Plowing snow

[Bret McFarland]

Okay, call me cranky but chains are a nuisance, on for winter, off in spring. As for wheel weights you likely need 75lbs per wheel. You need help from God if a wheel needs to come off for maintenance. My former Elec-Trak had 160lbs (from a home gym weight set) on the 'back porch.' My driveway is fairly flat and the ET had Carlisle AG tires (the square shouldered model) and would move 10-12" of snow. Those tires are now on the Cub. Cub has enough ironwork out back to create a metal/wood box, something more substantial than my toolbox.
Jack

NICE tractor. I will never forget the day I tried to take off a 12-24 small tractor wheel filled w/fluid thinking like a fool I could turn it around for a wider track. Arnold Schwartzenager couldn't have held it up.

 

[dschwandt]

Okay, call me cranky but chains are a nuisance, on for winter, off in spring. As for wheel weights you likely need 75lbs per wheel. You need help from God if a wheel needs to come off for maintenance. My former Elec-Trak had 160lbs (from a home gym weight set) on the 'back porch.' My driveway is fairly flat and the ET had Carlisle AG tires (the square shouldered model) and would move 10-12" of snow. Those tires are now on the Cub. Cub has enough ironwork out back to create a metal/wood box, something more substantial than my toolbox.
Jack

Biggest Issue I have found, even with chains and weights, if you find yourself charging off into a big drift, relying on pure BRS to pull you through but wind up with heavy snow coming up and over the blade, falling down behind it.
If you run out of traction at that point, you are pretty much sno/cre/wed then it's time to break out the thrower if you are lucky enough to have a back up besides a shovel!
Funny thing is, this usually happens when you are going down hill!!

 

[jbratton]

Okay, call me cranky but chains are a nuisance, on for winter, off in spring. As for wheel weights you likely need 75lbs per wheel. You need help from God if a wheel needs to come off for maintenance. My former Elec-Trak had 160lbs (from a home gym weight set) on the 'back porch.' My driveway is fairly flat and the ET had Carlisle AG tires (the square shouldered model) and would move 10-12" of snow. Those tires are now on the Cub. Cub has enough ironwork out back to create a metal/wood box, something more substantial than my toolbox.
Jack

I know what you mean about putting chains on and off…and just the whole getting the tractor ready for snow duty.
I understand why people have multiple cub cadets, each one having a specific duty.

 

[Neil Mullins]

Keep in mind wheel weights & tire loading “liquid” are unsprung weight. Not nearly as bad from a wear & stress issue on the tractor itself. When you carry extra ballast on front or rear, your axles, wheel bearings & frame of tractor is carrying the weight.

 

[Bret McFarland]

Keep in mind wheel weights & tire loading “liquid” are unsprung weight. Not nearly as bad from a wear & stress issue on the tractor itself. When you carry extra ballast on front or rear, your axles, wheel bearings & frame of tractor is carrying the weight.

Well I just don't get the wear on the bearings thing at all. Have you ever heard of anyone tearing down a rear-end and seeing the bearings shot? These are the same type of common bearings installed everywhere that carry 1000+ lbs of weight at much higher speeds. When you go to a plow day event (or tractor pull) you don't hear guys worried about tearing up their bearings, pulling a plow would put on way more force than an extra 100lbs or so. Apparently Cub Cadet wasn't worried either when they offered the rear weight bracket as an option.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Biggest Issue I have found, even with chains and weights, if you find yourself charging off into a big drift, relying on pure BRS to pull you through but wind up with heavy snow coming up and over the blade, falling down behind it.
If you run out of traction at that point, you are pretty much sno/cre/wed then it's time to break out the thrower if you are lucky enough to have a back up besides a shovel!
Funny thing is, this usually happens when you are going down hill!!

For those that are fairly new here, "BRS" is short for "Blunier Ramming Speed", named after forum member Steve Blunier. I believe his father Big Steve taught Steve the BRS technique early on. Here's a couple of photos that Big Steve took back in the 1960's allegedly while developing/refining the BRS technique.

 

[glippert]

I had a bracket made to hold 4 small suitcase weights (40 lbs each). I have another bracket for the front, made from an old mule drive, so I can use the same weights on front for plowing with the moldboard plow. I also have a pair of the cheap plastic wheel weights, and 2-link chains, to go along with my 275 lbs of bodyweight, so traction is not a problem. lol.

