How to get better traction in the woods

[ebinmaine 69,143]

35 minutes ago, Alrashid2 said:

I was just thinking about tire pressure before you commented this! So my tires have tubes, and I currently have them filled to 12 PSI. With tubes, what do you think is a good all around tire pressure in my circumstances? Maybe I could get away with 8 PSI until summer time? Tires themselves have good tread but are pretty cracked, so I don't want to go so low as to cause the tires to fall apart from bending...

 

 

What does the MANUAL say is the proper inflation pressure? Not what it says on the tire or what you read somewhere else...

 

On the older tractors I believe the manual reads 12 PSI front, 8 PSI rear.

We run ours even lower here.

 

I've been meaning to ask, in an earlier post you mentioned a bad experience with chains. What kind of tractor or other machine was that on? Was it in the yard you now live in? Was it a heavy machine or a light lawn tractor?

I'm curious to know the extenuating circumstances.....

[bassJAM 60]

2 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

I was just thinking about tire pressure before you commented this! So my tires have tubes, and I currently have them filled to 12 PSI. With tubes, what do you think is a good all around tire pressure in my circumstances? Maybe I could get away with 8 PSI until summer time? Tires themselves have good tread but are pretty cracked, so I don't want to go so low as to cause the tires to fall apart from bending...

 

You also bring up an interesting thought with the spark plug air fill! I had never thought of that... is that actually something I can do?

 

I think you could get away with 5-6 psi and will give you a wider footprint.  When I used to ride with guys with quads they'd go as low as 3.5-4 psi with their rear tires in the springtime mud.  Raising the front tire pressure a couple psi will help reduce rolling resistance.  More weight over the rear and less on the front helps as well.

 

I know you don't want chains but they really are the answer.  My rear tires are pretty much bald, but I run chains on them and regularly take my WH in my hilly woods to haul out firewood in my yard cart and it just doesn't get stuck unless I do something stupid.  Yeah, when it's really muddy out they do pick up mud and leaves but at least my boots stay clean because I don't have to push!

[Roger R 455]

4 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

I would not recommend buying this kit and removing a spark plug from your car every time you want to pump up a tire and running it on a dead cylinder.  You would also be pumping gasoline into the tire.

  If you don't have a compressor, just buy a hand tire pump for $10.

 https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Inflator-Schrader-Handheld-Suitable/dp/B0C62BLMJ4/ref=asc_df_B0C62BLMJ4?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80195816498198&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795282660758&th=1

 

 

Certainly a questionable method these days, and I don't think you could find one any more. What I remember was from over 65 years ago, and such logical things as safety were not on the top of the list. My Dad had one in the trunk of his '51 Ford, and one plug out of a flat head V8 wouldn't keep that fine old engine from idling along at a great rate. The concept was rather simple, a hose long enough to reach the rear tires, one end with an air chuck (likely a clamp on) for filling tires, the other end with a fitting threaded for a standard spark plug with a check valve. As a lot of things which were considered fine in those days, No one would consider now.      

[lynnmor 7,432]

1 hour ago, Roger R said:

Certainly a questionable method these days, and I don't think you could find one any more. What I remember was from over 65 years ago, and such logical things as safety were not on the top of the list. My Dad had one in the trunk of his '51 Ford, and one plug out of a flat head V8 wouldn't keep that fine old engine from idling along at a great rate. The concept was rather simple, a hose long enough to reach the rear tires, one end with an air chuck (likely a clamp on) for filling tires, the other end with a fitting threaded for a standard spark plug with a check valve. As a lot of things which were considered fine in those days, No one would consider now.      

Just a thought, how many times do you have trouble getting a tubeless tire to seat?  Maybe pumping that fuel air mixture in there and touching it off might result in instant seating. 

[Ed Kennell 39,388]

2 hours ago, Roger R said:

Certainly a questionable method these days, and I don't think you could find one any more

Do they still make cars with spark plugs?    Guess you could tap into the battery gas or the AC compressor.

[Alrashid2 333]

22 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

What does the MANUAL say is the proper inflation pressure? Not what it says on the tire or what you read somewhere else...

 

On the older tractors I believe the manual reads 12 PSI front, 8 PSI rear.

We run ours even lower here.

 

I've been meaning to ask, in an earlier post you mentioned a bad experience with chains. What kind of tractor or other machine was that on? Was it in the yard you now live in? Was it a heavy machine or a light lawn tractor?

I'm curious to know the extenuating circumstances.....

Oh gosh @ebinmaine I'm trying to remember... used a neighbor's tractor (probably more of a mower) here before, and had a few tractor/mowers on the property I grew up on with similar soil and grading. I can't remember any details on them... but we used to run chains on some old Jeeps once in a while too. All in all, I know they work, but I hated the loudness and the mess they made and it isn't worth it for me! At least not yet. Maybe I'll get more desperate...

