tallen4392 69 #1 Posted February 21, 2023 does anyone use ag tires on there machine all year around to cut the grass and push the snow without damaging the lawn ?? i have them on my charger for snow removal work good for that 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #2 Posted February 21, 2023 Nope!! AG's are OK for the summer - tried once to plow with them - they were wide and just rode up on top of the snow - no grip. Winter I use turf tires with 2 link chains - and weight - a lot of weight. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 11,941 #3 Posted February 21, 2023 Yes you can use them for mowing. "Normal" use is no problem. Where you have issues is when the ground is wet and soft. When you spin a tire, you instantly have a hole to fix. You just have to be careful. Several of mine run ags year round. But mine never see snow duty. Never used a set of chains... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #4 Posted February 21, 2023 Chains do not "fit" ag tires well. The cross links always seem to fall into the wide grooves - no improvement in traction. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonytoro416 1,033 #5 Posted February 21, 2023 46 minutes ago, ri702bill said: Chains do not "fit" ag tires well. The cross links always seem to fall into the wide grooves - no improvement in traction. Not to mention they tear up bar tires really bad 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonytoro416 1,033 #6 Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, tallen4392 said: does anyone use ag tires on there machine all year around to cut the grass and push the snow without damaging the lawn ?? i have them on my charger for snow removal work good for that The Carlisle versa turf tires are the best I have experienced for plowing. They are a radial tire so they have some squat and flex to help grab and bite 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 38,049 #7 Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, ri702bill said: Winter I use turf tires with 2 link chains - and weight - a lot of weight. 2 link veebar chains on turf tires and weight 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #8 Posted February 21, 2023 2 hours ago, ri702bill said: Winter I use turf tires with 2 link chains - and weight - a lot of weight. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,685 #9 Posted February 21, 2023 (edited) If you have frozen ground or packed snow/ice underneath then narrow tires with 2 link chains and weights are a great solution. Edited February 21, 2023 by pfrederi 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,178 #10 Posted February 22, 2023 Speaking of tires and chains.... How many links are in the cross-links for well-fitting 2- and 4-link chains on the different tire sizes (not counting the hooks that attach the cross chains to the circumferential chain)? It seems like it's one or two links more than the width in inches. Is it: 8 for 6x12’s, 10 or 11 for 8.5x23, and 12 or 13 for 10.5x23? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,369 #11 Posted February 22, 2023 12 hours ago, tallen4392 said: does anyone use ag tires on there machine all year around to cut the grass and push the snow without damaging the lawn ?? i have them on my charger for snow removal work good for that I think it depends on your lawn. Most tires will damage sod if they spin and Ags don't lose traction as quickly so in some instances are a good choice for mowing. I agree with others that chains don't fit well on them so ground-engaging might be served better with chains and turf tires. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tallen4392 69 #12 Posted February 22, 2023 Thanks for the tips i have a charger 12 for snow plowing with ag tires and lots of weight work great never a issue and my driveway is on a good hill i picked this machine up for my sons new house wanted a tire for year round to mow and move snow .. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #13 Posted February 22, 2023 8 hours ago, Handy Don said: How many links are in the cross-links for well-fitting 2- and 4-link chains on the different tire sizes Don - I replaced all the cross links on the rear tires for the C81 - they were 4 link and I wanted more crosslinks. The old ones were vee bar, great grip on ice, but left gouges in the top surface of the driveway. Bought a 75 foot roll of 1/0 (as I recall) twisted link chain on the 'Bay. Also bought 100 new crosslink connectors. Both were slightly different than what I already had. The twisted links were slightly longer, maybe by an 1/8th of an inch each. The connectors at the end were also longer, by about 3/8ths - actlally ended up with one less crosslink. You can see the differences from both sets in my photo above. