SNOW CHAINS, Which Wheels..??

[flynavy]

I know its kinda late but.....I want to be ready for next year.
I just finished installing a front snow blower on my 7100 HST. NOW the question is for the general consensus of opinion.
Chains on the front, chains on the rear or both....???
What say ye?

 

[skeets]

Ok from Airedale to another. You only want you rear tires chained, and depending on the type of tire your running the chain pattern will be different.
Conventional wisdom as I understand it, is that chaining your front tires creates an undue load on the front end and cause undue wear, breakage and some unwanted handling aspects. I don't know this personally as I have never had to put chains on my BX.

If you have turf tires the conventional single cross link chains work well. If you are running a R4 or aggie tire then that single cross links will fall between the tread of the tire and be of no advantage, you would need a chain with an X type pattern that way the chain wont fall in between the lugs on the tires and stays on top of the tread and you have traction.

Here is a link that gives a pretty good representation of tractor chains and prices, you could make your own and many have, my self I think it would be a real PIA

http://www.tirechain.com/TractorChainmenu.htm

 

[RCW]

Skeets is right.

Being in upstate New York, we sometimes have ALOT of snow, and I do part of my hilly lawn for the resident Boxer dog.

I have R-4's and 2-link conventional cross link chains on the back. Work fine, but I think 4-links will get swallowed up between the threads like Skeets said.

I have been tempted to put fronts on, because the front end will wash-out on the slope of the lawn. But if I do, I will make a point to take it out of 4WD when I go out on the road to do the driveway apron, mailboxes, etc., because I have to do some sharp turns on what might be a bare road - bad thing if its in 4WD.

 

[RCW]

Since I just took snowblower off and put loader on, I still have mine on.

Might be August before they come off!!

2-link means there is a stringer for every 2 links on the side chain. I think 4-link would be lost like Skeets mentioned.

It is necessary that they are tight. Not much room inside the wheel wells of a BX2360, so I tend to cheat mine toward the outside.

You may not need the tensioners outside, unless you're a little lazy. I'm obviously a little lazy sometimes....

 

[cerlawson]

Chains on the front are likely to damage the boots on the steering knuckle. Shorten up the cross chains may work, but you could then throw the chain. Speaking from BX experience.

 

[flynavy]

Thanks Guy's, I do have turf tires on the 7100. I run bar tread on the Wheel Horse, and they do tear up the lawn.
I wasn't sure since the 7100 4wd is only active when I push down the engage lever. Otherwise its full time 3wd.
PS. Thanks for including the link Skeets! Appreciate It!

 

[kubotasam]

I wasn't sure since the 7100 4wd is only active when I push down the engage lever. Otherwise its full time 3wd.

Your statement does not make since. With the tractor in 2 wheel drive, if you are stuck only one rear wheel will spin. (just like a 2 wd pickup) If you push down on the differential lock then both rear wheels will spin providing twice the traction. (kind of like positraction on a truck or car) If the tractor is in 4wd and you are stuck only one rear and one front wheel will spin. (like a 4wd pickup). If you push down on the differential lock then both rear wheels and one front wheel have power.

I run chains on front and back on all 3 of my B7100 tractors. Have done this for years without any problems.

 

[flyidaho]

Rather then start a new thread, I thought I'd revive this one.

I got my 3/4" spacers for my L3301's rear wheels, they fit perfect and it was an easy 1 hour job getting them on, now my brand new cross link chains don't rub the inside of the fenders! On the front, I have an old pair of pickup tire chains I hadn't needed in years that I cut down to fit. Both sets of chains now fit perfect and stay up on top of the rubber so very effective. This is the first time I've chained up, due to a tougher then normal winter here and an ice base underneath. Here's my question: I got a comment from someone (who saw a picture of my tractor's front tires, and he noticed they were chained) and he went out of his way to tell me that if I had also had the rears chained, I was asking for big trouble!

Here is my take.....I'm on gravel, with ice on top, and I can't begin to count all the old beater 4x4 pickups I know of that have had all four chained up for years, without issues. We know there are old wife tales, call them urban mechanical legends, that perpetuate. My favorite is: don't set a battery on a concrete floor, it will suck the power out of it. NOT TRUE! So what I'm asking here is not a repeating of "I heard it's bad to chain up all four", but comments from those that have done it for years with no issues. Sure, I can see it possibly working the differential more, I guess, but to the point that things will break? I think not. OR, if anyone can tell a first hand story of knowing about problems caused by doing so, someone who did it and then blew their gearing out somehow. I'll venture to say no one will be able to offer up a personal first hand account of the practice for sure causing a major, directly linked, issue. This is different of course then a general uneasiness of possibly causing future damage, heck anything we do with our tractors can do that, when we work them hard. One comment I heard on this site some time ago sticks in my mind, the issue was wheel weights, and someone posted he thought they were a bad idea, as they could cause premature wear on the wheel bearings! I had to laugh, these are TRACTORS after all, (though I have seen comments here about people waxing their them, so I get some tend to pamper them) so please, no "I'm not taking the chance" comments. I'm looking for hard mechanical first hand experiences, not general "not a good idea"