 

Thanks all for the advice on the spark plug pump haha. Just never heard of that and found it curious

[peter lena 8,917]

@Alrashid2  was thinking more like this , also note , additional  winch pull of another  tree , apparently , not enough drag weight , pete  

 

[Ed Kennell 39,388]

                                                Now that's some serious traction.    AGs for mud  and soft dirt.   Chains for ice, frozen ground and snow.

[ebinmaine 69,143]

3 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

                                                Now that's some serious traction.    AGs for mud  and soft dirt.   Chains for ice, frozen ground and snow.

 

That's our time proven solution here.  

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 69,143]

5 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

I hated the LOUDNESS

 

I had great suspicions there was something incorrect and unfortunate in your history.

Chains, when installed CORRECTLY, make NO noise.

They are so tightly held to the tire that they are unable to move thereby unable to rattle or clink or tink or anything like that.

A chain that is loose and able to make noise is absolutely not doing its job correctly.

Could be too big. Could be worn. Could be installed incorrectly. Could be any number of things.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

and the mess they made

 

 

I'd be willing to bet good money that you're making more of a mess spraying ground surface around with your turf tires then you would be with PROPERLY INSTALLED chains that DON'T SPIN.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

and it isn't worth it for me! At least not yet. Maybe I'll get......

 

 

better informed and have proper equipment.....

 

 

 

I stand by my original response.

 

Properly installed chains ARE the answer that you're looking for.

[Wild Bill 633 860]

FYI, I have a Simplicity Legacy XL 4WD w/ FEL and it has Kenda K502 tires on it. The rears are loaded and have wheel weights along with suitcase weights and work very well in all conditions except ice.

[kpinnc 12,883]

On 1/24/2025 at 10:01 AM, peter lena said:

was thinking more like this ,

 

I don't care who you are, that is impressive. It almost seems that there is some unseen surface under the mud to provide that kind of traction! 

 

I knew the Unimogs were tough, but that is just crazy!

Edited 13 hours ago by kpinnc

[Handy Don 12,784]

1 hour ago, kpinnc said:

I don't care who you are, that is impressive. It almost seems that there is some unseen surface under the mud to provide that kind of traction! 

I knew the Unimogs were tough, but that is just crazy!

Definitely some traction under the mud. The watery mud also helped to float/lubricate the dragged logs and ease the flow around the transfer case and differentials.

Standard models had 8 speeds in both forward and reverse. Options included one or two “reduction gear” transmissions so as many as 32 gears in either direction! The older models had only 70hp but aftermarket turbos and other add-ons often yielded 110 or more.

[RED-Z06 2,326]

This week we had almost a foot of snow in Florida, i user a green tractor with a blade to push snow, on turf tires...it did okay until it slipped, once it slipped or lost momentum it was stuck.

 

I changed out to my loader tractor with loaded ag tires, 150lbs of wheel weighs, amd 200lbs in back.  Night and day, no slippage anywhere on anything, even on ice.

 

Definitely an ag type tire and some weight, i think would be your best bet, you dont have a diff lock or steering brakes so you basically have to maximize grip.

[pfrederi 18,053]

19 minutes ago, RED-Z06 said:

This week we had almost a foot of snow in Florida, i user a green tractor with a blade to push snow, on turf tires...it did okay until it slipped, once it slipped or lost momentum it was stuck.

 

I changed out to my loader tractor with loaded ag tires, 150lbs of wheel weighs, amd 200lbs in back.  Night and day, no slippage anywhere on anything, even on ice.

 

Definitely an ag type tire and some weight, i think would be your best bet, you dont have a diff lock or steering brakes so you basically have to maximize grip.

 

 

Okay  for Florida  I had my D200 out last week to try to get some crushed stone from my pile.  The ground is frozen solid and a little bit of snow on it.  She has loaded AG tires, wheel weights and 100+ lbs of counter weight hanging off the rear plus me.  Couldn't push into the pile tires just spun and spun.  AGs are no good if the ground is frozen hard as they cannot dig in...

[adsm08 2,279]

4 hours ago, pfrederi said:

 

 

.  AGs are no good if the ground is frozen hard as they cannot dig in...

 

Ags are terrible if the ground is frozen, or on ice. The only good part is that you can grab tread lugs for a kind of limited slip effect, if you are brave enough. V-bar chains are a must for low-traction situations.

[kpinnc 12,883]

On 1/23/2025 at 4:44 PM, lynnmor said:

Maybe pumping that fuel air mixture in there and touching it off might result in instant seating. 

 

Seen it done before... 

 

 

[ebinmaine 69,143]

49 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

V-bar chains are a must for low-traction situations.

 

 

Absolutely agreed.