An Easy Way To Put On Tractor Chains

Here is an easy way to put on tractor tire chains, no heavy lifting required! I bought a new set of tire chains for the Farmall 656, and didn't want the heavy lifting involved in the normal way of installing them. This method only requires 2 pieces of baling twine, and it only took about a half hour to get the chains on the tractor.
The original video I got the idea from: • The easy way to instal...
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[@luckenbachgardens1551]

Where does a farmer get his cows from? From a cattlelog.

[@nickhubbell3]

We use chains every year that’s how I put them on but you got yours on wrong always hooks towards the front or so you pulling into the hook it looks like you will have to move them to the opposite tire you have them on to get the hooks right and to keep cross Chan hooks right I’ll put a pick on of mine. It won’t let me post a pic but when the hook is open it should point to the front of the tractor and close towards the rear

[@pagrainfarmer]

Here in western PA have to put chains on one of my Olivers so I can use it to plow snow off of our driveway. I struggled with getting my chains tight. I pretty much did what you did in this video and could never get my chains really tight because the tractor was sitting on the chains while I was attaching them. What worked for me was putting a block and bottle jack under the tractor axle and raising the wheel off the ground. I took the tractor out of gear, put the end of the chain over a couple lugs near the ground, and by turning the wheel with my hand, I got the chain on the whole way around. It was quick and easy to do and also helped me get and keep the chain tight so there was no slack in it once I was done. Just another way to do it.

[@mr.fringeminority5426]

When I was still working at the tire shop, this is how I did ag chains. I jacked it up and spun the wheel by hand, but same idea.

[@jasonwhitler4167]

Put some steel lugs back on the 10-20 and you'll never have to worry about chains again!

[@phildehli9399]

I put the chains up a little higher, and then hook them in tire lug , then drive ahead, forget the twine string, I’ve been doing it fifty years that way, I never use tightness eather, except on my skid loader, there I use some small turn bockels, and really tighten them up.

[@donaldmack7213]

When younger I put tire chains on cars, trucks, and tractors many times. One time a cross link broke and before I could find a safe place to pull off the road, it beat a big hole in the wheel well of an old car I had! Not only had to fix the tire chain, also had to pop rivet a patch to the wheel well!

[@alexregonly]

You started to tie the bailing twine on and I was like EUREKA!!!

[@marieviken1945]

As a small lady I do almost the same which I learnt in a lady tractor course many years ago - instead of using bailing twine I hang the chain end on the tire tread as far up as it will hang without faling down and then drive forward. The chain end will follow the wheel also when it comes down to the ground and under the wheel so no need for bailing twine. When the whole chain is on the tire and the first chain end is laying on the ground behind the wheel and the other chain end is right above I hook the chain ends together and tighten them. Usually I will have to retighten them after driving for some time. Enjoy your channel very much!

[@BarnyardEngineering]

Ah, the classic dilemma of installing tire chains. That is certainly one of the least-dramatic methods I've seen here on KZbin. Some of these guys think it should take several hours and that you need to be able to play a tune on the chains once they're on. Oh, and I agree about the tensioners... I'll bet they never see the light of day again after April 1st.

[@hardheadedgerman]

Did you remember to remove that chain binder ? It's still on after the short drive.

[@katieandkevinsears7724]

I cleaned my barn stalls out this week. It was 23 degrees and no snow. At least the mud was frozen so the wheelbarrow didn't sink to the center of the Earth.

[@lukabosnjak1300]

I have a homestad in europ. I nided front loader tractor so i got a torpedo 7506. That is a copy of deutz fahr tractors. 4wd tractor is much mucch beter than 2wd tractor in mudy conditions. Sory for my bad english😁

[@lathamarea1437]

i always just jacked up tires off ground on my M/F 35 and pulled the chains up and spun the tire..tops, 15 minutes and done

[@LedgemereHeritageFarm]

I’ve watched so many of your videos that now, I’m afraid I’ll introduce mine as “Hi, I’m Tom from Just a Few Acres Farm...”😅

[@RetreatfarmFarmvilleVirginia]

I'm glad you went with the chains instead of adapting Half tracks like i did on my Super C. Half tracks take up to two hours to get them together and secured. So needless to say that tractor is strictly dedicated to off road work and can't be driven on the driveways or hard surface road without scarring them up. But the trade off with tracks is excellent traction except on side hills. Tracks are very good for breaking up sheet ice, but i'm not sure if chains can do that. Let us know if they do.

