# tire chains



## slantback37 (Aug 30, 2019)

Hi. I bought the Ariens 30" Deluxe. Should I get tire chains for it?? I have no paved area that I blow. Just had 23" of snow on top of 7.4". Tires spun a lot. Was kind of hard to get threw it all. Got the tires stuck twice from just spinning in 1st gear.. Never had chains on the MTD's I owened before, but they had balloon tires on them..


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

Whats on it for rubber? I like chains, but they do make a blower “ride”
rough and can be a bit hard on the drive system.


----------



## vinnycom (Nov 6, 2017)

balloon tires? pics of both tires for comparison would help but yes on chains


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

XTrac or SnowHog Tires, can't go wrong.


----------



## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

If you're cheap you could just screw sheet metal screws into the lugs, make sure they aren't longer than the lugs or you could have flat tires (unless you put some slime in them...). 



My blower has what kind of looks like old style military type tires with lugs perpendicular to travel, they already had two holes per lug and I probably could have fired some carbide tipped studs meant for vehicle tires in there but sheet metal screws were cheaper and easily removed/replaced. Definitely helps get traction on ice and packed snow, just a little more of a pain to move on concrete if you don't want to chance scratching the floor, I usually just pick up the blower and pivot on the bucket vs tires if I have the screws in.


----------



## rnlocnil (Feb 9, 2014)

If you're going to use your snowblower a lot, you might at least find some hardened screws, although I don't know if that's enough. I had some steel studded tires on my bicycle that wore out in a few hundred miles. I think snowblower duty might be a little harder on the screws, though I'm not sure.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

LOL … just when you think you heard everything ….


----------



## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

oneacer said:


> LOL … just when you think you heard everything ….



Hey now...


https://smile.amazon.com/Kold-Kutte...keywords=atv+ice+screws&qid=1575940009&sr=8-2


https://smile.amazon.com/Frogg-Togg...6FAH24PAGFB&psc=1&refRID=J0F0GPN3Y6FAH24PAGFB


Wife used to do running when we were in Alaska and at one event they were doing free running shoe studs which looked very much like the first link only very short. It's a tried and true method for getting traction on icy/packed snow conditions. We played around as kids and studded the rear tire of our little dirtbikes (not the front for some reason, made riding exciting) and we were able to dig through ice all the way up to the chain without issue. I ran cheap sheet metal screws in my blower tires for the nearly 8 years I was in Alaska and another two in North Dakota and they still have plenty of life left except that I took them out as we have a new house here in Colorado and we get so little snow that I often do my neighbors driveways and wouldn't want to scratch theirs up, mine I don't care about so much.


----------



## Dag Johnsen (Dec 24, 2018)

*personally I think*



slantback37 said:


> Hi. I bought the Ariens 30" Deluxe. Should I get tire chains for it?? I have no paved area that I blow. Just had 23" of snow on top of 7.4". Tires spun a lot. Was kind of hard to get threw it all. Got the tires stuck twice from just spinning in 1st gear.. Never had chains on the MTD's I owened before, but they had balloon tires on them..


For me the Chains are a must. Where I live we always get ice under the snow on my yard, and the Chains make even the huge snowfalls much easier to handle.


Dag


----------



## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

A BIG BONUS with sheet metal screws or similar is they don't jump and bounce like chains do.


----------



## trellis (Mar 14, 2018)

On X-trac tires my chains are set to fit within the groves in the tread with a bit extending above the tread. These are the Ariens style chains. I’ve attached the photo from Ariens this is how mine are mounted.

Grizzlars have a net design, I had these on a previous blower. Arnold sells a zig-zag style. Each of these styles puts more metal on top of the treads and bounces more.

I have a feeling that people that use chains tend to leave snow on the ground like I do with a gravel driveway, and/or ice under the snow. On flat asphalt or concrete my guess is that they may not be needed. 

So to follow up on that thought... if any of you like chains, is it fair to say that you may fall into one or both of those conditions? Also anyone with old garden tires would also likely need them.


----------



## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

My old now dead Bolens 30 with fat tires required chains especially when I cleared snow going up the driveway which has about a 25-30 degree slope. So I thought my current machine, Ariens 28 Pro would also need them an I purchased a pair that I failed to get them mounted onto the large cleated tires. So I run the machine now with no chains.

Others here in the forum repeatedly advised against them on large cleated tires. So after a season clearing Massachusetts winter snow....... earlier comments telling me I didn’t need them PROVED TRUE! As I type, I have no intention of putting needless chains onto my machine


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@ foggysail,

I am in total agreement … no need for chains, ever , in my opinion, under any conditions, and I have been in all conditions ….. just go with the XTrac or SnowHogs, … but you will always have some that will want it regardless of what they have, be it lawn or anything else, and that is certainly there right to feel comfortable with it.


----------