Obviously, my mind is made up! Partially/mostly because I just spent $238.00 on these spacers so I could for the first time use the $250.00 chains I bought last year, and I have seen how effective they are in operation. On the other hand, the fronts were paid for decades ago, or maybe I got them free...I can't remember, so no big deal to take them off. I started with the front chained only, and while it helped a lot, I'd say chaining the rears helped even more, again. This now allows me to slowly eat into a deep drift with the blower without spinning tires on the ice underneath, and also NOT using speed when I plow with the front blade but just going slow and steady. What would be interesting, and also make this post a waste of time, would be to keep my expensive rear chain setup as is for the rest of the winter, but simply take the fronts off. The front chains though helped quite a bit when plowing with the blade at an angle, in directional control, but I could live without them.

 

[SDT]

Rather then start a new thread, I thought I'd revive this one.

I got my 3/4" spacers for my L3301's rear wheels, they fit perfect and it was an easy 1 hour job getting them on, now my brand new cross link chains don't rub the inside of the fenders! On the front, I have an old pair of pickup tire chains I hadn't needed in years that I cut down to fit. Both sets of chains now fit perfect and stay up on top of the rubber so very effective. This is the first time I've chained up, due to a tougher then normal winter here and an ice base underneath. Here's my question: I got a comment from someone (who saw a picture of my tractor's front tires, and he noticed they were chained) and he went out of his way to tell me that if I had also had the rears chained, I was asking for big trouble!

Here is my take.....I'm on gravel, with ice on top, and I can't begin to count all the old beater 4x4 pickups I know of that have had all four chained up for years, without issues. We know there are old wife tales, call them urban mechanical legends, that perpetuate. My favorite is: don't set a battery on a concrete floor, it will suck the power out of it. NOT TRUE! So what I'm asking here is not a repeating of "I heard it's bad to chain up all four", but comments from those that have done it for years with no issues. Sure, I can see it possibly working the differential more, I guess, but to the point that things will break? I think not. OR, if anyone can tell a first hand story of knowing about problems caused by doing so, someone who did it and then blew their gearing out somehow. I'll venture to say no one will be able to offer up a personal first hand account of the practice for sure causing a major, directly linked, issue. This is different of course then a general uneasiness of possibly causing future damage, heck anything we do with our tractors can do that, when we work them hard. One comment I heard on this site some time ago sticks in my mind, the issue was wheel weights, and someone posted he thought they were a bad idea, as they could cause premature wear on the wheel bearings! I had to laugh, these are TRACTORS after all, (though I have seen comments here about people waxing their them, so I get some tend to pamper them) so please, no "I'm not taking the chance" comments. I'm looking for hard mechanical first hand experiences, not general "not a good idea"

Obviously, my mind is made up! Partially/mostly because I just spent $238.00 on these spacers so I could for the first time use the $250.00 chains I bought last year, and I have seen how effective they are in operation. On the other hand, the fronts were paid for decades ago, or maybe I got them free...I can't remember, so no big deal to take them off. I started with the front chained only, and while it helped a lot, I'd say chaining the rears helped even more, again. This now allows me to slowly eat into a deep drift with the blower without spinning tires on the ice underneath, and also NOT using speed when I plow with the front blade but just going slow and steady. What would be interesting, and also make this post a waste of time, would be to keep my expensive rear chain setup as is for the rest of the winter, but simply take the fronts off. The front chains though helped quite a bit when plowing with the blade at an angle, in directional control, but I could live without them.

Those who advise against tire chains on F, R or all wheels simply do not know that of which they speak.

Nothing wrong with tire chains on all 4 wheels of farm tractors.

I've done it for decades and thousands of others have as well.

SDT

 

[85Hokie]

Your statement does not make since. With the tractor in 2 wheel drive, if you are stuck only one rear wheel will spin. (just like a 2 wd pickup) If you push down on the differential lock then both rear wheels will spin providing twice the traction. (kind of like positraction on a truck or car) If the tractor is in 4wd and you are stuck only one rear and one front wheel will spin. (like a 4wd pickup). If you push down on the differential lock then both rear wheels and one front wheel have power.

I run chains on front and back on all 3 of my B7100 tractors. Have done this for years without any problems.

I'm hoping he hit the 3 instead of hitting the 2 on the keyboard! The ol' big fingers - little key syndrome