Chains Winter Chains

[simonmeridew]

I finally got the new chains on my L4400 rears; these were new this spring and I didn't want to put them on till the ground was frozen. Alas I couldn't wait because usually the ground is frozen up by now. They have boron caulks and should get me where I want all winter, They were sized for the tires 24 x 14.9 but the directions, written in Norwegian, Finnish and English explained rather awkwardly that they were all oversize and would need cutting. I was smart to wait to put them on, they really dig up the yard and driveway sta-mat.
simonmeridew

 

[Thomas]

Evening simonmeridew.
Looks like you got pair of good gripers for icy condition also for deep snow.

Better button down the hatches tonight,for the nasty storm w/high winds are almost upon us.

 

[escavader]

Wow them are some real diggers.That setup must get you about any where.
well guys its rainin cats and dogs up here,snowin North of me.Ithink the weather worm is gonna turn ,we have dodged the bullet long enough.
ALAN

 

[Doc_Bob]

I finally got the new chains on my L4400 rears; these were new this spring and I didn't want to put them on till the ground was frozen.

So, my question is why have chains when your tires look like they should give you loads of traction? What do you do that requires chains plus those great treads??
Bob

 

[Dusty]

Do the instructions call for chain spreaders? Those are the device that keep the chains taunt on the outside of the rim.
Dusty

 

[escavader]

Do the instructions call for chain spreaders? Those are the device that keep the chains taunt on the outside of the rim.
Dusty

I always use 4 or 5 bungee cords to keep them tight.pretty blue ones pretty yellow pretty red...
ALAN

 

[Dusty]

I'm cheap... I use a cut up inner tube and a few S hooks. Bungee cords seem to break from the weather deteriorating them. I don't care for the thump, thump, thump, of a broken bungee cord while I am headed down the road. The good news is that since buying the BX, I haven't had to use chains at all. I have loaded bar tires and a front mounted Kubota snowblower, with the Kubota weight box on the rear, that is over loaded with lead weights.

 

[ovrszd]

Unless you guys have stronger bungee cords or inner tubes than we have here in Missouri, you are wasting your time.

Straps on tire chains do no good on a tractor chain. If for some reason you are unable to latch your chains snuggly, try raising the tractor tire off the ground, let out the air, latch the chain as tight as possible and reair the tire. Chains should always be put on as tightly as possible. This might involve running them a while and then retightening them to gain that last link. This is not to keep them on the tire, it's to minimize wear on the crossbars from slapping them on the ground. In extreme cold this slapping will eventually break the crossbar links.

In twenty years of running a grader in winter with tire chains and no bungee cords or straps, I have never lost a chain. Put your chains on properly and throw away all the straps. All you are going to do is run a strap hook thru your sidewall.

 

[simonmeridew]

Hi Doc
Last winter when the snow got deep in the woods I spent a good deal of pucker time trying to turn around when I was "stuck". Not quality time. The chains will help. I gave the 4wd a winter to see how it would do. Plowing seemed OK though last winter wasn't a great test for Northern Vermont. Also, frozen ground is always a challenge no matter what your tread situation. You start up a slight incline with a hitch of logs and all of a sudden you're spinning and going sideways diagonally. Or else you go up over a fallen log that's frozen in and one tire gets hung up and starts spinning.

The directions don't say anything about binders or bungee cords or tighteners. The side chains seem to fit well as they are. See the pic though maybe it doesn't show everything.

I've run double ring chains on my 8N Ford for 25 years. Lately I've been using short bungee cords 2 per tire this has worked well. I used to use what amounted to a big rubber band made up of about an inch of tractor tire tube with some "s" hooks on it, but I couldn't find them one fall and bought the bungees. The double rings work OK, rough riding, and not great on ice so I thought I'd try these Norwegian ones with my Kubota.

simonmeridew

 

[Thomas]

Morning Alan.
"snowin North of me.Ithink the weather worm is gonna turn ,we have dodged the bullet long enough."

Yup I do believe your right,for one could feel the change in the air just before dawn....snow flurries here now.