[@Rowdymotmot]

What a good tip. I think the tensioners are a good thing.

[@ikonseesmrno7300]

That's an interesting way of doing it. Pretty similar to my method. I back onto the chains until there's enough sticking out the front to wrap it around most of the front of the tire. Continue backing up until 3/4 of the tire is covered, connect the ends & done. I certainly can see where tying the chain would be good for tires with not much tread left. Haven't found a need for the side chains yet. Figured they were for high speed applications like cars & trucks. Regards!

[@ronaldkearn3322]

Yes, you need the tensioners. They keep the chains in tact. :-)

[@brianbenedix4942]

My dad taught me that way when I was little 49 now. I never use springs or bungee straps just drive around get them worked in and keep dropping links till they are tight. Helpfull hint a big pair of channel locks are a big help

[@thegreenerthemeaner]

Even better is a load binder with hooks that go inside the chain.

[@matti8894]

From chaining up semis for the oil fields I can tell you I’ve seen many composed men get really mad/frustrated chaining up.

[@traceyosterlind14]

That is awesome! I've only ever put on chains the roll backwards method, in driving snow, with freezing fingers, swearing in many languages.

[@RobinRK1962]

How many times did you warm your fingers. At first I thought you were doing this with your bare hands because of the color of your gloves. I was thinking, man this guy must be warm blooded. I put chains on today in Midland Ontario at -10, and I came in twice to warm up. Nice video... love the farm. Watching this sure makes me miss ours. (you had me at "tractor")

[@thomasme9676]

I think the extra end get fasten to the outside chains

[@scottrayhons2537]

Thats my thinking also. Otherwise clevis fastener will get beat and wore out.

[@clf235]

If you want the chain tighter, you can let some air out of the tires before you put the chain on. Then pump them up after. Would like to have tried your method when I put very heavy chains on a log skidded many years ago. Although I would have had to use wire cable instead of twine.

[@corydriver7634]

The thing about tensioners is you don’t know you need them until you’ve had them and one breaks...you’ll see. We used the heavy rubber bungees instead.

[@marmotwiyaka136]

Thank you so much. I have been wrestling them on the old way for most of my life and was about to do so today when I thought there must be an easier way. At 70 years of age those chains have gotten mighty heavy. So I went to KZbin and there you were. I did know about letting air out of the tires before putting them on then airing up to tighten them.

[@zenitha6]

Awesome method. I would l et a little of air out before putting on the chain, then fill it back up to get a nice tight chain.

[@TheTbenvick]

The Agricultural Technicians two secret weapons, bailer twine and Number 9 Wire. So many problems on the farm are solved with those two things!

[@phylliswhite4154]

Baling wire and binder twine...

[@donaldmack7213]

@@phylliswhite4154 Cheap electrical tape too!

[@Whipple1]

We use a lot of bungee cords and 6” rolls of shrink wrap around our place. Both of these items came in very handy for a variety of chores. Our method of putting chains on our IH is almost the same as yours except we whip out a couple bungee cords to pass through the wheel instead of using bailing twine. Same for the tensioners. We have always used bungee cords. I guess it is a matter of using what you have handy! Cheers! Whipple

[@johnseavey6622]

I bought the same chains last winter road so horrible I had my mechanic cut and separate the cross chains. My tires are 15 19.5 so smaller but it helped the ride a lot. May have lost some traction but glad I did it.

[@tractorhyatt7044]

Made it look easy! Thanks for sharing and stay warm. 🇺🇸🚜👍

[@loganyoutube4818]

Holy moly I have never seen a not rusty pair of chains my entire life lol

[@samanthamonaghan7579]

As I tell the younger gen work smart not hard, nicely done.

