Tractor chain-up day (pics)

It was nice weather yesterday, and it looks like the snow is here for the duration, so I chained up the tractor. These are ice chains that I had the dealer fit when I first bought the tractor, and at 1400 hrs, these are the first tires and chains for this tractor. We plow snow, feed the cattle, and skid the firewood with this tractor - probably 70% of the hours are with these chains on.

Here's what we look like this morning: x-bred beef cows, and the right-hand shoulder of our hill (aka Mt Flamstead, slightly tweaked for my login). It is too steep for even a skidder to get up over, but we can get quite a ways up before the ledges start.


I grew up with the simple ladder-style chains that we draped over the tire and then tightened enough to keep them from falling off. A neighbor/logger had helped adapted a small set of skidder chains to another tractor we had, and he stressed that they go on tight. The added traction of those chains convinced me that the $1200 or so for these chains was well worth the price. I've always wondered how heavy they are, so yesterday I weighed them - 110lb per side. Light enough that I can muscle them into place over the tire, but a lot heavier than my old ladder-style chains.


So up on they go, and then I try to make sure they are centered...

I'm looking to get that box pattern, above, centered on the tire with the box as square as possible. At this point, I am first tightening around the circumference of the tire, with no regard to the sides. It is pretty handy to have one of these tools, from the same neighbor, to help tighten the chains. I've also used a come-a-long with equal success. This is just a threaded rod with the hook in the center moving toward the hook on the right end as I turn to tighten.


So the chains are draped over the tire and then the tractor is driven forward to get the two ends where I can work on them. (Note the amount of space between wheel and fender - this was a factor we considered when buying the tractor - it is surprising how little space is provided on some big-name tractors.)



Now I tighten enough to hold it in place with shackles. There will still be some slop on the front side of the tire. More time is spent checking for kinked links and making sure the box pattern is not a trapezoid.



Despite the nice tool, I still get slop on the front. So I shackle them in place and then drive back and forth. Then the tightener goes back on, and I carefully ease it back and forth (without tearing off the fender or backing over the tool) to work the slack out. As the tires wear over time the chain "lengthens", and as the chain wears it really does lengthen. I have an extra link on the two center chains now - I could cut it off, but instead I just move the shackle back a link.


The photo above shows the extra link hanging below the shackle. (My box pattern isn't looking too square here, but the end result was good. Note the superficial cuts on the tires - we have a lot of rock, and the chains help a lot with tire wear.
Now it is time to tighten the sides. These chains have a nice feature shown below. There are several open links that allow you to tighten the side chains over time. These came with a rubber plug tightly fitted in the center of the opening, but obviously not tight enough, as only a few have survived. Fortunately they are not necessary. I could cut this dangling piece off, but haven't bothered. When I am done and driving around, this is the only piece that will make any clinking noise.


With the sides tight I drive around the yard some and then come back for a final side tightening. Here's how the fit looks at the end of the process. Hmmm. Trouble uploading. Going to post a follow-on pic.

 

Looks great. I only have an acre of land, and it hardly warrants a tractor. Yet I still want one. Something like a small John Deere, a Kobata or a New Holland. Not a fan of the Kioti which is sold at the local place. Most likely I'll end up settling for a 4 wheeler. Though a small tractor would offer so much more.


Jason from RI

 

If the tires aren't loaded, try jacking her up, letting the air out and install the chains as tight as possible, then re-inflate to the recommended tire pressure. That's how I get mine nice and tight.

 

And here's the final fit.

The tires are loaded with calcium chloride. I'd like to add some cast iron weights to the rear wheels, but for now I try to have a heavy implement on the back when lifting heavy stuff with the loader. There is a Farmi winch on the back when skidding firewood, but it is an older version that is relatively light.

 

Good post! Nice property! What kind of tractor is it? I have one of those big name tractors(same color) that apparently doesn't have enough room for chains!

 

Nice rig!
I rarely need chains here, but plan to get a set for one of my Kubotas at some point.

 

That is 'another' good reason to run AG tires!
With R4s' or turfs you can add wheel spacers to make room for chains...

 

It is a 50hp Kubota, the smallest of their M series at the time. The M series gets us the heavier front-end for moving round bales, but we didn't need anything bigger with regard to HP at the time. I've seen some very nice tractors that have very tight fender clearances. I was picturing getting what we call Canadian chains (oval ring with studs off the oval), so I wanted a lot of clearance. These chains are great in up to 20" of snow, but would benefit from a deeper cleat in deeper snow. Usually I have my firewood down before it gets too deep.

 

You can do an amazing amount of work with those small tractors with a loader on it. We went through several much older tractors before being able to afford this one. One of the biggest selling points was safety because my daughters were doing a lot of the driving and the older tractors lacked the rollbar (and occasionally brakes).