Tractor tire chains?

[MistyBlue]

Anyone have a clue where I can find chains for my tractor tires? I just got back from running errands and had stopped by our local car parts store...the owner often orders me tractor parts/stuff so I don't have to buy them from the very expensive and not close-by dealership. I asked him about tire chains...he can't get them. Did say to try contacting the DOT and asking them sicne they often have older ones they throw out and will give them away. Anyone try that?
Or if not the DOT...where else should I try looking? I do not want to order any online...I'm assuming the weight of those alone would make shipping ridiculously expensive. I remember back when I had chains for my car tires when I was a teen or so those chains had to weigh about 50# for each tire give or take. I can only imagine chains for the huge tractor tires would be at least double that if not a whole lot more since my car tires were 14" and my tractor tires are almost as tall as I am. :winkgrin:
Oddly enough Tractor Supply does not carry stuff like that...I checked tractor accessories and I can get radios or decals for my tractor but not much in the way of something useful as opposed to decorative. Now I'm trying to figure out why they're called Tractor Supply. :lol:
Considering all the snow we keep getting and the temps staying on the low side I have a build up of thick ice or packed slick snow on upper and lower driveways and the tractor is starting to slide when I clear new snow. I'd like to pick up some chains before the end of winter if possible.
Any and all suggestions are welcome...for where to get chains or any other methods of improving traction.

[LCR]

I had the same problem and googled "Tractor tire chains"

There is a company in Ohio that specializes in tire chains for tractors. I was able
to purchase just what I needed, One Chain-- and didn't have to get a pair.

The power of the internet continues to amaze me!

[goodhors]

Sorry, we got ours from a friend when he sold his old tractor. I say "Bless Al" every time I get the tractor out during nasty weather! Chains make a big difference in how Bessie the tractor goes over bad ground, snow or ice.

Maybe the tractor dealer sells chains? Or an advertisement on your local Craigslist or put up a flyer asking for some chains to buy, at the elevator. Good luck in your hunt.

[MistyBlue]

A nice surprise...apparently Tractor Supply does sell them. I tried calling them just to double check even though they weren't on their website. Talked to their tractor guy, he said they carry chains for tractors, went and checked the sizes and said they didn't have my size but would call around and find us some. :D Very helpful...except he had no idea what price range they'll be in. Here's hoping I don't get a call back tomorrow and hear they found us some for $5000. :eek: :lol: :eek:
It'll be nice to not slide down the driveway...last couple snowfalls I move snow *really* fast going downhill, LOL! Wouldn't bother me too much but that part of the driveway has a 40 foot drop off on the other side...not willing to slide right of that! And my husband is tractor-challenged enough and loves to remove snow on weekends when he's home so I'll feel better if he isn't sliding as much.

[Bluey]

Even with chains, be careful not to overwork your tractor with the snow plowing.
Our neighbor was using his tractor for that and broke the big axle, twice.
We had a bulldozer for the heavy snow plowing, just took very long to get anywhere with it.
We even plowed for the county when their graders kept getting stuck in the snow drifts:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/Robintoo/Scan047February042007.jpg?t=1233103873

[atr]

Be warned, they do weigh a ton and are an absolute bugger to get on the first time you do it--the springs are very strong. It's a 2-person job with much cursing. Once you've been through a winter with them they do slacken off a bit and get much easier to deal with.

[MistyBlue]

Now that's one cool machine Bluey...if I had a reason to have one of those I'd be at the dealers right now. :winkgrin:
We might get snow often this year...but it's been "weeny" snow. No more than 5-6 inches at a time and dry fluffy stuff. The tractor is a 33hp diesel and no actual blade/plow on it...so it doesn't get used hard since we're moving small amounts short distances considering we can't just shove the snow along a long distance. I actually remove snow by pulling it...I york rake the snow with the rake at an angle to sorta-plow it and when it builds up I raise the rake, turn around and scoop it with the bucket and dump it off the driveway. Or I tilt the bucket and shove it at an angle...depends on which section of the driveway. If we got wicked amounts of snow my neighbor across the street has an enormous Case dozer.
atr..I'm already figuring it'll be my husband and I wrestling those things on...with tons of screeching at each other, LOL! I made him go buy a tow chain 2 years ago as a "penance" for getting my tractor stuck so many times that the constant hauling him out of the manure pile broke my tow rope. I shoulda known better than to send hubby...who's motto is Bigger Is Better. He came home with a 75 FOOT tow chain that weighs about 150 lbs! :eek: :eek: :eek: Since then when he gets stuck I make HIM get off the tractor, wade through the shite and go get that freaking monstrosity himself. I'll haul him out with the truck, but I hate moving that chain. I look like a chihuahua trying to be a sled dog...I have to grab one end and lean all my own weight into it and drag it slo-mo, LOL! So I can only imagine what getting the tire chains on will be like.

[Bluey]

We also used the dozer to make roads in the canyons and build and rebuild retaining dams, terracing the fields, etc. so it was used plenty.
Those little old landscaping dozers, that one is a 1965, sell at a very reasonable cost, less than tractors, really.
Especially now, with construction slowing down so much.

The trouble with tractors and snow is when someone puts a blade in front and goes to pushing.
They are not made for that.
Using a bucket and picking up the snow and dumping it to the side, or handling a blade on the back, that is what they are designed for.

