Yes on the AWD, 4 12M3's, a 672 GP and a 672G. My first machine was a worn out 772B-H on bias-ply, the next two were new 143H's with large block radials and now the 12M3 with the snow tires. We don't do much ditching anymore, budget cuts and management that doesn't know a graders capability but loves gradall's. I haven't cut a ditch in almost two years. Pulling berm and scraping for brine is about all we do now so the snow tires are fine.
-
Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!
Grader Tires
- Thread starter Scrb
- Start date
Oh no not trying to be harsh on you at all just like a good talk about snow tires You just need to come run one of our blades for a while 
cuttin edge
Senior Member
Having never run chains, I have to ask can you run full speed with them? We swap our winter grips back to rock tread in summer. I see the government graders run snow grips year round, but they don't see much mud. They did leave snow grips on my old 730 for a few years an yes I thought they were NWAF in mud.
20/80
Senior Member
With chains on running from one road to another 4-5 gear max for me in the 140m any faster you will start breaking cross links, that speed with your chains on really tight. thanks
cuttin edge
Senior Member
I can't make a comparison with snow grips to chains, because I have never run chains. Speed is one thing. One of the roads I did for the government last year was an hour drive just to get there. Couldn't imagine having to poke along with a set of chains, or have to put them on, and take them back off. I noticed one of the companies that plow woods roads for logging companies have chains hanging on the wing frame, but they do have snow tires on. Any time I have plowed main roads for the government, they want you to go fast in order to throw the snow back and keep the banks down. Couldn't do that with chains I guess. A lot of owners on the front end loader forum say they can't see the cost being worth it, but my bosses say they have been able to double the amount we plow, with loaders that is. My 940 is wingless buried in a snowbank this year. My boss won't even consider putting the wing on for less than full government rate, and too many guys with 20 year old graders will do it for almost half the price.
Thanks for the input. It surprises me how many of you guys up north don't run chains.I'm in northern Missouri and we chain up almost every time we have to push.We have run before on the snow tread and no chains but seems like you always get in that one spot where you need them.So we always start out with them on then if the guys feel they don't need them they can pull them off.
Yeah, it's an old wing designed to be used on a fixed frame grader. The "brace" bar would fasten between the tandems. The blade would be in line with the wing. I took that picture to show how high I can pile snow with the wing. It requires a "high level of maturity" though because you put a LOT of stress on the moldboard.
15mph is the max I'll run with chains on. If on pavement I'll slow to 12mph or so. We use very heavy duty 2 link chains. I haven't broken a crossbar in ten years. I just looked on one of the cardboard cans they come in for a thickness of the link material but it doesn't say. Does say a pair of them weigh 346lbs.
I blade snow at 14mph with chains on. I've only lost one chain in 27 years and that was because the side chain broke. I blade 50 miles of roads, all within an 8 mile square. So to get over them I'll run at least 100 miles.
I border I-35 10 miles South of Iowa. You anywhere close??
Fatgraderman
Senior Member
It's rare we run chains now. Unless it's freezing rain or something. With the fenders, it tough to run chains. And it's tough to do anything at speed with chains. Here we get a lot of wind, so you can save yourself a lot of work by throwing the snow and not leaving a ridge to hold the drifting.
20/80
Senior Member
Must be hard to keep the machine from kicking side ways, you sure have a lot of reach for sure, our wings hook to a wing post attached to the grader frame by your door and behind the tandems to a bolt on bracket from Craig plows, the wing is hydraulic with a telescopic ram that pushes out about 5 feet for extra reach good for benching snow drifts, Craig front plow and stingers in the mould board for ice blading, we make all our own chains in house cross chains ever 4th link, I have 60 roads that I am assigned to look after, l really like your pictures thanks.
Your welcome.
Yep the wing pushes the grader sideways. Takes some maturity to use it without tearing it up. It's not made for the forces of today's machines.
I take a lot of pictures. I especially like taking grader pics with snow. The white background brings out the machines very well.
Yep the wing pushes the grader sideways. Takes some maturity to use it without tearing it up. It's not made for the forces of today's machines.
I take a lot of pictures. I especially like taking grader pics with snow. The white background brings out the machines very well.
smoothoperator
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2007
- Messages
- 90
- Location
- North Dakota USA
- Occupation
- County and township maintenance and snow removal,
Our 140M3 AWD's were ordered with Michelin SnoPlus 17.5x25's, and factory fenders, so chains would be impossible without removing fenders. Since we moved away from big lug tires, we have been getting longer life, and much more even tread wear. I always liked running the Bridgestone snow wedge, and was never "immobilized" for more than about 10 minutes, no matter how bad the snow was. With all of the power, weight, and traction available, it's amazing how much snow some of these machines will go through without chains. I'm not new to this game, ('81), and I'm very lucky to be running top of the line equipment. For some, a good set of chains are a necessity. For others, if you don't need mud traction, go with snows.
A Township near me, with a much richer budget than ours, has a set of snows they swap onto the machine in Winter months and then swap back to regulars in Summer. Their idea is to save wear on the Snows. I don't know if that's resourceful or not.
I've never had Snows. But then I've never had AWD either. So I'm stuck with chains.
I've never had Snows. But then I've never had AWD either. So I'm stuck with chains.
smoothoperator
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2007
- Messages
- 90
- Location
- North Dakota USA
- Occupation
- County and township maintenance and snow removal,
A Township near me, with a much richer budget than ours, has a set of snows they swap onto the machine in Winter months and then swap back to regulars in Summer. Their idea is to save wear on the Snows. I don't know if that's resourceful or not.
I've never had Snows. But then I've never had AWD either. So I'm stuck with chains.
smoothoperator
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2007
- Messages
- 90
- Location
- North Dakota USA
- Occupation
- County and township maintenance and snow removal,
Regrooved Bridgestone Snow Wedge on the front of my '08 140M AWD. Time consuming, but I got another season of pretty good traction out of them.dieseldoctordan
Member
I was surprised to see someone mention recaps in one of the above posts. We have 17.5 x 25's on our machines, and rarely ever get enough life out of the sidewalls to recap. We find the Michelins are extremely bad for sidewall cracking. We've also tried Bridgestone, and have had about the same luck. It seems as though they are built to fail after a certain amount of time. Our local tire shop sold us some "off shore" tires at about half the price of Michelins. I guess we will find out how well they last. We also use snow tread tires year round, and though the tread wears a bit faster, they generally will crack the side walls before the tread wears too much for decent traction. As mentioned above they are not good in mud. We plow about 400 miles of road with 2 machines, so we have to travel too fast for chains. (We average 17 to 20 mph when plowing).
DDD
DDD
cuttin edge
Senior Member
They put Michelin snow tires on my old 730. They left them on till I wore them out, then they recapped them till They were wore out again.They were weather cracked so bad that I refused to walk the machine anywhere outside of town, so they had to float me.