Traction Traction with/without Chains

[855Idiot]

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to need chains for to make snow behave.

The total snow depth usually peaks between 3 - 4 ft.
However, it may accumulate 1 -2 ft between clearings.
I'll also be digging through old/refrozen snowplow banks.

The surfaces I'll be clearing will be packed snow, packed gravel, loose gravel and ice.

Will my JD 855, 4wd, w/ag tires, need weight, chains or should it be OK?
I will be using an FEL only.

I've done some searches and not found a clear answer, esp. for non-asphalt/concrete surfaces.

Any thoughts, experience?

Thanks,
Glenn

 

[MrJimi]

Your talking some serious conditions there, when I lived in Maine, I have used chains and like you say with weight and chains you should have no problem till you say to yourself ( I can make that ) and bury it
Be careful and you will be just fine
Jim

 

[kennyd]

I've done some searches and not found a clear answer, esp. for non-asphalt/concrete surfaces.

There is no "clear" answer. There are just to many variables to give you a definitive answer. Things like terrain, whether hilly or flat can have a dramatic difference in traction.

You will definitely NEED weight on the 3PH to balance the tractor and offset the weight in the FEL, and it will sure help with traction also.
And for the amount of snow you said, I would at least have chains on hand just in case.

 

[JB4310]

I don't get anywhere near that amount of snow and I'm right on the borderline between needing and just wanting chains, I just put some old pieces together to make up a front set this week, it should be enough for me, as I was losing traction on the paved part of my drive way on a medium grade when the surface would freeze or get slick from snow being packed down, I have the R-4's and 4x4. 1/2 paved 1/2 packed gravel, about 500 ft. total.
I will go out on a limb here and say you absolutely positively need chains and lotsa ballast, minimum on the rear, as HD as you can afford just short of logger style, and probably on the front as well. start with your box scraper for weight and hang as much more iron on it that you can find.
Set up like that you will need to use your dozer gears but you should be able to handle what ever the maximum that machine is capable of.

 

[JCB]

Glen,

For what it's worth. I've got a 2210 with R4's. We live in Wisconsin and have really been hammered with snow the last two years. Year one, I was plowing a 300' asphalt driveway with a fair slope using a rear blade and loader.

On the asphalt you would slip and slide a little bit but the driveway got cleared every time.

Last year I was clearing a 1000' gravel driveway that had no slope, using the loader and rear blade again. I won't be getting chains. The gravel never got as slick as the asphalt and I always had ample traction to move snow. I'd usually use the rear blade to clear the driveway several times until it got too narrow, then use the loader to make the driveway wider. With a bucket full of hard snow, the front tires bite real good.

My experience is that with flat gravel you can get by without the hassle of chaining up.

Hope that helps.

Joe

 

[LBrown59]

Glen,

For what it's worth. I've got a 2210 with R4's. We live in Wisconsin and have really been hammered with snow the last two years. Year one, I was plowing a 300' asphalt driveway with a fair slope using a rear blade and loader.

On the asphalt you would slip and slide a little bit but the driveway got cleared every time.

Last year I was clearing a 1000' gravel driveway that had no slope, using the loader and rear blade again. I won't be getting chains. The gravel never got as slick as the asphalt and I always had ample traction to move snow. I'd usually use the rear blade to clear the driveway several times until it got too narrow, then use the loader to make the driveway wider. With a bucket full of hard snow, the front tires bite real good.

My experience is that with flat gravel you can get by without the hassle of chaining up.

Hope that helps.

Joe

For me it would be a bx1500 with a 60'' front blade and a BX 23 with a FEL.

 

[RalphVa]

With my 4010 and using FEL and BB, I haven't seen a need for chains but haven't experienced really wet or icey stuff yet. However, when I had my Gravely, it needed chains to use the snow blower the one time I used it to remove 7" of sleet. This was on single turf tires. The snow blower was too narrow to use the dual ag tires that I used on its big 4' snow blade. The dual ags (2 on each side) worked fine to push the plow, but I have a relatively flat driveway.

I didn't like to use the chains because I once snagged a loose end of the chain on a brake shoe spring on the back side of the backer plate. Luckily, it broke the chain and didn't harm the backer plate.

