D-Series One Wheel Peel

[BuffaloD200 43]

Hey all, 

 

My '74 D180 has a lot of trouble pushing snow.  Weighted tires, but nothing else at this time.  I've found it gets stuck frequently and only one wheel spins.  Do these tractors not have a limited slip/locker arrangement?  How does everyone manage with the infamous one wheel peel?

[c-series don 8,851]

One word: chains !! 

[adsm08 2,185]

I have studded chains and no weights or fluid in my tires. I get stuck only occasionally, and when I do grabbing a tread lug on the spinning wheel usually gets me moving. But I also have ag treads that I can grab like that.

 

Some WHs has limited slip, but not all. And even a limited slip is pretty useless if one wheel has no traction at all.

[ebinmaine 68,456]

This is my 1975 C160 Automatic. 

I have four oversized tires all fluid filled. 

There's 255 lbs of FLUID ALONE. 

 

I also have another 130 lbs of steel weight in the rear. 

 

There's also HD Ice Chains. 

 

And the plow blade itself is a bunch of added weight. That's 60" wide and the edge is from a skidsteer.  

 

With me on it this tractor weighs over 1400 lbs.  

 

 

 

 

 

This is Trina's 867 Pigpen. 

 

It has a 45 lbs weight out front. Snowblower front tires. 

The rears are oversized and fluid filled with 7, 7.5 gallons each.  

That's 160 + lbs of fluid. 

She also has 130 lbs of steel and similar chains AND Limited Slip Differential.  

 

BOTH of these tractors are nearly unstoppable within reasonable work limits.  

 

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,688]

2 hours ago, BuffaloD200 said:

How does everyone manage with the infamous one wheel peel?

Weight and chains.

 

I prefer the rubber chains. They work best on the five paved driveways I plow and they don't leave any marks.  When plowing with the steel chains I find I can only plow downhill on the pavement.          I use the 2 link Vee Bar chains on ice and hard packed snow and on the stone roads that I plow.

Edited December 4 by Ed Kennell

[Lagersolut 680]

1 hour ago, c-series don said:

One word: chains !! 

^

This - my D-way is a slight hill - going down is easy - getting back up without chains won't happen - I use double link V bar ice chains with weight - if the weather starts out above freezing and wet , then goes cold,  the minute you push it and open up the wet - freezes turns to a sheet of ice - I keep bags of rock salt and ice melt here for after I'm done plowing/blowing .

[1mor Project 81]

Eb, I noticed you have your trip springs set to keep the blade vertical as it touches the ground. I keep mine on the top set of holes to help the snow dig in and roll off the blade better rather than loading up and lifting the plow. I have a long driveway, so rolling off the plow to the side makes it go a lot faster. I am still waiting for some snow here in Wisconsin to see how it works with my Raider 10 that I repowered with a 16 HP with a hydro pulley. It gives me a much better road gear.

I agree with the weights and chains. I prefer turf tires with 2 link chains with ice cleats, but I have both ag tires and 4 link chains on other tractors. Chains are needed no matter what tires you have.

[ebinmaine 68,456]

59 minutes ago, 1mor Project said:

Eb, I noticed you have your trip springs set to keep the blade vertical as it touches the ground. I keep mine on the top set of holes to help the snow dig in and roll off the blade better rather than loading up and lifting the plow. I have a long driveway, so rolling off the plow to the side makes it go a lot faster.

 

As you can see we have a gravel driveway. With the top holes the plow angle is such that it digs in to the soft parts WAY too aggressively.  

This forward tilt we use keeps the gravel where it should be much longer.  

 

We have no issues with the snow rolling off the sides. In fact, we have less trouble. 

With the more forward angle we use the snow is actually directed DOWN and OUT in the front of the plow.  

With the plow in the top hole we see more tendency to allow the snow to bury the plow by running right up over the top.  

There is NO tendency for the plow to float over the snow with my monster blade as it's so incredibly heavy. 

If the snow is very hard packed sometimes Trina will hold her blade down in tension using the solid link.  

 

[ri702bill 8,513]

9 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

There's also HD Ice Chains. 

Nice. Best done in a 2 link setup, as a 4 link leaves too much space that gives an awful bouncy ride - your innards will thank you!

