tire chains on lugs?

[BRONCO14 0]

i want to put 6x12 super lugs on my 702 with chains,

i saw some of those v track ones -they look neat, does any one think they might ever twist or something and abuse the tire on the spot between the lugs?

or should i stick to keepin em on the zig zag patterned ones with almost solid tread to take the abuse?

( the zig zag ones i speak of are the ones i always see on older mowers there is a pic posted by bill in the pic gallery named 500 special with the tires i speak of, thanks guys.

[64s 83]

Justin, I've tried lawn tires with chains and lugs with chains. Cheap chains and expensive chains. The best combination I've found is turf tires with two link chains. The chains are flat to the ground and not alot of empty space between chains.

[GlenPettit 1,717]

I don't think you would gain much having both the Lugs and the Chains, in soft mud maybe, but not in snow & ice. Weight would help the most (fill tires with sugar beet juice), lots of extra weight. Your ride would be very rough & noisy with both and I would suspect the chains would excessively wear on the lug treads. In winter and with Chains, increase tire pressure to 20#; 64's is correct in using Turf with 2-link, or Lugs without.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

increase tire pressure to 20#

I keep seeing this in your posts regarding tire chain use, Glen.

May I ask why you insist on over-inflating tires when using chains?

What is the benefit?

[BRONCO14 0]

turfs it it thanks alot guys.

[GlenPettit 1,717]

TT:

A firmer tire has less rubber on the ground, and less give, which equals more psi (smaller 'footprint' or rubber on the ground), which equals more traction (especially important with the weight of a plow or snow blower).

With chains: mount chains at low pressure then inflate to tighten chains. In Winter, air pressure/density is slightly less which makes the tire/rubber slightly softer.

I believe all of the above is correct, but I'm wide open to change and having my eyes opened. New technology & materials keep coming out and blowing some of my old ideas out-of-the-frozen-water.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

I guess my years of truckin' come in to play on this subject, Glen. Lay the chains on the ground, drive over them, pull them up around & fasten them, then install tighteners on the outside to take up the slack. Air pressure in the tire was never a factor - it was always 90 psi.

Even though I raise the wheel off the floor with a little tractor, my version of chain installation is practically the same, other than draping them over top to begin. I hook the inside first, then the outside, and install the tighteners (tarp straps in this case) on the outside side chain. I also spin the tire a few revolutions and shake the chains around to help situate them better - sometimes requiring my "tighteners" to be drawn up more.

I never run more than 8 to 10 psi because it allows the tire to flex and conform to the surface of the ground, allowing more contact area than a rounded tread surface that bounces across the top. I am currently running 40 year old 8.50 GoodYear turf tires with "2 link" chains on my 416H and they do a wonderful job on ice and hard-packed snow. (and those old tires are stiff to begin with) I can't stand having my guts pounded out from bouncing on tire chains on a hard surface, and I actually pity anyone who has to use "4 link" chains just for that reason. I also draw them tight to the outside as an "insurance policy" for the hydro filter. Having a side or cross chain come loose and tear stuff up is not something anyone wants to deal with. I even go so far as putting a cable tie on every clasp - just to make sure they don't open up unless I want them too.

By no means is this inquiry meant to be a point of argument. I was just curious and thought I'd ask. It's really just all in what works best for each of us. :thumbs:

[GlenPettit 1,717]

Terry:

That's the whole reason for a forum and this site, and why it is so great here. We can present ideas and concepts and hear other suggestions and comments. The moderators keep us focused and maintain dignity as well as a great organized site. Keep it up, and thanks.

Glen

[catman81056 3]

Before I put the Ags on the D I ran 4 link/turfs and had no problems at all. I put the Ags on with the same chains and so far have had no probs. I can see the benifit of Turfs /chains vs Ags/chains, but so far I can't tell any difference pushing on snow/ice or just ice.

Just my .02

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i have had the awesome best luck with delfating the tires first, put the chains on and overinflate the turfs. i do this mostly to keep tight as i had and old set of chains last year that would come off all the time. maybe i am paranoid about it but thats the way i do it. no too much air that they crown in the middle but enough to tighten them up and keep them tight. my JD 212 i run washer fluid in the 23x10.5x12 turfs with 2 link chains. they hold about 6.5 gallons a piece. thats about 50-52 lbs additional weights on the tires. i also run the cement jd wheel weights that are about 50 lbs each. the ags i think cheat the chains good contact with the ground and wear them prematurely in the middle. turfs,chains and hard packed snow/ice=good winter traction. ags+soft ground=excellent warm weather traction. just my 2 cents sorry to reference an off topic tractor :thumbs:

[pfrederi 18,660]

As an experiment (driven by the fact I didn't have any more wheel weights or chains) I wanted to see if I could get better traction out the 418.

If you think back in olden days when governments used purpose built snow plows (Walters and FWD Sno-Fighters) for heavy plowing, they were all single wheel units, no duals no tandem axles....Point was to get maximum weight on the tire foot print.

To replicate this I took the 9.50 x12 turf tires off the 418 and put on 6.00 x 12 snow tires off of a 753. I had chains to fit them from a Honda Civic I had many years ago that had 155SR 12 tires.

The 418s traction without weights was impressive hauling a trailer through the snow to dump my coal ash....Steering still was awful as the big turf tires on the front just slide on the underlying ice (will have to get some of the #40 roller chain for the front wheels).

Looking on line chains for the 600 12s are considerably cheaper then the larger sizes need for the turf tires....also being narrower it opens the possibility of find some old car tire chains you could shorten for use...

[clintonnut 126]

I guys,

2 years ago i had carlisle lug tires on my rj-58. One day there was ice beneath the snow and i used the chains. I had 90lbs of wheel weights on the tractor and 45 pounds of barbells. :horseplay: I was plowing 2 feet of snow no problem!! That thing was a beast. Without the chains i would be spinning tires. If you have snow deeper than 4 inches you need chains. I think chains are critical with narrow tires such as the 6-12 and similar sizes. You need them especially with plowing. Snowblowing doesn't need chains. This is out of my experiences.

What I learned with tire pressure is you want to make the edge of the tire hit the ground with a load on it. This is usually around 10 psi. We do this with tractor pulling and it helps a lot.

This pic is the tractor with no weights on it!! It was plowing about 1 foot of snow that day

Good Luck

Charlie

Attached Image (Click thumbnail to expand)

[evanloock 236]

Charlie:

Interesting setup you have there on the RJ-58. It appears as though you have a newer blade by the angle handle and the frame appears to run to the rear axle.

Can you share some more info on your custom setup? Looks neat!

[clintonnut 126]

Hi,

The blade used a regular mount that had a half of pipe welded to the top and bottom.

This setup worked great but I was always worried about snapping the axles due to the force of the plow.

I usually use an original style blade that mounts to the middle of the frame. I have had the most success with this blade but you have to get off of the tractor to pivot it and it only raises about 3 inches off the ground.

The suburban blade that mounts to the front has the advantage of raising up higher but when you're using it, it likes to float on the snow. There isn't enough weight to hold it down. You could add suitcase weights to the front if you needed to.

Heres my plan for a better blade:

Make the new blade frame go over the front axle and utilizing the original blade and mount brackets. Much better design because the blade can lift up higher.

Charlie