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AAARRGHH - Chains for plowing - a better way?


jdschool

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First the good news: my late 90's Sovereign, with wheel weights and chains is AWESOME in the snow. Compared to my 310, 410, 710 and 716, this tractor is unbelievable. Now the problem: the chains... Putting them on takes forever and now they've twisted themselves up on the wheels. Is there an easy way to put chains on and are there any "tricks of the trade" that you old timers can share with a relative novice. As always, thanks in advance for the help.
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I usually jack up my tractor, deflate my tires, put on my chains as snug as I can get them, making sure they are centered on the tire then pump up the tires which will make them even tighter. Haven't had them twist up on me yet.
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Dieter, Tight! as tight as you can get them. When I had extra wheels and tires I used to just change then each fall and spring. I went so far as to let the air out, put on the chains as tight as I could, then air up the tires. This worked great and they didn't twist or move.
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One trick that I know of is to lower the tire pressure in the tires, put the chains on as tight as possible then reinflate the tires that'll help feep the chains in the right places.:D
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Also, run a bungee cord back and forth across the outside of the chains to take up the slack when in operation... [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2//attach/Kent/Dcp00805.jpg[/img]
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And I thought I was the only one that used bungees....just be sure to use the good black rubber ones not the newfangled, multicolored cloth and elastic junk...
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I bought these rubber straps with 5 hooks on ebay a couple months ago, and they work great. I plowed with the 616 3 time between yesterday and today and they held up real well. John

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I ditto letting the air out of the tires, putting on the chains, then blowing tires back up. Thats the way I do all mine and never any trouble. The bungee cord trick doesn't work here, they lose thier grip much below zero and the rubber chain binders are about the same, in fact, back when my tractors sat outside, one fell off during a cold spell, had about 5 pieces. MPH
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I have subscribed to putting the chains on and pulling them tight with bungee straps for years. You can run them on the insides of the rimms too if you leave enough room for them to clear the axle as the wheel turns..
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Man am I embarrased. I've struggled for years putting on tire chains. Some years it was just to much effort to even put the chains on. Thanks for the deflation tip. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the greatest.
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I was lucky enough to get a spair set of tires. So I put a set of chains on them and just switch tires. Works REAL nice. Good luck
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I used a set of chains on a set of tires that were too wide for the chains. I used wire on the inside, wrapped around the axle, then back to the other side. Used bungees on the outside. It worked. On a Simplicity, you really can't use the inside wire on the right wheel since the hub turns ar a different speed than the diff when making a sharp turn. You can, however feed a wire through the slots in the wheel and wrap it around the hub on the outside of the wheel and then feed it back to the inside on the opposite side of the wheel. As you can see, I'll try anything to make things work.
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I do it like most folks, jack up the rear, deflate the tire, Put chains on TIGHT. re-inflate then add bungee cords. I also use a small stool to sit on. this way I'm comfortable while I fiddle with the chains and the clips. Speaking of clips, I don't like the clips on most chains. I cut those off and use the chain link that is threaded with a nut on one side. Simple and secure. Steve
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I never deflate the tires and never have lost a chain.I was told once,or read it somewhere that if your chains are mounted a little loose they won't wear out as fast.The tire more or less drives on top of the chain,where as to spinning it.Don't quote me on this,it's just what Iv'e heard.I have used the bungee straps before.
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Dieter, It should be mentioned to use the proper size chains. Too small or too large and you'll have problems. Notice the way Kent's chains fit.
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WOW!!! Those are some great tips. I'm glad I got that conversation started. I'll be mounting my chains to an extra set of wheels that I have and adding bungees. Thanks for all of the great suggestions.
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