winter tractor

studor · Jan 30, 2009

Sorry Dean -- don't know your market at all -- if you do a search on chains you will find a bunch of threads on here about buying and making them. I got my latest set at a summer farm auction for cheap but that was luck. New ones are expensive (but cheaper than a new tractor)

TRO · Jan 30, 2009

Dean,

Chappell Tractor in Milford NH can help you out with chains. Go to BB Chain on the Chappell web site and you can see what they offer.

KubotaSam · Jan 30, 2009

You need both weight and chains. If you put chains on without adding weight by loading your tires or a weight box on the 3ph you will spin the chains. That will dig up your driveway in a hurry. If you are on blacktop you can break the chains or dig into the tar. Adding weight alone is OK but probably will not help enough.

Farwell · Jan 31, 2009

I have a 1965 John Deere 2010 that is rated at 35-45 horse power (it has around 5000 hours on it so the HP is probably closer to 25 HP). It is a 2WD. The first Winter I owned it I tried using it with out chains and is was just like Studor wrote, it was like a cow on ice. I went on line and purchased chains for around $125 per wheel, that included shipping. They are very heavy so if you don't get a reasonable shipping price it will kill the pocket book. Do a Google search the company I purchased from deals with chains exclusively. They have a chart that will help you identify the chains you need. My chains have the V shape. I like the chains so well that I leave them on all year long. When I park my tractor in my pole barn I drive on OSB to protect the slab. I only have a back blade and FEL for snow removal. The back blade helps on the weignt issue. The place I bought the chains form was tirechains dot com and I bought the Duo instead of the V.

RickB · Feb 1, 2009

Nwood said:
southern NH

Dean

No one has mentioned the very best option IF electricity is available. Install a frostplug heater in the block and use it. All the heat is applied to coolant within the water jacket, no thermal convection required. No added components hanging off the side.
When you go to Chappell to check on chains, ask for block heater part number 86590140. Also, see if your tractor is equipped with an intake manifold heater (thermostart).

JB4310 · Feb 1, 2009

Here's some more pictures of 2 WD tractor in snow, we have about a foot of snow in the woods, and I was fooling around trying to see what the limits were.

With just V-chains and no rear ballast it went pretty good in a straight line, no big fear of getting stuck, but not maneuverable, couldn't really steer, front tires would just plow forward, even skid steering was not effective. I do have 4 suitcase weights on the front to counter the rear plow I usually have on the back, so that probably makes the poor steering worse.

Then I tried it with my JD concrete filled ballast box, which is quite heavy, with out the weight on front it would stand right up I'm sure.
It was truly unstoppable, the weight distribution was perfect, making the front end light enough to not dig in and plow but not to light to make it uncontrollable, and using the brakes for skid steering was incredible doing zero turns in a foot of snow or solid ice. Was easy to maneuver thru woods trails turning with ease with brakes. tried driving over a mound of frozen snow bank, it would have gone right over except the box got hung up in back from the extreme angle, got out of it easily though.

JB.

wedge40 · Feb 1, 2009

I ran into the same thing yesterday. I have a driveway that is about 10th of mile long,(500ft or so). It is curvy and uphill from the road to the house. I put the back blade on along with the bucket for the FEL. The BB did no good cause it put too much drag and the tires would slip.
I dont have loaded tires and have some reservation about loading them. I guess I'm interested in how much "extra" damage loaded tires cause relative to unloaded. On wet lawn. Oh.. I have the standard Ag tires. 16.9x30.
I'm sure my problem yesterday was not enough ballast. I've been thinking about making a ballast box that I can take on and off as needed, and after yesterday I was thinking of adding a QA to the ballast box. That way I could still use some of the attachments when the Ballast box is on.
I've been mulling it over and just haven't figured out a good to add the QA to design.

Wedge