tight, the tightest I've ever gotten them. Took it for a test drive and there's no chain slap or chain rattling. Chains remained tight even after a quick run down the driveway. Could I have installed the tire chains to tight? They don't appear to be restricting or deforming the tire in any way when inflated at 20lbs.

 

[m7040]

daryl, will the Valby chains damage pavement or do you run them on a dirt road??

 

[John_Mc]

I have a tc30 and use the valby chains on back. They are the ones that have round nubs that stick straight out from the chain links. I'm not sure if they are better or worse than the v-bar chains on ice, but I do know that they will last.

The Valby chains are better than the ladder-style with v-bars on ice. I've got the ladder/v-bars because that was the only real ice option for the R4 tires on my TC33D (no Valby or DuoGrip for my size tire). The Valby's "mat" layout keeps them from dropping down between the lugs, so more of the chain makes contact with the ground. You'll also get better lateral traction with the Valby chains... usefull if you are on a side hill.

John Mc