If your tractor is four wheel drive, that helps also, although when is slick, nothing really helps but tracks or chains.
Chains are really not that hard to put on a tractor, because you can get to the tire so much easier than to a car's tire under a fender way down there.;)
Sure helps if you can keep the tractor out of the weather when it is going to be bad, in a barn or implement shed, where you are not out in the snow and ice trying to put the chains on.:yes:
Our little dozer fit in the garage.

[MistyBlue]

I figured out recently that my tractor fits under my deck. :) I was very happy it fit...the deck on the back of my house is a second story deck and the tractor just fits through the supports. Even the rollover bar fit under the deck without folding it down!
It is a 4wd...but you're right about 4wd not doing squat on ice. I have found that I have better traction going backwards than frontwards...the bigger tires in the back have better grab.

[Bluey]

You can also unscrew the muffler exhaust pipe and take it off, if it sticks up there too far.
Just remember to put an empty, clean can over the stub, so critters don't get in there.
We use a tomato can.;)

[aobfarm]

For chains, go here:

http://tirechain.com/TractorChainmenu.htm

We've been happy with them and are repeat customers. The other thing that helps tremendously is to have the rear tires loaded. I would recommend going with Rim Guard (basically beet juice) as it does not corrode the rims like the old Calcium Chloride. Call around to you local tire shops to find one that does this.

Hope this helps,
Mike

[MistyBlue]

Ooo, thanks for that link Mike! It's a big help picking out which type of chains. :)

[tazz001]

Bluey looks like he took a pic of our serious snow moving machine...hubbys dozer work great for heavy snow removal and breaking up of the ice sheets we seems to get. The tractor does a great job at lighter snow but since we don't have chains for it...well it sometimes doesn't make it back up the driveway. We can't justify getting chains for it when we have the dozer to yank it out or use when needed.

If you don't buy new chains this winter think about maybe hitting some farm auctions in the spring or putting a wanted ad on craigslist.

[Romany]

We bought ours through our local tractor dealer, and they're Amish-made; very robust, hearty long spikes for snow and ice. Ours is a 4WD tractor, so it has chains all round.

They're a total pita to put on, though, so the dealer sends out a couple of men just before the first snowfall - costs a bit, but worth every penny imho.

Last winter one came off one of the front wheels, and it was quite a struggle to get it back on.

[goodhors]

We have a 12ft wide aisle in the barn. Aisle is clean, dry, out of the weather for working in.

Husband lays the chain out on the floor, gets it even, flat, then drives the tractor onto the chain. Not too far on, so you can lift the front of chain up and over the tire, to reach back of wheel. Then we have the chain closure area on the back of wheel to be able to reach easily.

Takes some wiggling, twisting the cross chains to lay flat and even, so the sides of chain reach and will let the ends meet to fasten. Good cursing helps! Ours is an old tractor and chains, trained with curses, so it understands, cooperates better!!

We have nylon tow straps, not chains. They are LIGHT to carry, actually stronger rated, come in all kinds of lengths. Do you REALLY NEED a 75ft length? I think the semi strap is about 25ft, has loop ends. They are yellow, have a RED thread that shows when worn and needs replacing. We also replace them when they get a cut edge. They can unravel from that cut, VERY FAST under pulling pressure!! You can power wash them if they get dirty or put in the washing machine.

Do you have a weight rating on the chain? Are the hooks or ends welded on from the maker? If not complete from the maker, mixing ends and chain can greatly reduce the strength of chain. Those clip on hooks are not as strong as the welded chain ends. I don't really like chains, seldom tagged so you know the strength they are good for. Easy to over load them, and they WILL break.

Back to TSC, check out the towing straps. I like ours, pick it up in one hand, still strong enough to pull the semi tractor with. There are folks who will make custom lengths of rated straps, if you do really need that long length.

You are going to LOVE your new chains and how the tractor handles. Have you ever tried dragging the bucket with edge down, as a type of plow for the snow? We remove dirt that way, smooth out paddocks with the bobcat, could work with the snow. We do layers, don't try to take the whole depth we want at one time. Pull snow back, then scoop it up to throw where you want it dumped. Just an idea.

[MistyBlue]

LOL...nah, we definitely didn;t need the 75 foot tow chain that looks like Godzilla's leash. :winkgrin: :lol: My husband overdoes a lot of stuff...he's the type that if someone tells him "30 feet of 20 lb chain is what you need" then he automatically goes for 75 feet and 150 lbs of chain because that has to be much better. :D He does that with everything...when I met him and he was a bachelor trying to cook for himself he burnt everything because if the recipe called for the oven being set at 350 and cook for one hour then he assumed it was fine to set the oven on broil for 30 minutes! :eek: He wanted to buy an F450 when we went truck shopping years ago when we needed only something with a long bed to pick up hay and to maybe eventually haul a 2 horse trailer.
We had the nylon tow straps...they snapped. I was so ticked off that he got the tractor stuck 3x in one week that I told him to buy a tow chain when he went downtown...my own stupidity for sending him out solo. It's solid link chain that came with the hooks on it...we don't need anywhere near the size chain we have but now we've got it so we use it. With a lot of extra leftover...the thing's a royal PITA to use too.
I do use the bucket on edge for snow removal too...it's also how I dug out the sand rolling pit we made for the horses. I just have to watch with it that way that I don't scrape too many rocks or make a big hole in the driveway...it's not the most level driveway. But then again...I just dump the snow with whatever rocks I removed into a big pile and in spring when the pile melts I just rake the rocks back where they belong again.
We ended up having today's snow turn to heavy rains today...so now we have a nasty mess of soaking wet slushy snow out there. It'll be worse when it freezes again. Blech!