Snowblowing w/ turf tires - chains needed?

[DustyRusty]

That is why I went with the 54" width blower. Also the commercial blower is a lot heavier duty compared to the 48" "residential" version. Mine has a hefty gear driven box on the rear of the blower where the chain drive would be on the 48".

I have used the chain drive blower for the last 17 years, and haven't had any problems with the chain, with one exception. During one winter, someone tossed a rock into the snow on the driveway, and when the blower hit that rock, it stopped suddenly. It bent the auger in front on one side, and bent up the blower auger at the back. It also snapped the chain. I replaced the damaged parts for under $300, and was back blowing snow in a couple of weeks. Getting parts back then was a lot slower than today. If I had the commercial blower, it most likely would have taken out the gear box, which is over $1000 to replace. Over the 17 years, I did replace the chain a couple of times, but I also moved a lot of snow, so chain wear was acceptable. I can replace a chain in less than an hour. I am not denigrating the commercial blower, just pointing out that each blower has its merits. If the 55" blower were available in both chain drive and gear box, I would still prefer the chain because of simplicity and replacement costs.

 

[ve9aa]

That is why I went with the 54" width blower. Also the commercial blower is a lot heavier duty compared to the 48" "residential" version. Mine has a hefty gear driven box on the rear of the blower where the chain drive would be on the 48".

Right, but mine is a 48" COMMERCIAL blower. The rare BX2830....I chose 48" because of several limiting factors.
Miniscule garage , space between 2 parked cars and a certain pathway I do, otherwise, I would've gone to the maximum allowed.

Point taken however.

Thanks

 

[GreensvilleJay]

While you may get by without chains on snow.... a layer of sleety ice WILL stop you ! Tandem dumptruck,FULL spun all 8 last Winter. Kinda funny(well to me) ,hot tires ,1/4" ice on 6" of snow,spin,spin,spin. driver wasn't amused when I said I'll pull him out with my tractor.

 

[ve9aa]

While you may get by without chains on snow.... a layer of sleety ice WILL stop you ! Tandem dumptruck,FULL spun all 8 last Winter. Kinda funny(well to me) ,hot tires ,1/4" ice on 6" of snow,spin,spin,spin. driver wasn't amused when I said I'll pull him out with my tractor.

I'm convinced. I ordered a set of chains from canadianchains.ca for the BX2380.

I don't own any other vehicle capable of pulling the tractor out of a snowbank or on an icy patch, so I decided this would be good insurance. (we drive MINI COOPERS as our DD's)

This spring,<as a test, before I bought the 'BX> while there was still a couple inches of (patches of) snow on the lawn I took my 2wd TG1860 out "bombing around" on the lawn and got stuck more often than not. The tires are nearly the same size and tread pattern of the BX2380.
After 2 days of fooling around on the snowy lawn, I bought a cheap set of tire chains from princessauto (think Harbor freight look-alike).
It was night and day. Almost like having 4WD, I kid you not. It transformed the traction that thing has.

My son, who does about 1/2 the mowing likes the extra traction so much, he talked me into leaving the chains on for mowing !

So, I'll put the chains on the BX2380 when they arrive too.

Thanks all !

 

[GreensvilleJay]

'real' MINIs or them new ones ?? got a 2013 Mini cooper S here 'light' front end damage.turbo 6 speed(?) was fun for the owner to drive NOT fun trying to find parts.....seems cooper S has SPECIFIC parts for it ONLY, sigh.
My 2wd rider/BERCO blower has chains and +-200# steel weight, don't steer too easy BUT it'll blow snow all day long.Each adventure is about an acre to do,
Yeah, the Princess gets a lot of my money,come tuesday another $1K or more,they have the BEST staff and returns policy, GREAT hydraulics too !

 

[ve9aa]

Jay we have 2 new BINIS (BMW MINIs) and 1 real older classic Mini, right-hand-drive, imported from Wales ~16 yrs ago that sees sunny summer Sunday's only.

 

[Tim Horton]

Here in norther BC.... I run V bar, 2 link ladder chains on loaded turfs.... Got them cheaper from a custom chain maker that makes chains for logging equipment.. The chains from my local dealer that were "supposed to fit" did not what so ever.. Got a refund for that..

Did this with my old compact tractor as well.. I have had people say .....you will never get anywhere with that.... Of course my answer is watching them try to keep up with me...

 

[Oo-v-oO]

New here, but not new to snow removal here in central NH.

Recently picked up a 2000 B7500 on turfs with a cab and front mount 50" blower. I know from experience that chains are pretty much mandatory under certain conditions and that 2-link V-bar chains are the way to go, but I get sticker shock when pricing out a pair for the 33x12.5-15 rears.

Has anybody used a set like these? The price is very attractive and I can see situations where the diamond pattern might be advantageous.