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,178 #14 Posted February 23, 2023 On 2/22/2023 at 5:41 AM, ri702bill said: Don - I replaced all the cross links on the rear tires for the C81 - they were 4 link and I wanted more crosslinks. The old ones were vee bar, great grip on ice, but left gouges in the top surface of the driveway. Bought a 75 foot roll of 1/0 (as I recall) twisted link chain on the 'Bay. Also bought 100 new crosslink connectors. Both were slightly different than what I already had. The twisted links were slightly longer, maybe by an 1/8th of an inch each. The connectors at the end were also longer, by about 3/8ths - actlally ended up with one less crosslink. You can see the differences from both sets in my photo above. Bill Hmmm. At the moment we have two sets for 8.5” tires--both 2-link. One in good shape and one that has a lot of wear with a few broken links in the cross-chains (a couple are using heavy zip ties!). My son is running 10.5” turfs, the camp tractor has 8.5” Ags (we don’t expect to run chains on this), and the 854 has 6” original “all purpose” so nothing matches up! I’m thinking of taking the worn 8.5" set and re-working it down to run on the 6” tires if there are enough good links left. So I guess the tactic should be to measure across the tread of the tire once the circumferential chains are in place to determine the right number of links and go from there. We are also on the lookout for a used set for the 10.5’s. I’m trying to avoid a significant new investment in something that won’t get a lot of use Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,685 #15 Posted February 23, 2023 8 minutes ago, Handy Don said: Hmmm. At the moment we have two sets for 8.5” tires--both 2-link. One in good shape and one that has a lot of wear with a few broken links in the cross-chains (a couple are using heavy zip ties!). My son is running 10.5” turfs, the camp tractor has 8.5” Ags (we don’t expect to run chains on this), and the 854 has 6” original “all purpose” so nothing matches up! I’m thinking of taking the worn 8.5" set and re-working it down to run on the 6” tires if there are enough good links left. So I guess the tactic should be to measure across the tread of the tire once the circumferential chains are in place to determine the right number of links and go from there. We are also on the lookout for a used set for the 10.5’s. I’m trying to avoid a significant new investment in something that won’t get a lot of use 6.00 x 12 old tires are great in winter with chains. One set has some really slick German zigzag chains the other has Army surplus Jeep chains 6.00 x 16 shortened up. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #16 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) Good idea... two things come to mind. You will more than likely need to fiddle with the length of the side chains. May need to either lengthen or shorten. Invest in a pair of meduim truck chain pliers. They are used to both open and close the crosslink connectors. Picked mine up at the local indoor flea market for $12. Patented in 1929 I recall - used but still quite useable. The guy had 2 pair, those and a larger 18 wheeler pair.... Same pair I got being sold as "vintage" on the 'Bay for $129.... Do wear gloves doing this - it is tough on the hands... Edited February 23, 2023 by ri702bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,178 #17 Posted February 23, 2023 2 minutes ago, pfrederi said: 6.00 x 12 old tires are great in winter with chains I'm counting on this! 1 minute ago, ri702bill said: Good idea... two things come to mind. You will more than likely need to fiddle with the length of the side chains. May need to either lengthen or shorten. Invest in a pair of meduim truck chain pliers. They are used to both open and close the crosslink connectors. Picked mine up at the local indoor flea market for $12. Pattented in 1929 I recall - used but still quite useable. The guy had 2 pair, those and a larger 18 wheeler pair.... Same pair I got being sold as "vintage" on the 'Bay for $129.... Yep, H.K. Porter Linkmaster from Everett, MA. Up to to 13/32” wire. Patent Pending. $20 at an estate sale a few weeks back. Awesome tool! Am hoping to use the side chains unaltered, since the tire diameters are the same, but we’ll see! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #18 Posted February 23, 2023 I found in adding crosslinks to convert from 4 link to 2 link, the side chains rode closer to the tread and I had to add a link on the inner and outer... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #19 Posted February 23, 2023 56 minutes ago, Handy Don said: I'm counting on this! Yep, H.K. Porter Linkmaster from Everett, MA. Up to to 13/32” wire. Patent Pending. $20 at an estate sale a few weeks back. Awesome tool! Am hoping to use the side chains unaltered, since the tire diameters are the same, but we’ll see! Yup - mine are similar double acting (?) or is it compound? lever system on the handles like a bolt cutter. Worth every penny, even if you only use them once... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
