P500 Tire Chains

[John Mc]

Looking at chains for the rear tires of my P520 (with 27x9-12 tires). I'm definitely going with a diamond pattern chain, rather than "ladder style". I'm curious if anyone has tried the square link diamond pattern chains - something like these:
Square Link Alloy ATV Pattern Chains

We have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway with an east facing hill - once that hill freezes up, it takes some good traction to get up it. When we're not using our tractors for the heavy snows, my neighbor uses an ATV with V-bar chains on our shared driveway. My problem is that the circular loop of our driveway up near the house is paved. I don't want to chew it up with the V-bars if I spin the wheels. (The studded diamond-pattern chains on my tractor are even more aggressive than V-bars, but have not been a problem. However, a 4000# tractor is less likely to spin it's tires on that flat, paved section of our driveway.) The square links are easier on pavement than studded or V-bar chains. I'm hoping they'll be enough to get me up and down the hill without messing up the pavement. I'm curious if anyone one has used square link chains on a P520 (or something of similar size & weight) and what you thought of them

 

[John Mc]

I'm still debating how aggressive to go on my chains. For those of you who use studded or v-bar diamond pattern chains: have you had problems with them damaging pavement?

 

[toddvdh]

I personally stay away from chains on pavement. If I need more traction I’ll throw a couple sandbags on the racks. 200 lbs on the rear and 50 lbs on the front makes a huge difference. I plow approximately 58” wide with a 4wd Honda 300 atv.

You would have to make sure you don’t spin at all if you don’t want damage.

 

[The Green Goat]

No chains here. I just hit it faster.

 

[John Mc]

I personally stay away from chains on pavement. If I need more traction I’ll throw a couple sandbags on the racks. 200 lbs makes a huge difference.

You would have to make sure you don’t spin at all if you don’t want damage.

I haven't had the chance to use it in snow yet, but I'm concerned about getting it up the hill when it gets icy, especially going uphill while plowing. When things are really bad, even an AWD car can have problems.

 

[Smitty335]

I never liked chains, studed winter tracks for me.

 

[JACKAL]

If a Pioneer 500 with chains tears up your pavement, you better demand a refund from the driveway contractor, just sayin.

 

[Remington]

No chains here. I just hit it faster.

Yup, just send it!
No chains.

 

[John Mc]

I may be surprised, but hitting it faster is unlikely to make much of a difference on that hill when things ice up. I might be able to drive up it, but I doubt I'll be able to plow up the hill. We'll see when we get a good enough snow to actually need plowing.

 

[Dirtstiffs-1000]

Diamond pattern chains with ice cleat would be my choice. Make sure they're on tight and use bungy cords to keep the slack from flopping around, tearing up break lines and ... leave some snow pack.
JME

 

[John Mc]

Diamond pattern chains with ice cleat would be my choice. Make sure they're on tight and use bungy cords to keep the slack from flopping around, tearing up break lines and ... leave some snow pack.
JME

Diamond pattern is the only style I'm considering. I went through two other styles on my tractor before finally springing for the diamond pattern chains. My question is how aggressive I need to go to get the job done. I want to be able to get up the steep section in my driveway while still plowing. It's an east-facing hill that ices up easily. My neighbor uses v-bar chains on the rear tires of his 4-wheeler and says he would not have much luck without them. I also want to be able to clear the flat, paved area near the house without damage to the asphalt. I see the comments that it's not been an issue for some people here, and probably shouldn't worry about it as much as I do, especially since the really heavy snows will get cleared by the loader or snow blower on my tractor.

 

[Dirtstiffs-1000]

Diamond pattern is the only style I'm considering. I went through two other styles on my tractor before finally springing for the diamond pattern chains. My question is how aggressive I need to go to get the job done. I want to be able to get up the steep section in my driveway while still plowing. It's an east-facing hill that ices up easily. My neighbor uses v-bar chains on the rear tires of his 4-wheeler and says he would not have much luck without them. I also want to be able to clear the flat, paved area near the house without damage to the asphalt. I see the comments that it's not been an issue for some people here, and probably shouldn't worry about it as much as I do, especially since the really heavy snows will get cleared by the loader or snow blower on my tractor.

Plow down hill? Leave a little. Ice chains.

 

[JACKAL]

I may be surprised, but hitting it faster is unlikely to make much of a difference on that hill when things ice up. I might be able to drive up it, but I doubt I'll be able to plow up the hill. We'll see when we get a good enough snow to actually need plowing.

I maintain several miles of icy gravel roads in the mountains 10% grade for 2 miles. Most is never touched by sunlight in winter which prolongs the ice and slush

When it's bad, you plow down and drive up, plow down again. Inefficient maybe but it works.

 

[John Mc]

Plow down hill? Leave a little. Ice chains.

Plowing only down hill would mean taking another lap. It's a long driveway. Putting the plow on my UTV was an effort to speed up the process for the lighter snows, where I don't need my tractor with loader and rear snow blower (It gets the job done in even the heaviest of snows, but it's slow.)

Ice chains are why I started this thread. I'm looking at diamond pattern chains. They are available in 4 types (at least that I've found so far). In order of increasing aggressiveness:

Plain round-link chains
Square link chains
V-bar
Studded

The plain chains (round wire links, no studs or V-bars) are easiest on the paved portion of the driveway, but sometimes not enough traction on our hill, even with diamond pattern chains. The neighbor with whom I share most of the driveway switched from plain to V-bar chains on his ATV to get the extra traction (but he has no paved section of his driveway).

