How do you get a 2wd to go in the snow?

[Searay45db]

My little G1800 has the front blower. It only has 2wd. It has turf tires and because I use it on blacktop, I use rubber tire chains. I have Kubota wheel weights on the rear tires. Front tires are New turf tires. When I am going on flat driveways, runs great, but due to global warming, I seem to be more doing more and more free drive ways. I even found a Sims cab which I am painting to match the tractor. Proper etiquette is a must.

What else can I do besides buy a new tractor? Would it help to put more weight in the back?

What about mud tires in the front?

 

[85Hokie]

My little G1800 has the front blower. It only has 2wd. It has turf tires and because I use it on blacktop, I use rubber tire chains. I have Kubota wheel weights on the rear tires. Front tires are New turf tires. When I am going on flat driveways, runs great, but due to global warming, I seem to be more doing more and more free drive ways. I even found a Sims cab which I am painting to match the tractor. Proper etiquette is a must.

What else can I do besides buy a new tractor? Would it help to put more weight in the back?

What about mud tires in the front?

Read this 3 times......what is the specific problem? If sliding around, non rubber chains will be needed, you have tires loaded now?

 

[mike paulson]

I've had 2wd tractors my whole life up to about 4 years ago. Put as much weight on the rear as the tractor allows and load the rear tires. Putting more aggressive tires on the front wont give you anything, on a 2wd tractor the front wheels are just rudders.
Learn the tractor and what it's limitations are in the snow and avoid those limits.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

With only 2WD, you are limited on slippery surfaces.

As Hokie said, you will have to go steel but, isn't there a steel wire variant on the chain selection tree? I remember seeing some chains out here in AZ (yes, we need them in the winter getting up the hill to Flagstaff) that were made out of steel wire with panels or "rough sections" threaded into the wire. Might be enough to get traction without tearing up a drive or loosening teeth. As I remember, they were cheaper than full-up chains too.

Not sure if they are available in your size.

 

[olthumpa]

Cable Chains

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/search/Tire+Chains+-+Cable+Chains/N0662/C0076.oap

 

[Bluegill]

Best you can do is add counter weight to the 3 pt. At least as much weight as
the front blower, but as much as it will handle is better.

Then add chains to the rear tires...

 

[Tooljunkie]

I cleared snow with a cockshutt 40 loader for years. No ballast. Bigass chains.
Just dont bury it.

 

[Dwarner]

I have been using tire chains and rear weights for many years on blacktop without any damage other then minor scratches. Chains are still always used on my 4wd B7100 rear wheels in the winter.

 

[Chucknbob]

I used to plow with a 2wd bolens that's a similar size/weight to yours. Chains and as much weight as you can possibly get. If that's not enough, eat cake and put on another 20 lbs.

I also found if you only have a few inches you can back up the hill in the snow then clean back down.

 

[Searay45db]

I am using rubber tire chains. I used steel chains, and they scratched up the drive way and did nothing to help me going up and down the hill because it is blacktop.

This tractor is a G1800, Kubota's Lawn and Garden Diesel with a big blower on the front. I am fine on flat surface, but becSue of where I live, there are hardly any flat surface. I have wheel weights on the rear wheels. I don't think I can add more weight because of the axels. The idea behind the tires in the fron are who trying to go up a driveway, raise the blower, so there not as much resistance so I can get up it. The regular tires don't have enough tread so they act as a negative in this situation.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Best way to make a 2wd get better traction is replace it with a 4wd! .
Sorry couldn't resist.

Rubber tire chains will do swat for you, get a set of cable chains!

 

[chim]

Our main driveway is about 100 yards long with short but fairly steep hill near the house end. The secondary drive is a bit shorter and level. The first couple years we lived here I had a Cub 154 LoBoy. It didn't have 4WD or a 3 point hitch that would have made it easier to add weight. It had the old diamond pattern tread on the rear and could barely move itself - let alone push any snow - without chains. With chains it worked like a 4WD machine and pushed snow very well with a front mounted blade. I never tried it on blacktop because the main driveway was gravel for another 3 or 4 years after getting the first 4WD tractor.

 

[daniel.ray77]

Idaho Wolfman, that was funny. I was about to say that. Load a 2wd tractor up all ya want and a 4wd tractor still just makes more sense, assuming one can afford it. I dealt with a broken front diff in our L225DT all my childhood and now that its fixed there's no comparison.

 

[Bluegill]

I ran 2wd tractors for many years... Ballasted right the 2wd rigs did a hell of a lot of work.

 

[cerlawson]

Always have used steel tire chains on blacktop and concrete with no trouble. Only slight marks if tire spins. Got them recently from a place in PA, something like www.tirechainsrequired.com/ . I'd go for the two link for more chain on the ground.

 

[Searay45db]

Ok, so I am not dropping 15k to get AWD. I have both rubber and chain. For blacktop that gets coated every year, I have found rubber to work the best as I always get a clean pass.

So, Can I add more weight to the rear? Chain has nothing to grip to on a sealed driveway.

 

[coachgeo]

View attachment 13126


View attachment 13128

Ok, so I am not dropping 15k to get AWD. I have both rubber and chain. For blacktop that gets coated every year, I have found rubber to work the best as I always get a clean pass.

So, Can I add more weight to the rear? Chain has nothing to grip to on a sealed driveway.

Don't mean to be a party pooper but simply you got the wrong rig for the job. IMHO there is not much you can do to solve your issue besides a different rig.

Maybe fabricate some dually wheels?

 

[Searay45db]

Well, I guess if this would not work, why would Kubota have sold this for so long?

So if we go back to basic, More weight over the rear wheels is going to help, correct?

 

[Searay45db]

Always have used steel tire chains on blacktop and concrete with no trouble. Only slight marks if tire spins. Got them recently from a place in PA, something like www.tirechainsrequired.com/ . I'd go for the two link for more chain on the ground.

That is my biggest problem. With the Diesel, I have so much torque, I spin the wheels like there is not tomorrow. Even when I am paying attention.

I have chains, maybe all are not created equal?

 

[Searay45db]

Best way to make a 2wd get better traction is replace it with a 4wd! .
Sorry couldn't resist.

Rubber tire chains will do swat for you, get a set of cable chains!

Cable Chains? Ok, which one? I have chains, remember, I am doing this on Blacktop drive way's with hills. You tell me what will work and I will buy. You ready to 2/2?