[ebinmaine 68,456]

1 minute ago, ri702bill said:

Nice. Best done in a 2 link setup, as a 4 link leaves too much space that gives an awful bouncy ride - your innards will thank you!

 

Absolutely agreed.  

Both our snow tractors have the two link chains 🔗 ⛓️ 

 

I even have a set for the front of mine. Not quite enough room to install them past the spindles with the oversized tires.  Once I get around to installing the trailer spindles and 5 lug wheels they should work. 

 

 

[Pullstart 63,100]

20 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

Nice. Best done in a 2 link setup, as a 4 link leaves too much space that gives an awful bouncy ride - your innards will thank you!

These chains give the biggest bumpiest ride I’ve ever experienced on a tractor!  I was so excited to run them around at the big show, in the midst of our excitement of getting it running, @Tractorhead assumed my kidneys would thank me a took them off   I made sure to stick ‘em back on for the maiden voyage   That was before the added steel weight.  Now I can barely move the tractor around my shop floor without it being under it’s own power!

 

 

[Pullstart 63,100]

If I did not read this already, tire width has a lot to do with this.  @BuffaloD200 your D series likely has 12” wide tires.  @ebinmaine’s girl BBT has 8” wide tires I think?  The ones in the video above are 6” wide.  All of that, considering contact patch on the ground, creates a PSI to the ground.  More PSI to the ground (not tire pressure) = more traction.

 

Check this video out, to help explain the difference.  The wide tire provides so much flotation, it sacrifices traction.

 

 

[WHX?? 49,181]

14 hours ago, 1mor Project said:

some snow here in Wisconsin

Shouldn't be too long ..  lookin to get a blast up yer way. We had three inches in Vilas county.

[Pullstart 63,100]

28 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

Shouldn't be too long ..  lookin to get a blast up yer way. We had three inches in Vilas county.

they are saying 4-10” by Friday night for us.

[BuffaloD200 43]

Wow.  Thanks for the responses guys!

It seems to be a unanimous tire chains.  I've ordered up a set of 4 link with barbs.  If I find I need a 2 link, I'll just order the individual chains.

I do have 12" wide Ag tires on it now, and they spin just like that video.

We got about 2-3 feet dumped on us last weekend and she struggled.  Another 1-2 feet forecast this weekend.

 

Now I just need to get the snowthrower to work properly...until then it works pretty dang good as a plow!

[adsm08 2,185]

1 hour ago, BuffaloD200 said:

Wow.  Thanks for the responses guys!

It seems to be a unanimous tire chains.  I've ordered up a set of 4 link with barbs.  If I find I need a 2 link, I'll just order the individual chains.

I do have 12" wide Ag tires on it now, and they spin just like that video.

We got about 2-3 feet dumped on us last weekend and she struggled.  Another 1-2 feet forecast this weekend.

 

Now I just need to get the snowthrower to work properly...until then it works pretty dang good as a plow!

 

Barbs are the way to go.

 

Like I said, I have barbed chains, no weights, no fluid, and I basically have to be on ice with a good head of snow and no momentum to get stuck.

[WHX?? 49,181]

9 hours ago, BuffaloD200 said:

We got about 2-3 feet dumped on us last weekend 

Musta been that storm that dumped on the Bill's game.

8 hours ago, adsm08 said:

Barbs are the way to go.

When you guys say barbs are you guys talking about what I call V links? 

 

BTW @BuffaloD200 those rubber chains on Ed's tractor get good reviews if your on asphalt. 

Edited December 5 by WHX??

[Ed Kennell 38,688]

50 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

 

BTW @BuffaloD200 those rubber chains on Ed's tractor get good reviews if your on asphalt. 

Yep, with 2 link steel chains I could not climb my steep driveway with the plow or blower raised.    I had to plow down only and get in the grass to get back up.

With the rubber chains I can plow down with a full blade and up with half a blade.    Steel is great  on ice, hard packed snow, and grass or gravel, but has very little traction on asphalt.

 

 

 

[Pullstart 63,100]

I trust my Horses for many jobs…

 

but snow?  I keep a truck handy.