You might want to put some metal screws into the lugs of your ag tires as an alternative to using chains. The metal screws will give the tires grip on icey conditions. You really only need chains on ice or very packed snow but maybe not with the metal screws in place. Search on these forums for use of metal screws. People use them in motorcycle tires to race them on frozen lakes. I had metal screws in the outer part of the lugs on my Gravely ags. On a bigger tractor the lugs will be deep enough to put them on both then inner and outer parts of the lugs.

Ralph

 

[Egon]

On my little Kubota B7100 chains make an appreciable difference when moving snow or just working in the mud season.

 

[Travelover]

On my little Kubota B7100 chains make an appreciable difference when moving snow or just working in the mud season.

I run chains year around on my B7100 with turf tires. They make a huge difference when there is ice.

 

[DAN IN OHIO]

I do not know about 3-4 feet of snow but I do see 1-2 feet of the white stuff. I have turf tires and 4WD on my 2520 with an eight foot blade on the rear for snow removal and it works great. Chains are out of the question as my drive is blacktop. Last year we did have some condititions that warranted some use of my backup tractor ( John Deere 70 deisel ) when I felt the new 2520 was just being abused. Turf tire tractions is great in snow. Ag tires are the worst, even the larger tractors with ag tires have trouble in snow as any farm boy can tell you.

 

[wolc123]

Here we go again.. "turf tires are better than ag tires in snow". Sounds like the same guy who thinks hydro trans are better than gear for ground engageing work and narrow front tractors are more stable than wide. Opinions of all types can be found on this site.

 

[LBrown59]

I run chains year around on my B7100 with turf tires. They make a huge difference when there is ice.

So do I on the 1966 Bolens 850 garden tractor.
Put em on in 1966 and they're still on there.
It's the only tractor I've ever had chains on.

 

[LBrown59]

Opinions of all types can be found on this site.

I don't have any opinions.
I just share facts!

Duck Goose
Duck Goose
BOING

 

[Egon]

Why are chains bad on asphalt driveways??

My driveways are asphalt! Can't see any harm from the chains!

 

[JB4310]

Ya, I thought that was odd but I guess it's the scratching of the surface he's referring to, I have left some pretty good marks on mine, but my pavement is old so I'm not to worried, If I had brand new asphalt I might try to do as much as I could and struggle a little more without chains.

 

[Egon]

Tom; I'd run them year round too but the backs are a little rough riding and I'm kinda scared I'll hook onto something too large and break things.

 

[megotatractor]

In my experience (old minneapolis Moline) weights and chains make the differece between spinning your wheels getting nowhere and smiling while moving impressive amounts of snow, esp if theres hard pack or ice under the wheels. with my current JD 2210 SCUT I have the "all terrain" tires which are a good compromise on grass,dirt, snow. they give me good traction in the snow but I miss having chains when it gets icy.

 

[TOMMY_K_S]

Just had my R4s studded at the tire shop we shall see how they pull...

 

[DAN IN OHIO]

My opinions, such as they are, are based on my life growing up on a farm in central Ohio in the sixties. I still own a barn full of those tractors produced in the fifties like we farmed with. I know for a fact Ag tires were made for farmers to engage the soil, not for acreage owners like us to plow snow off our black topped or concrete drive ways. Recently I purchased the 2520 with turf tires to use on my 20 acre tree farm. This was a difficult decision but I wanted to disturb the soil as little as possible. I have found the turf tires on a 4WD tractors to be a great combination for my needs. The comment about scratching the blacktop is correct as we already have enough of that from our studded snow tires. I do not intend to offend anyone, just share what I have experienced.

 

[KennK]

Last winter was my first with my JD3320 with R4's, a FEL, and a rear blade. I'd purchased chains but never put them on as the tractor did just fine without them - in 4WD.

My advice might be to try it without chains, and then get the chains if you need them. I bought mine online and they came pretty fast.

BTW, I would recommend a rear blade in addition to the FEL. It really speeds up the process when the snow isn't very deep (I'm pulling snow forward, rather than backing into it).

Also, that really shocks me that ag tires don't do better in snow. I would have them them to be great for snow. Maybe only great for real packable snow.