I have a moderately steep dirt driveway and have used walk-behinds, a plow on a pickup, full sized backhoe, and a lawn tractor with a blower in the past. The lawn tractor worked about the best but it was not rugged enough and 2wd was always an issue. I think the Kubota may be the sweet spot for my needs.

Truck/SUV Diamond Tire Chain - Part no. 2533D

Manufactured from alloy steel for increased durability, the #2533D diamond pattern car tire chain provides a smooth ride and installs easily. Shipping's free at $40 or more.

tirechainsonline.com

 

[RCW]

New here, but not new to snow removal here in central NH.

Recently picked up a 2000 B7500 on turfs with a cab and front mount 50" blower. I know from experience that chains are pretty much mandatory under certain conditions and that 2-link V-bar chains are the way to go, but I get sticker shock when pricing out a pair for the 33x12.5-15 rears.

Has anybody used a set like these? The price is very attractive and I can see situations where the diamond pattern might be advantageous.

I have a moderately steep dirt driveway and have used walk-behinds, a plow on a pickup, full sized backhoe, and a lawn tractor with a blower in the past. The lawn tractor worked about the best but it was not rugged enough and 2wd was always an issue. I think the Kubota may be the sweet spot for my needs.

Truck/SUV Diamond Tire Chain - Part no. 2533D

Manufactured from alloy steel for increased durability, the #2533D diamond pattern car tire chain provides a smooth ride and installs easily. Shipping's free at $40 or more.

tirechainsonline.com

You're not a newbie to Northeast winters....that's to your favor. I've been through them all my life.

I don't have any experience with those kind of chains, but would be very concerned about how long they'll last. Guessing they're intended for intermittent use, or lighter vehicles.

Look pretty light-duty to me.

I don't think you necessarily need V-bar chains. Maybe a simple 2-link ladder with twisted links would be okay?

I put mine on yesterday, and had to shorten them quite a bit. Thinking they've stretched quite a bit over the years.

I have double O-ring chains on my old Minneapolis Moline that are probably 60 years old, but worn pretty thin.....

I looked here, I can see what you say about prices....

Tire Chains-Best Snow Chains-TireChains.com

 

[RCW]

Looked further:

33X12.50R15, 33X12.50-15ALLOY TWO LINK Tire Chains - TireChain.com

4-Link 33x12.5-15 V-Bar Heavy Duty Tractor Tire Chains Set of 2 - TireChain.com

 

[Oo-v-oO]

You're not a newbie to Northeast winters....that's to your favor. I've been through them all my life.

Same here... born and lived within probably a 25 mile radius for the past 53 years.

I have the same reservations, but may gamble on a set if I don't find anything better. If they don't work out I'm not out too much and you have to consider that you could replace them like 3 or 4 times before you equaled the cost of a set of "real" chains.

I know with lawn tractors one trick is to use one or two lengths of chain wrapped around the tread to help improve steering response. Roller chain works pretty well for this, especially the double or triple row variety. You'd air the tires down and assemble the chain then air up and the pressure holds them in place. of course, you can't make them too short, might take some trial and error to get it just right.

My dad plowed with an 8N that had a Wagner loader and a big snow bucket. He used those double ring chains - I can still hear them jangling when it gets good and cold out.

 

[BAP]

Try calling B&B Chain in Milford, NH, part of Chappell Tractor. They deal in tire chains and other chain supplies. Their prices maybe competitive with online places because of shipping. I haven’t bought from them for a few years but used to buy quite a bit of tire chain supplies when I farmed.

Bbchain | Chappell Tractor | Brentwood New Hampshire

Chappell Tractor is an agricultural dealership with locations in Brentwood, Milford, and Concord, NH. We sell new and pre-owned Tractors, Excavators, UTVs, Loaders, Mowers, Power Equipment, Attachments, Trailers and Trackchairs with excellent financing and pricing options. Chappell Tractor...

www.chappelltractor.com

 

[Oo-v-oO]

I sent them an inquiry via their website. It took them several days but I got a response today:

Hi Lee,

Sorry for the delay in response. Tire chain season is very busy around here.
For your tire size, I have some sets that are still on their way here.
Attached is a photo of what they look like.
The cost is $380 for the pair.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you

Not too bad for a name brand 2-link chain that size.

 

[Oo-v-oO]

Just as an update to my previous post...

