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Traction tips for CTL in snow??

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
I used the bolt through and nut trick on mine... It was the only solution that sort of worked. I was plowing my own 3km long driveway with my t300. Eventually I gave up and bought a dozer. Way better haha.

Pro tip... Heat up a drill bit with a torch to punch your holes through.
 

Kxnate

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
102
Location
Billings MT
So for the guys that run bolts, do you take them out in the spring or just leave them in year round?? I would imagine the threads a ruined and probably have to cut the nut of to get them out??

What diameter bolts do you use?

Any additional track damage seen from this method?

That's a long driveway coastal. I dont think my wife would let me buy a dozer, already got a payment on a $20k + skidsteer that's not making any money haha.
 

Theweldor

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Messages
556
Location
Western, NY
Occupation
The Village Idiot
Yes, Cut the nuts off in the spring and get rid of them. I use 1/4 or 5/16 and only let the bolt stick out of the nut about the diameter of the bolt.
Keep in mind they are not for more traction they are there to make the machine more stable and keep it from sliding!!
 

Kxnate

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
102
Location
Billings MT
Yes, Cut the nuts off in the spring and get rid of them. I use 1/4 or 5/16 and only let the bolt stick out of the nut about the diameter of the bolt.
Keep in mind they are not for more traction they are there to make the machine more stable and keep it from sliding!!

All I want is no more oh **** moments haha!
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
They will help with those moments, I'd have one hill I would get 3/4 up, run out of traction and slide all the way back down...so exciting!

I cut mine out, it didn't seem to hurt the tracks, but I sold the machine the next summer and didn't test the long term durability. The ideal setup would be to heavily spike an old set of tracks and use them for winter tracks and just swap tracks for the season.
 

KSSS

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
4,319
Location
Idaho
Occupation
excavation
Just remember that if your plowing commercially, you will scar the asphalt. May not be a big deal, depending on the customers. I have seen customers with multimillion dollar homes get pretty worked up about having their asphalt scratched and gouged when using chains on skid steers. Just something to keep in mind.
 

Kxnate

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
102
Location
Billings MT
Yeah that would be nice to have 2 track setups. I am still debating on whether on not I want to bolt it, or just get more accustomed with how it operates in snow. I have a better idea now what to do and not do.

I am still concerned with drilling through the tracks, as I imagine they are like a tire with cords running through them and drilling through a bunch of the cords in my mind would compromise the integrity of the track.

If I was generating income with this machine I'd be more inclined to do it, however this skidsteer is just home use not making me a dime and tracks are expensive haha!
 

KSSS

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
4,319
Location
Idaho
Occupation
excavation
you don't want to hit the steel cords going through the tracks, that would suck.
 

DIYDAVE

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Messages
2,410
Location
MD
Kxnate, What kinda machine do you have? I have an ASV RC30, and it has no steel in the tracks. I still would prefer to use screws, just deep enough, to not go through the lugs. If you use a bolt, you also will want to line things up, so that the head of the bolt is not lined up with the UC rollers, that may stress both the track, and the rollers, unless the head is real flat, or countersunk...;)
 

Kxnate

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
102
Location
Billings MT
Kxnate, What kinda machine do you have? I have an ASV RC30, and it has no steel in the tracks. I still would prefer to use screws, just deep enough, to not go through the lugs. If you use a bolt, you also will want to line things up, so that the head of the bolt is not lined up with the UC rollers, that may stress both the track, and the rollers, unless the head is real flat, or countersunk...;)

Hi Dave, I have a 2007 John Deere CT322.
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
Another thing I tried was metal roofing screws with the rubber washer, they gave great traction but eventually pulled out. You need to use lots of them though.
 

bigbob

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
191
Location
Lee,NH
I have a Cat 289D which came with the heavy duty C Block tracks which sucked in snow. I replaced them seasonally with the Cat medium duty tracks which have a z bar tread. Night and day for traction, even works on glare ice. Just don't try it on ice with a dusting of snow however, then you will need ice screws!
 