 

 

[WHX?? 49,181]

1 hour ago, Pullstart said:

 I keep a truck handy.

Yeah but you plow for every Tom Dick & Harry in the 'hood...

 

9 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Steel is great  on ice, hard packed snow, and grass or gravel, but has very little traction on asphalt.

 Care to elaborate Ed?

Denny's 520 rig he had a choice set of steel v links on it when I got it and they had too good of traction on my asphalt. Even a bit of peel and they would chew up frozen blacktop right through a layer of ice. Had to take them off but does a surprising good job with just turfs & weights ... even on my hill. Was going to get some rubbers but never really needed to. 

 

Excuse for another  tractor with chains for those off road excursions  ... 

 

 

Edited December 5 by WHX??

[adsm08 2,185]

10 hours ago, WHX?? said:

 

When you guys say barbs are you guys talking about what I call V links? 

 

 

 

I've heard them called that too. The link has little V-shaped spikes on them that face the ground.

[BuffaloD200 43]

14 hours ago, WHX?? said:

Musta been that storm that dumped on the Bill's game.

When you guys say barbs are you guys talking about what I call V links? 

 

BTW @BuffaloD200 those rubber chains on Ed's tractor get good reviews if your on asphalt. 

Sure was.  Go Bills!

 

Yeah.  Peerless calls them V-Bars - I'm sure each brand has a their own name.

 

I've got gravel right now so no worries there.

 

Got to try them out last night, and they worked fantastic!  Only got stuck once, and that's cause I went into the mud.  

My snowthrower is plowing great!

[Ed Kennell 38,688]

3 hours ago, WHX?? said:

13 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Steel is great  on ice, hard packed snow, and grass or gravel, but has very little traction on asphalt.

 Care to elaborate Ed?  Careful what you ask for Jim.

Denny's 520 rig he had a choice set of steel v links on it when I got it and they had too good of traction on my asphalt. Even a bit of peel and they would chew up frozen blacktop right through a layer of ice. Had to take them off but does a surprising good job with just turfs & weights ... even on my hill. Was going to get some rubbers but never really needed to.

Same here, I had new WEED V-Bar 2 link chains on my 520H  with a tall chute blower.  With the blower slightly raised it would not climb my steep driveway on bare asphalt. I never left it chew thru the top smooth layer to find some traction.       More square inches of rubber and weight is what is needed for traction on a bare hard surface.

Never see skinny tires or steel chains on one of these.

 On a surface like packed snow, ice, mud, gravel, and grass, where they can bite , without question the steel V-Bar chains offer the best traction.

  I have a combination of V-bar and straight bar chains on my 520H with the dual Ber Vac.  That I have never had enough snow to use. 

I would neve consider trying to climb my driveway with this 300lb monster hanging on the front.

 

                             Now, the rubber chains...you asked for it Jim.

 

The new straps have 4 good square corners that bite pretty well in loose snow.   As that leading corner wears away, they lose some bite.

 

 Then I flip them over and with that sharp edge out, the bite is much better. The snow tends to pull them away from the tire and act as a cut pulling tire.    I flip then and turn them end for end every season to make use of all 4 corners of the rubber straps.

 

                      Just my         No scientific controlled test data to prove any of it.

 

 

[Handy Don 12,472]

2 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

No scientific controlled test data to prove any of it.

Yet, despite no clear causation there is clear correlation! 

Very helpful, Ed.

Edited December 5 by Handy Don

[Lagersolut 680]

On 12/5/2024 at 9:41 AM, WHX?? said:

Yeah but you plow for every Tom Dick & Harry in the 'hood...

 

 Care to elaborate Ed?

Denny's 520 rig he had a choice set of steel v links on it when I got it and they had too good of traction on my asphalt. Even a bit of peel and they would chew up frozen blacktop right through a layer of ice. Had to take them off but does a surprising good job with just turfs & weights ... even on my hill. Was going to get some rubbers but never really needed to. 

 

Excuse for another  tractor with chains for those off road excursions  ... 

 

 

 

What for set up is that in your 1st picture with the chute/deflector  

Looks like a another way to get the wife to ask me what I'm spending money on again

Edited December 7 by Lagersolut