Square link chains are a step up in traction from chains with round wire links. The corners provide extra bite in icy conditions. The square link with wear bars are still easy on paved surfaces. I've driven a compact tractor and a truck with square link chains, but never on an ATV/UTV.

V-bar chains are another step up in traction. I'm just wondering if it's going to be a problem on the pavement if I spin the tires. The pavement is only 2 years old. I'm not so worried about the appearance, but it was an expensive project and I don;t want to do something which will shorten the life of the pavement.

The descriptions I see about studded chains say they are not for use on pavement. I use them on my tractor without an issue, but I don't have problems with spinning the tires with that.

So at this point, I'm really just debating between the square link and the v-bar diamond pattern chains.

 

[trigger]

Plowing only down hill would mean taking another lap. It's a long driveway. Putting the plow on my UTV was an effort to speed up the process for the lighter snows, where I don't need my tractor with loader and rear snow blower (It gets the job done in even the heaviest of snows, but it's slow.)

Ice chains are why I started this thread. I'm looking at diamond pattern chains. They are available in 4 types (at least that I've found so far). In order of increasing aggressiveness:

Plain round-link chains
Square link chains
V-bar
Studded

The plain chains (round wire links, no studs or V-bars) are easiest on the paved portion of the driveway, but sometimes not enough traction on our hill, even with diamond pattern chains. The neighbor with whom I share most of the driveway switched from plain to V-bar chains on his ATV to get the extra traction (but he has no paved section of his driveway).

Square link chains are a step up in traction from chains with round wire links. The corners provide extra bite in icy conditions. The square link with wear bars are still easy on paved surfaces. I've driven a compact tractor and a truck with square link chains, but never on an ATV/UTV.

V-bar chains are another step up in traction. I'm just wondering if it's going to be a problem on the pavement if I spin the tires. The pavement is only 2 years old. I'm not so worried about the appearance, but it was an expensive project and I don;t want to do something which will shorten the life of the pavement.

The descriptions I see about studded chains say they are not for use on pavement. I use them on my tractor without an issue, but I don't have problems with spinning the tires with that.

So at this point, I'm really just debating between the square link and the v-bar diamond pattern chains.

Pretty sure you know more about them at this point than most of us do. Why not use the tractor for the paved area and the P5 with chains for the gravel? If you cross the pavement with the chains just go straight.

 

[John Mc]

Pretty sure you know more about them at this point than most of us do. Why not use the tractor for the paved area and the P5 with chains for the gravel? If you cross the pavement with the chains just go straight.

I know something about chains, having used several different styles on my current tractor and on other tractors over the decades. I know very little about ATVs/UTVs. Almost all of my experience is on tractors: slow moving and much heavier. I have little experience on ATVs, other than a couple of runs on my neighbor when he has been off on vacation (and that was before we had the paving done.)

I have the impression that not many have tried the square link chains on their ATV/UTVs. Maybe I'll end up being the guinea pig.

 

[DRZRon1]

Plowing only down hill would mean taking another lap. It's a long driveway. Putting the plow on my UTV was an effort to speed up the process for the lighter snows, where I don't need my tractor with loader and rear snow blower (It gets the job done in even the heaviest of snows, but it's slow.)

Ice chains are why I started this thread. I'm looking at diamond pattern chains. They are available in 4 types (at least that I've found so far). In order of increasing aggressiveness:

Plain round-link chains
Square link chains
V-bar
Studded

The plain chains (round wire links, no studs or V-bars) are easiest on the paved portion of the driveway, but sometimes not enough traction on our hill, even with diamond pattern chains. The neighbor with whom I share most of the driveway switched from plain to V-bar chains on his ATV to get the extra traction (but he has no paved section of his driveway).

Square link chains are a step up in traction from chains with round wire links. The corners provide extra bite in icy conditions. The square link with wear bars are still easy on paved surfaces. I've driven a compact tractor and a truck with square link chains, but never on an ATV/UTV.

V-bar chains are another step up in traction. I'm just wondering if it's going to be a problem on the pavement if I spin the tires. The pavement is only 2 years old. I'm not so worried about the appearance, but it was an expensive project and I don;t want to do something which will shorten the life of the pavement.

The descriptions I see about studded chains say they are not for use on pavement. I use them on my tractor without an issue, but I don't have problems with spinning the tires with that.

So at this point, I'm really just debating between the square link and the v-bar diamond pattern chains.

It has become an engineering project

 

[Dirtstiffs-1000]

It has become an engineering project

At the risk of further oversimplfying the original question and answers; I also asphalt and concrete pave for a living and if you are spinning so much to scare up your pavement, you need to take a different tact.

 

[John Mc]

At the risk of further oversimplfying the original question and answers; I also asphalt and concrete pave for a living and if you are spinning so much to scare up your pavement, you need to take a different tact.

Thanks. Having not plowed much with an ATV/UTV before, I don't know how easily the tires will spin. I've only had one winter season on this pavement, and that was all maintained with a tractor.

 

[Splorin]

Another issue is how cold your getting towards the end of plowing and you start to ‘not give a bleep’ and giver some. If a machine is overmatched by grade or snow depth and weight you’ll have issues too. Not waiting till it’s over helps. Changing to rain, quick freeze afterwards, too many variables. Don’t underestimate tire construction. The stickers you probably aren’t a fan of for normal conditions work well because of the softer rubber compound. I don’t plow with my P5 but I run my Rhino stockers with a 1000 screws in ‘em in the winter. You’d have to behave but may be an option??? I’m 2 1/2 miles in with a tractor with four chains, plow and a blower on the back and I still would rather lock both diffs on the Jeep or P5 after a big dump just because, so that makes anything I just added here meaningless…….