Twisted

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
389
Location
MN
I have several hundred hours in the seat of a 277C pushing a 10' snow pusher doing parking lots for a local factory. I thought it worked very well but it is dead flat around here. We had a big FWA tractor for the heavy spots and used the 277 mostly for tight areas and close to the building. It was an entirely different technique running it on ice and hardpack.
 

Kxnate

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
102
Location
Billings MT
Well we got about 6 inches of snow last night, I just finished clearing it all out. Things went a lot better today, I used several of you guys' pointers, specifically clearing the asphalt portions down better, and better track control starts and stops with better finesse as to not spin the tracks. No major rodeos today so thanks for everyone's input! I dont think I'll stud these tracks at this point in time, maybe whe they are due for replacement I may stud them and keep them as winter tracks, but operating technique definitely helped a ton!
 

rms2

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
6
Location
Virginia
I installed a set of the carbide studs from Clawm.com on my C190 and they work great. We had over 20" of wet snow in one of our storms earlier this winter and I plowed about 2 miles of hilly gravel road in about an hour. I had no problems with slipping at all even though parts of it had been driven on earlier and were icy underneath. I was worried because I have the big block type treads which I'm sure would be terrible in conditions like that, but with the studs I had great traction. And I'm in a similar situation as you Kxnate, I use my machine on my property and my neighbors for logging, road maintenance, moving dirt, and other chores, and I also have to be able to plow us out so we can get to work. Take a look at those clawm studs on their website. They're a bit pricey but are holding up well and have also really improved my grip for logging. I'm working on some pretty steep slopes and have much better grip now with the studs installed. And no issues so far with them damaging the tracks or ripping out. They are holding up well. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.
 

Xanadu99

New Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
1
Location
Plainview, MN
We have a Case TR340 with C-pad design tracks - which are absolutely worthless in snow & ice. Last winter (2018-2019) was one of, if not the snowiest winters (and coldest) on record for us. As I was searching for ways to improve traction, I investigated snow tracks and various track stud designs. I decided to try the Grip Studs brand of studs (other similar brands like Marrkey are available on Amazon). These were among the moderately priced stud options.

After a hard season of use, I can say that I was extremely happy with the traction aid that these studs provided. The design of these carbide studs includes a wide auger screw, which holds extremely well. I don't believe any of the studs released from the tracks over the winter. The other thing about this stud design is that, if they did come loose and fall out, the wide auger design seems less likely to find its way into an unsuspecting tire come spring time.

The main downside to studs in general is that, when driving on cement, any skidding or turning resulted in a decorative etching embossed in the floor. Since we keep our loader inside during winter, and since we have to make a right angle turn (on cement) to drive the machine inside, the etching was hard to avoid. A work-around for this problem would include laying down rubber belting or plywood on the floor to protect the cement.

Although carbide studs have their place and worked well for me, I am interested to hear more responses from people who use Camso SD tracks or other similar 'ZigZag' design track treads from other resellers. As well, if using these ZigZag tread tracks in summer, how do folks like them in mud? Longevity & etc. ?
 

Catdidrun

Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Messages
14
Location
Beech Creek, Pennsylvania
Has anyone tried tire chains? The would need to be modified and joined together to make them long enough, also would have to be wide enough wrap around the edge of the track by 3-4". I don't have enough chains lying around to try it, I wouldn't want to by new chains before I knew that they would work.
I'm sure they would have to fit snug or maybe have some type of clamp on the edge to keep them in place.
Let me know your thoughts. 20220116_161044.jpg 20220116_161044.jpg 20220116_161056.jpg
 

KSSS

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
4,319
Location
Idaho
Occupation
excavation
That looks interesting, I am curious how well they stay on the track and I bet they are expensive. No doubt they would lock up well on ice.
 
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