S type snow chains for 60" tires?

[TestPilot57]

Imagine how heavy those chains would be! lol

The chains on my little B-series Kubota are heavy enough and those tires are only around 40" tall. However there is a relatively simple trick to mounting heavy chains even by yourself (much easier on an open tire system like a tractor).

This is how I do it:

How do you put your tire chains on ?

My chains are here, probably wont see any more snow this season. I have ladder chains from Tire chains .com. I put them on this morning (never had to put chains on before) I placed them on the ground and drove on to them and lifted them up onto the tire. would it be easier to put them on from...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[TestPilot57]

Yep, and they all think 4x4's have different brakes than 4x2's...

Maybe they're used to driving tractors?

Most tractors don't have front brakes. So engaging 4WD adds quite a bit of stopping power. Especially when going downhill with a bucket load of whatever and little-no ballast on the back end...

 

[TestPilot57]

I have used several "Snowflake on the 3 mountains" rated tires which are really just ATs.

IME there is nothing like a dedicated, winter/snow/ice tire for said conditions. So far my favorite has been the Blizzack DM-V2. They are a non-studdable full-on winter. Have used them on an Explorer, Telluride and 2 Rams.

I am currently about to try out the Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 studdable (but without studs), as they were the only true winter tire I could find that was near the diameter I wanted (35") since I have a 5" lift.

I went without studs because even here in VT our "winter" conditions break down into roughly 90% Wet/dry, 5% snowy, 4.5% slushy and .5% icy/packed snow. And as a prior poster noted, studs are only partially effective on the icy/packed snow, and detrimental in almost all other conditions.

 

[TestPilot57]

To add to my experience with AT "snow rated" tires I will say:

All Terrain could as easily be labeled No Terrain.

That is not to say they don't do a decent job in most terrain, but they simply cannot be great at any one of them, let alone all of them. Consider the following rough categories:

* Pavement
* Hard packed dirt
* Loose gravel
* Sand
* Rock/ledge
* Mud
* Snow
* Ice

Every single one of those has different optimal tire requirements. The idea that one tire can adequately handle all of them is the marketing objective of every tire company, and one that they continually fail at.

The bottom line is that everything in life is a compromise*.

You want to buy a house? The least expensive is not going to be in the best location.
You want to buy a truck? The one with the most towing capacity will not have the best fuel mileage.
You want to buy a shirt? The cheapest will not be the most comfortable.

*The fact that the compromise may not matter to you does not mean it isn't a compromise.