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Wide as opposed to skinny steers


simplewrench

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I have often thought that the skinnier steer tires would help to turn better in the snow than the wider ones. I use my 7016 for snow work and it has wide front tires. I recently bought a T10 off of ebay and it has the narrow front tires on it. Has anyone had a direct comparison on the same tractor or similar tractors to see which ones turn better in the snow? Thanks for any thoughts you have. Tom
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i think the wider tires actually turn better in the snow and grip better..i have the firesdtone tri ribs and it makes my 2012 feel like it has power steering but when i got to turn it just slides and i have to slow way down...i have some vdrestein v61's and they steer awesome in the snow, so do carlisle multi tracs...i can steer a lot faster with these then the narrow tires....
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I 'feel' my narrow tire machines bite much better in snow and even in the garden than the fatties. The fatties are nice and comfy for lawn mowing, but I have a set of skinny's I'm mounting up for snow duty on the 3212H.
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Most anywhere traction is not optimum, narrow tires should steer better. Smaller or narrower tires have a smaller "contact patch", ie less rubber contacting the ground. The weight of the tractor does not change, so with a smaller contact patch, you have more pounds per square inch on the ground. This also explains how ags give more traction than turfs, chains more than ags, and ice cleat more than standard chain. Why 2 link chains work better than 4. At most on two link chains, only 2 chains touch the ground at once, on 4 link, a patch of rubber between the chains will touch the ground
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I always thought the narrow tires were better for snow, till we got the big storms two years ago. I had a set of the wide turfs on my plow tractor and was planning to change to the narrow tri-ribs that were on another tractor. I was lazy and decided to try it with the wide tires on the front. They worked great. The tractor steered good, no side slip, and yet the tires stayed on the snow instead of cutting down through it to the ground. This was pushing 8 inches of wet snow with a 48 inch spring-trip blade. By the way, if your plow is working right, the tires are always running in a freshly cleaned area, so it probably doesn't matter which tires you have on the front. The wide tires also helped with pushing snow over previous mounds since they would ride up the side of the snow mound instead of plowing straight into it. I know that the narrow tires are much better when just driving in snow(not plowing), on wet grass, or in the mud. Wide tires will ride up on top of the snow, then break through and you will be stick with both front wheels sitting down in holes. Been there, done that. A narrow tire splits the snow and essentially stays on the ground, so it makes its own path and also leaves a way back out when you can go no farther. Everyone has an opinion of what works, and every situation is different also. As I have said before, there is no single solution for all situations. If you are going to only have one set, then I would suggest the skinny tri-ribs.
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I had wider tires on my Big 10 and it was not the best for steering and I even put those roller bearings "thanks Zippo" on the king pins when I rebuilt them. I went back to the factory size tires a few weeks back and it is so much easier now. That's what I found anyway.
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quote:
Originally posted by cojo92
2 linked is better than 4 link chain??? ?B) i was always told 4 was better. sm02
Oh my goodness...I went to 2-link ,and will never go back to 4. Not only do they bite better, but they add weight and last much longer IMO. I've had the same set of 2-link now since the winter of '07-08, and not a single cross member has broken or needed repair. From the looks of it, this winter will be no different, and I'm pushing snow almost daily most weeks. My 4-link were always snapping. Could be quality, but it seems you're stressing and scratching against more than one link at a time spreading out and lessening the wear, vs the 4-link and the aforementioned slipping on rubber between links, causing excess wear to chain and plowed surface. I think the 2-link are easier to install as well...the 'thicker web' of chain makes it very simple to pull them over the tire and hook up. I use one bungee on the outside and then remove them in the spring...no slipping off, ever. ;)
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I love my v61's have not ever ever heard one bad thing about them. I am ording 2 more sets this week. I have power steering so easy turning is not on my list. V61's I have are 16x6.5x8 about $45 each and kick the crap out of tri ribs per the guys on JD forum. I never did a side to side comparo but it's the only front tire I will ever buy...........kills me to toss perfectly good turfs but they are no comparison. Turf fill will mud, snow and worst of all dog poop. V61's self clean and seem to repel getting stuck to. Also I had about 300lbs of gravel in the bucket and v61's took it like a champ. I also loe the squared look they have... never ever left a mark on my grass where tri ribs will indent. yes broke my axle but pic is just for ref ok off my soap box........just love these tires.


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forgot to mention for those who battle ice extremes these tires take nice to roller chain between the ribs........... they just keep on giving.
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That's a neat idea, Bob, curious as to how that's going to work. My 2110 gets a 36" blower, my 712H gets the blade. Both have wide turf type tires on them, never any problems with steering.
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I have heard the snow blower tires don't steer well. they are made to grip not turn. same as having ag's on front. Think about it walk behinds don't steer they just turn tire...... I am sure the blower tires are better than turfs. Would I put them on one of my machines? Not even if they were free ;)
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quote:
Originally posted by hotrodtractor
I have heard the snow blower tires don't steer well. they are made to grip not turn. same as having ag's on front. Think about it walk behinds don't steer they just turn tire...... I am sure the blower tires are better than turfs. Would I put them on one of my machines? Not even if they were free ;)
Ags are great on the front, if you put them on correctly (backwards). Those pictured above are also very good as steers in the snow. With those large knobs, they have a very small contact patch and give good turning ability. Somewhere here there are a couple members who run "Snow Hawgs" for steers in the winter. They are the same as above or very similar.
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I have chains for the front tires also works great for me.When i push and turn at the same time it seems to slide out away with out them.I have to push up and down a incline.when im going down the hill quikly the tire would sometimes grab the wheel and spin it.That was causing slack or slop in steering.
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