I decided to see how they would work and bought a set of the diamond pattern chains linked above. Got them on... Cyber Monday, I think, so a little less $ on sale. They came packed in a plastic carrying case and included some repair links.
First try on installing them was a fail. Instructions were slightly misleading and it began raining while I was trying to put them on, so I was in a somewhat foul mood to begin with. It didn't get any better. Finally gave up and waited for a better day - with snow coming tomorrow and reasonably warm temps, today was that day.
I had a lot of problems getting them around the tires the first time, so I tried adding one link to the outside chain. This brings up a good point that I hadn't caught on to when I ordered them, and that is that the inside uses a heavy cable to anchor the cross links, rather than a chain. That means you can't alter the length. Just one extra link on the outside allowed me to stretch them over the tires, though.
I am not too happy with the fit. I think they are sized for a truck tire that has a narrower tread, or maybe the turfs on the tractor measure a very generous 33" around or 12.5" wide. Or both. Whatever the case, the cross links end almost before the sidewall begins. I think they will stay put, but I will be keeping a close eye on them.
Drove around the yard some after mounting up the chains to see if they would settle in. Our driveway is glare ice in most spots but I could drive around in 2wd just fine and they seemed to really bite in.
Time will tell if I made a good choice or not.

Last thing I'll add is that I somehow got one of the chains all twisted up and I was about ready to toss it in the trash until my wife gave me a hand and she figured out how to untwist them. The moral of the story is to try and keep them nice and neat when you are storing them and be careful of twisting them up when you are installing them...

 

[sardillim]

Been living in Atlantic Canada, on a ridgetop for many years and have always snowblowed my 220' gravel driveway w/ a small turnabout near the house by hand, walk-behind snowblowers.

Have 2 walk-behinds. A "normal" Sears 32" cut single wheel snowblower and also a LARGE 13hp/45" cut Bolens dual-wheeled beast. Both are pretty good, but this year I am growing weary of fighting the push behinds in the worst snowfalls. Pushing 60, I thought it was time to spoil myself, so I bought a BX2380 with a BX2830(not a typo) front mount, K-connect snowblower. 48" commercial. I went with only 48" because I'd like to sneak between 2 cars, plus a small path I snowblow.

I've only owned it a couple months, thus NO experience snowblowing with it yet.

I have Turfs on the BX2380....I also have a 250lb rear blade which I'll put on for the winter.

My property is on a ridgetop (ie: wind) and I am really only concerned (I think?) about those times we get super high winds and the drifted snow is piled up 3'-4' high here and there about getting through the (rock hard) snowdrifts. (also I guess those times too, when it snows all day then we get rain, so we have thick slush)

Older Experienced Sales guy told me he'd be surprised if I ever needed chains. (I had asked)

Assuming he'd like to make $$ from me by selling me chains and he never pushed it, I presume he's correct-is he?

My driveway is pretty flat with a small uptick in elevation during the last 30' by the road. My snowbanks often reach 4' on the sides of the driveway (snow/melt/settling)

So for a variety of types of snow, do I need chains on my Turf Tires, or will I eventually be able to chip away at whatevers out there with 4WD and patience?

Tnx fellas

I have always used turf tires and I have never had a problem. Actually 99% of the snow clearing I do is in two wheel drive

 

[DustyRusty]

Today I was installing my BX 2816 snowblower for the first time. In the past I used the BX 22 with turf tires, and looking at everything on the tractor to become more familiar with it, I looked at the turf tires and their relationship to the loader valve lines, etc. What I realized is that chains are a poor choice for the BX 23S for a couple of reasons. First, the tractor will need spacers installed before there is enough clearance between the tire and the frame of the tractor. The second reason is that if the right side chain were to break while you are plowing, it can and most likely will whip up hitting the hydraulic lines and doing an untold amount of damage to the steel lines which can cost you multiple hundreds of dollars to repair. I would rather get stuck in the snow than have to repair that type of damage. I have never found a need to use chains, and the one or two times I got stuck, I was able to use my car's trailer hitch to pull the tractor back onto the driveway. Usually, when this happens, it is when I am dumping leaves and brush into the drop-off at the side of the road, and the ground is soft and muddy.
Load up your rear blade with some extra weight and always remember to clear it while it is still snowing, and not wait till it stops. In the snow removal business, it is known as "plow with the storm and don't let it get ahead of you. As I am certain you have seen the town and state plows out clearing the roads before they become impassible. Do the same with your driveway.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Another 'trick' to snow removal...
do NOT get 'greedy' !!
Instead of trying to take full passes of snow every pass, take say 50-75% 'bite fulls'. yes, you'll make a few more runs BUT you shouldn't get stuck

 

[DustyRusty]

Chain manufacturer in Worcester MA.

St. Pierre Chain & Wire Rope
317 East Mountain Street
Worcester, MA 01606 United States
Phone: 508-853-8010

 

[Hue]

I hated putting chains on my lawn-tractor/ snow-blower setup, and the ride was pretty rough. Not sure about turfs but R4s are next to useless on sheer ice, even worse if there's a dusting of snow on it. Glad you decided to get chains, you'll probably end up needing them. Gotta love the NB thaw-freeze cycles.
I went with screw-in studs for the smoother ride, and since I don't have a paved driveway, I just keep them in all year round. They do a great job.

 

[PaulR]

Damn you guys!
I'm going to go back and read all this, and convince myself I need chains....and it's gonna be more $$$
You guys are costing me money, I need to stop reading this board.