Snow Blowers

Our last post was about snow blower tire chains and we decided that we should also talk about garden tractor tire chains and why you might need them. When we talk about tire chains for a garden tractor, it is really because you plan to use the garden tractor in the wintertime to clear snow. Some people will use a blade on the front of the garden tractor. While others will mount a snowblower attachment on the front or the back of the garden tractor. The more weight you can place on the drive wheels ( the back wheels) of the garden tractor the better the traction is going to be.  Placing a blade on the front will not add any traction and it is not that heavy anyway.

Add a Snow Blower Attachment

Adding a snowblower attachment to the front of the garden tractor will actually take a little weight off the back wheels. You will really need to consider tire chains for your garden tractor. Mounting the snowblower attachment on the back is probably the best from a traction perspective. However, you will always have to be backing up when blowing snow. This means that you are always turned in your seat to make sure you are driving straight.

Either way, I think that if I had a garden tractor with a snow blower attachment on it, I would add tire chains to the wheels to gain that extra traction. A garden tractor is heavy. If you get it stuck you are not going to be able to manhandle it out of where ever it is stuck. All you will do is spin the wheels. This can happen sometimes even with tire chains on. But it will definitely occur when you do not have tire chains.  Invest in tire chains and make sure they are on whenever you are blowing snow. Regardless of whether it is icy or not.

Garden Tractor Tire Chains – Spinning Wheels on Icy Driveways

Consider this situation. You are blowing snow with your garden tractor on a flat driveway that is covered with ice. You hit a particularly solid drift of snow. All your wheels are going to do is slip on the ice. They will not drive the garden tractor forward. This is what you need if you are going to move that snowdrift.  The wheels will be spinning, but you will not be moving.

With tire chains on the garden tractor wheels, the chains will dig into the ice and provide traction so that the entire unit will move forward. This is a simple straightforward situation. Consider what would happen in a situation where your driveway is sloped.

Dangerous Situations

The tires or going to slip on the ice and you might even move sideways as well, which can be dangerous if you go off the main driveway.  Remember this is not something you can move or even with the help of another person. If you get stuck in some way you are going to need the help of another vehicle to pull you out. You can still get stuck while using tire chains. The probability of this occurring will be a lot less than if you do not have tire chains on the wheels. Most tire chains for garden tractors can be ordered from the dealer as an option. However, the best time to buy them is when you are still negotiating the price of the garden tractor. Maybe you can get them thrown on as part of the deal.

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