 

[cubs4lifeofme]

 

[mwmacdonald]

For those that are fairly new here, "BRS" is short for "Blunier Ramming Speed", named after forum member Steve Blunier. I believe his father Big Steve taught Steve the BRS technique early on. Here's a couple of photos that Big Steve took back in the 1960's allegedly while developing/refining the BRS technique.

View attachment 152135

View attachment 152136

There's stuck then there's this. Wow if I buried my pioneer that deep, I'd never get it out.

 

[Bret McFarland]

BRS-style + self-driving + extra weight ... I like it!

 

[tkhoffman]

Lay down some old used carpet scraps or thick carboard where you park it.
Serves a dual use as it catches oil drips.
Works for me.

Yup, I got plywood pieces. But I still get the slip and grip dance at the 1 foot of cement at the garage door before getting to wood

 

[tkhoffman]

Okay, call me cranky but chains are a nuisance, on for winter, off in spring. As for wheel weights you likely need 75lbs per wheel. You need help from God if a wheel needs to come off for maintenance. My former Elec-Trak had 160lbs (from a home gym weight set) on the 'back porch.' My driveway is fairly flat and the ET had Carlisle AG tires (the square shouldered model) and would move 10-12" of snow. Those tires are now on the Cub. Cub has enough ironwork out back to create a metal/wood box, something more substantial than my toolbox.
Jack

Chains stay on 12 months. They help on dew grass when pulling small trailers

 

[cubs4lifeofme]

BRS-style + self-driving + extra weight ... I like it!

It's so nice to sit inside and watch the snow fly.

 

[dfrisk]

HERE I GO AGAIN, Kraig, can you post the picture of Steve just inside the door of his house covered in snow looking like the Abominable Snow Monster from "How the GRINCH Stole Christmas"?

Both my big FARMALLS have 2-link chains, cross chains every 2 links of the side chains. More weight and way more chances for the chains to push you through slick spots. First time I took the chains off the Super H, only took 5 minutes per chain. Took over an HOUR to get each chain back on. I asked DAD if He had and advice to make them easier to install. Was a short pause on the phone, then Dad said, "Yeah, NEVER take them off!". That was over 20 years ago, and I've only removed them once since then. I have found some tips to installing them. A 12" x 8" or 10" chain for a Cub Cadet is child's play, my chains weigh over 200#, maybe 250#, and the rear tires are a bit over 5 ft tall. I set the chains on top of the tire, normally I have to chain them onto the wheel and jack the wheel up off the floor and spin the wheel. Then I thread a flexible steel cable thru the side chains to tighten them as tight as I can get them. Then I bolt them together with small clevises. There's some slack in them but I've never lost a chain. I'm getting to the point I need to replace some cross chains, THAT will be expensive!
I've kept the chains on when I did some re-landscaping around my house 10 years ago. I scraped up over a foot of dirt and loaded it in my big Pronovost dump cart, probably around 10,000-12,000#. I could creep along at idle in low gear and fill my loader bucket heaping full. 3 buckets was a heaping cart load. Once I had the cart full the 982 & cart hauled it where ever I wanted. I kinda lost track of how much crushed granite rock I moved, but was around 50,000#, neighbor brought his skid-steer down and loaded it up in his 1-ton dump truck, I'm figuring 5000# loads, ten of them. I now lawn mow where all that rock was. I used to have to spray ROUND-UP 4-5 times a summer to keep grass & weeds down.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Denny, ah, "Frosty Blunier", here he is

 

[jack casey]

Chains stay on 12 months. They help on dew grass when pulling small trailers

Oh sure, but when grass/soil are moist them chains will pick up that grass/soil and track it into my shed. Had that experience. Messy.

 

[-CӞ]

Denny, ah, "Frosty Blunier", here he is

View attachment 152151

Captain Rosycheeks.

 

[tkhoffman]

These small chains are tough to put on. I found it easier to have the tires off the Cub, with tire pressure way low.
I can put chains on my big tractor in about 10 minutes a tire without cursing. Putting the chains on the Cub left me bloody and sweaty.

 

[Doug Rusk]

Key is take your time and don't get frustrated. Chains big or small can be a pain. But not that bad usually with a lil thought. I don't think small ones are usually too bad.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I use a floor jack to raise up the rear of my Cub Cadets an inch or two to put the chains on. Makes it easy to mount them. Drape the chain over the tire and rotate it to wrap it around the tire. Hook up the ends, adjust as needed, rehook as needed to tighten.