Tire chains rolling off centre

[iank]

I'm having a terrible time trying to get my Trygg chains to stay straight on my Kubota 3560. These chains came from a different tractor, and I cut out some links to make them fit on the new wheels. See pics. The two rows of studded links should run straight round the tire, but after use, maybe especially hard loads like hitting a rock while plowing, I come home and find one side has slipped down, and the opposite side has climbed up. 180 deg around the tire, the same thing happens, but in the opposite direction.

Suggestions?
Get them tighter somehow?
More powerful springs or ratchet straps across the wheel?
Is the geometry wrong some how? ie certain parts of the chain system are too long or too short?
Is this Ag tire just too big and narrow?
I wonder about creating a link to a lug nuts somehow

 

[Henro]

Just as a start, no expert on chains here, but with my R4 tires, and two link ladder chains I never ran in to what you are experiencing. BUT I had good chain tensioners. What you are using looks like a screen door spring...my guess is you need real tensioners.

My tensioners came from tirechains.com at the time. I don't know if they are still around or if they are, if the name is the same. Check out what actual tensioners look like.

Mine were a metal ring in the center, with something like six pretty heavy springs radiating out to the chains. I needed to use a pipe for leverage, through the center ring in order to get the last springs attached. Quite strong.

Have not used the chains for several years ...now I have rear wheel spacers so no reason not to put the chains back on.

Looks like they are still around:

LARGE TRACTOR Loader SPRING Tire Chains Tensioner Adjuster

Free Same Day Shipping. LARGE TRACTOR Loader SPRING Tire Chains Tensioner Adjuster

tirechain.com

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

They are the wrong style and fit of chains for R1 tires.
And the tensioner is so not up to the task.

 

[MINICUP28]

I use two rubber tie down straps per wheel. They are folded over and hooked to the same link and are 90 deg. to each other.

 

[iank]

Just as a start, no expert on chains here, but with my R4 tires, and two link ladder chains I never ran in to what you are experiencing. BUT I had good chain tensioners. What you are using looks like a screen door spring...my guess is you need real tensioners.

My tensioners came from tirechains.com at the time. I don't know if they are still around or if they are, if the name is the same. Check out what actual tensioners look like.

Mine were a metal ring in the center, with something like six pretty heavy springs radiating out to the chains. I needed to use a pipe for leverage, through the center ring in order to get the last springs attached. Quite strong.

Have not used the chains for several years ...now I have rear wheel spacers so no reason not to put the chains back on.

Looks like they are still around:

LARGE TRACTOR Loader SPRING Tire Chains Tensioner Adjuster

Free Same Day Shipping. LARGE TRACTOR Loader SPRING Tire Chains Tensioner Adjuster

tirechain.com

Thanks Henro! I've seen those tension springs used by some dude in a YT video and was wondering... Plowing snow, we end up driving through some icy snow banks that scrape over whatever's on the side of the wheel so the tensioner has to be tough - which I think those ones are.

 

[Henro]

Just a follow up, as I meant to ask in the first reply but forgot.

Is this a performance issue, or just something you would prefer not to happen but not an issue if it does?

I ask because my neighbor used to run his chains on AG tires without tensioners at all, and loose enough that the links hit the ground in front of the tires, rather than at the same time as the rubber. That memory sparked my question about your issue.

This was for his own purposes though, and not plowing snow for others.

 

[Shawn T. W]

They look a tad wide for the tread ...

If you want TIGHT, then you need "cams" on the side rails ... These are very expensive by themselves ... https://www.tirechainsrus.com/product/side-chain-tensioning-cams/

I have them on my pickup chains (also on all my semi-truck chains) ... No real need for the tension spider, other than to hold the one end from flopping around ... You can see part of the "L" wrench at the very bottom of the picture used to tighten the cams ...

Theses have the tightening lock on each side, so the inside also gets tightened ...

The cam

Tightened ...

I prefer the "T" style wrench, over the "L" ...

 

[skeets]

Just MHO, it would seem the cross links are not long enough to fit all the way across the tire profile. Measure the with of the tire tread across the tire, that will give you the cross link length, and just looking at the pics I would say they are too short by half, so like maybe 4 or more cross links. Im betting they came off a really narrow AG tire.

 

[Shawn T. W]

To me they look too long or wide ... This is my brother's ...

This is a stock picture on R1's...

I think if the OP centered them up, then tightened then down, that there is enough side rail to hold them on if evenly tightened both the inside and outside ...

 

[skeets]

OK you guys got pictures of what I was trying to say,,, GOOD JOB boys

 

[iank]

They are the wrong style and fit of chains for R1 tires.
And the tensioner is so not up to the task.

Thanks for the comment. I will try improving the tensioner. But if that doesn't work, what are the right chains for an R1 tire? I am plowing snow on about a mile of gravel road with some steep hills.
It is cheaper to buy a different tire and keep these chains, or to buy new chains?

 

[iank]

To me they look too long or wide ... This is my brother's ...

View attachment 167366

View attachment 167367

This is a stock picture on R1's...

View attachment 167368

I think if the OP centered them up, then tightened then down, that there is enough side rail to hold them on if evenly tightened both the inside and outside ...

Thanks for the pictures! Especially the R1 tire. I will count links and see if I'm in the same proportions. Maybe the two rows of studded links need to be closer together.

 

[iank]

Just a follow up, as I meant to ask in the first reply but forgot.

Is this a performance issue, or just something you would prefer not to happen but not an issue if it does?

I ask because my neighbor used to run his chains on AG tires without tensioners at all, and loose enough that the links hit the ground in front of the tires, rather than at the same time as the rubber. That memory sparked my question about your issue.

This was for his own purposes though, and not plowing snow for others.

I suppose they may work ok being off centre like that. But I'm afraid they're unstable and could get worse and worse. I have steep hills and it's not unusual to spin a wheel even with those aggressive chains.

 

[airbiscuit]

I don't think too wide is the problem. More likely too loose. Inner and outer should both have about the same number of left over links, but the inner should definitely be tight. After a bit of use, tighten the outer again. A decent tensioner or heavy bungie cords will help, but starting with them tight will help the most

 

[Lil Foot]

Not a generally accepted method for using tire chains, but when we used chains on 4wd hill climb competitions, we let most of the air out of the tires, then got the chains perfectly centered and as tight as possible, then re-inflated the tires.

They never moved, even with high HP abuse.

YMMV.

 

[airbiscuit]

Sounds like a here, hold my beer event.

 

[Lil Foot]

Sounds like a here, hold my beer event.

Especially at night, lots of sparks.

 

[jimh406]

You can try making tighter on the inside, and then pull the outside really tight. Commercial tensioners are good, but bungies work too.