tractor chains...an easier way???

[John51]

Just put a set on another tractor.....18.4x38s. They get heavier every year. Any good suggestions for an easy way to put them on, and especially to get them tight? Been doing it for 30 years now but there must be an easier way than lifting and pulling.

 

[JMR IA]

I just lay them out on the ground behind the tractor.Pull one end up on the tire and secure it to the tire with a bungee cord.Then have Dad or Brother slowly drive the tractor forward while I arrange the chains neatly.Once all the way around stop the tractor with the splice about half way up.Hook the connectors as tight as I can.Then I use bungee cords streched across the outside to keep them tight.

John

 

[Anonymous-0]

I used to have to chain up and I never could figure a way to do it with out a gut busting effort. I have layed them[34"ers] on the ground[or snow what ever]and drove up on them and take a rope and tie them inside and out to the wheel spokes and drove forward to sort of drape the chains over the tires,then take some tarp straps and pull the ends together and hopefully you can get them tight enough that after driveing forward and back you can get the inside hooked and take a come along and pull the outside close enough to hook it.Worked a couple of times,didn't work a lot of times,good luck,be careful.JC

 

[IaGary]

Lay them out on the ground in front of the tire.

Drive on them just a little.

Run a heavy wire thru the rim and tie it to both sides of the tire chains

Drive ahaed more untill the chain is around the wheel and hook.

As far as tightening? just keep tightening when ever they come loose. Mine are hard to tighten also.

Gary

 

[IaGary]

You guys type faster than me

 

[molinebob]

We jack the tractor up (4020 JD) and lift them up over the tire, usally 2 people and pull them tight and fasten them up, then we run bungie cords across the face of the rim to keep them from flapping around.

 

[Hugh MacKay]

Gary: Finally a man that does it my way, no point in making that one,"BULL LABOR".

 

[Dan-IA]

Grandpa used to take the chains off the Cockshutt every spring. Then Dad would have to put 'em back on for him in the fall. Then Dad was not available to put 'em back on one year. The chains stayed on ever since....

... until I got the tractor. I took 'em off one year because I had to fix a flat on one side. That winter I had no traction and couldn't push snow. So I put 'em back on. Only took me 3 days to get 'em on tight again. They're staying on now.

 

[Dan-IA]

What I finally did to get 'em tight was... After the chains were laying on top of the tractor I blocked the other side, jacked up the side I was working on, put it in neutral, let a lot of air out, pulled the chains tight as I could and beat on 'em with a hammer until they laid flat. It was slow and painful but a little at a time I got the ends close enough to get hooked. Then I put the air back in the tire and did the other side.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You've gotten several good suggestions. I tried several ways as described above. Now I jack up one side, slide the chains under the tire, then use a rubber bungee strap to fasten one end around the tire (bungee strap through the wheel very close to the rim). Then roll the tire slowly to pull the chains under the tire and eventually all the way around, hooking them up on the back side where it's easiest to reach and see the inside of the wheel. Still takes some effort to manipulate the cross links to get out the slack, but gets rid of the heavy lifting. I then add 3 more bungee straps (through the wheels like the first one) to tighten them up and get rid of the slack. Just watch out for the air valve stem - I don't put a bungee cord where it might catch the stem. HTH, Jim

 

[Anonymous-0]

GARY i thought everyone did it that way.

 

[Don-Wi]

We've only gotta do the chains on 16.9x28" tires on our 165. We put them on a little bit then drive ahead till it's run over again and under the tire. Those chains aren't too heavy so they ain't too bad to do. Nowhere near as heavy as a set for 28.4-38" would be.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[M Nut]

18.4x28's, 18.4x34's, and 18.4x38's. All the same way. Throw them over the tire, fasten the inside on the bottom first, then the outside. Drive around a little bit, retighten, and you should be set for the winter.
One year I took the chains on and off the 18.4x28's at least a dozen times when traveling two miles down the highway to another farm to feed youngstock I had there. Got good at it real quick!