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Chains Damaging Cement Floor

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DownHomeDraft
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 13 Western Central Maine
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2005-04-11          109703


I am looking to get a rear set of chains for a Kubota B7800 for better traction while snow blowing a hilly driveway.
I have a rear mount 64" blower, my tires are not loaded, with no FEL or FEL subframe on A4 tires.
I plan to park the tractor in a garage that has a cement floor.
Will installed snow chains damage the concrete?
Do they make concrete safe snow chains that are still adaquate for traction?
I already have slight floor damage resulting from studded tires on a passage van.
Which is why I'm thinking snow chains may do worse damage?





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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2005-04-11          109705


I would think that tire chains will definitely markup your garage. If you spin your tire going up a hill it will make nasty scratches. If you are blowing snow, and have enough weight, you shouldn't need allot of traction unless the snowbanks are high and you need to ram into them. I've heard of tire cables being offered instead of chain which would seem to be lots less harsch. pewagchains.com. I've never used them. I've mess up some nice concrete with regular tire chains on my lawnmower and snowblower though. The marks don't go away. ....


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dsg
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 528 Franklin, Maine
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2005-04-12          109722


Lay down some wooden planks and drive onto them.

David ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-04-12          109728


I have damaged concrete with both chains and winter studs.

As recommended above, parking on plywood would protect the floor.

At the risk of being redundant, I must point out again that chains are designed to operate by compacting the snow beneath and between the links.

If you are running on cleared surfaces behind a blower or a blade, chains will do little good. ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-04-12          109729


Yikes! I just caught the part about a rear blower and no FEL.

Have you used this combo to blow snow yet? Do you have any sort of front end weight/ballast? ....


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DownHomeDraft
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 13 Western Central Maine
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2005-04-12          109730


I just ordered the tractor and blower yesterday, I might get it next week. Snows all gone, will have to wait and see if it works ok without the weight of FEL. I can probably build something to add weight to the front maybe 400 pounds. The blower weighs 382 pounds.
Chains would be for the ice I get on the hilly parts of two gravel driveways. Have been blowing snow with a 16HP Wheel Horse and 42" single stage. The Wheel Horse with chains never bothered the floor, but it doesn't weigh 2000 pound either. If I put chains on the B7800, they would only be on the rear tires (A4s)
I wish Kubota offered wheel weights for front and rear so that I could add and remove between seasons. I don't want loaded tires because of mowing.
I've got all summer to figure something out, maybe just build a lean-to with gravel floor.
Thanks for all the responses. ....


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kubotaguy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 360 Shepherdstown, WV
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2005-04-12          109732


Don't worry about compaction when mowing with the loaded tires on the 7800. I mowed all last year with my 7800 which had loaded tires and sometimes I even left the loader on to see what it would do to the yard. It didn't really hurt it unless it was really wet and I made a sharp turn. I mow at arond 3" and you can't even see where my tires were a few hours after mowing.
Good luck! ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2005-04-12          109733


If I was setting up a dedicated(seasonal)snow blower and a dedicated summer mower I would:

1) Get turf tires or retrofit truck radial mud&snow tires with studs. They would do better in both applications.

2) Mount the blower on the front especially if I was operating in hilly terrain and wanted to stay on good terms with my neck and back muscles.

3) With the blower on the front, it is much easier and cheaper to ballast the rear end (about 700 pounds should do). You can just drop the ballast for summer mowing. A properly ballasted rear end will provide the maximum traction available with carefully selected tires.
....


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DownHomeDraft
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 13 Western Central Maine
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2005-04-14          109843



Some folks on another tractor site use 2 link ladder chains for R4 tires from tirechains.com
they park a tractor of similiar size to the b7800 in their garage on a cement floor with no damage to the floor.

Thanks everyone for your help ....


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dsg
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 528 Franklin, Maine
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2005-04-14          109845


If you can run the chains on cement without damage then they're not very aggressive are they?

David ....


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DownHomeDraft
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 13 Western Central Maine
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2005-04-15          109861


I don't think the chains have to be too aggressive. I know some people don't even use chains while snowblowing.

It's for when I am snowblowing, in the few hilly places in my driveway and my neigbor's driveway that have given me problems in the past (with two wheel drive garden tractors).
I just need something thats going to grip better than rubber on ice.
These two link ladder chains are also know as road chains.
If I have to, I'll put road chains on the front too, but I don't think I'll need that. The folks that suggested these road chains, haven't put chains on the front yet.
At some point down the road when this new Kubota is paid off, I plan to have an out building with a gravel floor so more aggressive chains won't be an issue, if it comes to that.
But for the next few years its either park this new Kubota in the garage or out in the elements.
Thank you for your response,
I notice you're from Maine too, what a heck of a winter we just had.
....


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