[@gleanerfan2]

Thanks. Your method works perfectly!

[@ThatFarmallGuy]

Great Tip. I only have chains for my Super A so I can still hoof them on to date. Oh and I DO use the tensioners across the tires. Just use two sets of Bungie cords. Works great!

[@garygelo4067]

I put chains on with the connecting link hinge facing forward.

[@chrissmith1616]

Have a set of chains like that for my 7020 they are ruff riding but they will bite

[@robertbenton4930]

Nice job with the videoing and talking to the camera.

[@BMinor0788]

Pete, where did you purchase these chains from?

[@retiredforlife63]

Wow! That looks way easier. I’m helping my neighbour put his on his big 100 hp tractor tomorrow. Definitely going to try that method. Thanks for sharing!

[@emmettkelly7465]

This won't work on my backhoe. No holes in the rim.

[@KTMsoldier1988]

Tensioners are needed if you want to keep your fenders

[@timsalyer9407]

Where you get your chains from??

[@Johndeerekid-cn3zf]

This is the first video I ever saw on this channel

[@thomasfranklin4307]

Thanks for the great video!

[@razr199]

Thanks for the info bud.

[@larryiowatexasrooster9317]

👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🗽🙏🏻 Enjoyed! The chains went on pretty well...good idea!👍

[@timlerminiaux2346]

Awsom tip thanks

[@gregie9999hotair1]

I think I'll try making a set of H pattern chains for my yanmar, with R4s it's absolutely terrible in the snow and ice. Last year when we had that 36" I plowed as much as I could with the Chevy and then with the tractor using snowblower. While way down end of our roadway I got the truck stuck, went and got the tractor with a pull chain got the tractor and Chevy stuck. Neighbor was whizzing by saw my dilemma stopped and pulled me out with his Jeep. Needless to say I'm building H pattern chains this year. Thank you for showing me the ropes on installing tractor chains.

[@wvn-scale5395]

I want to let all views know .. please let the ADS PLAY on this channel .. his content is fantastic and its the least we could do ... LET THE ADS PLAY!!!!

[@steveharvey451]

Holy ____! That's so cool!!

[@knappfarms]

I’ve never put chains on tractor tires but if I ever need to this is a great way thanks for sharing

[@juanitajohnson7185]

Thank you for sharing this. It took longer to sort out the chains the actually put them on. I put on a John Deere 4230 but it still worked get. Instead of twine I used 2ft bungee straps. Thank you again it helped this gal out tremendously.

[@gregzais9248]

Thanks for sharing Pete. I've never put tire chains on a tractor but next week is my week. I like the way you explain things. Regards!

[@YOU-vj4fl]

Pete,I’m a little old fashion with chains too,haven’t needed them here in Fl ........yet? Next time. Nice trick for sure,saves time. Later.

[@sergioresendez3474]

Pete! what's up! in the Northeast of Mexico we used these chains to get out of the mud in the rainy seasons! It rained 750mm in the 1970's now it only rains 75mm per year! We need to adapt or die! The politicians don't get it! Saludos! Stay healthy!

[@1947wdx]

I had a large green tractor (hey, don't judge me! :-)) with skidder chains. Super heavy. After struggling with them in the dead of a VT winter, I figured out a method similar to this one. Hook the strap part of a ratchet strap to the chains, and loop it up and over the tire. Drive over the strap, and it pulls the chains up and over the tire. I had to connect them down near the bottom of the tire because they were just too heavy to pick up to where you had yours. The reason I was struggling was because the chains slipped off. They slipped off because I didn't have tensioners of any kind on them. (And yeah, they were really too big for the tires.) So keep the tensioners on! :-)

[@chrissmith1616]

I also use bungy cords to keep the chains tight rather than the spring deal you have,I here it keeps the chains from slipping on the tires apparently the chains will break, I haven't ever broke one,also supposed to help keep from banging the fenders

[@imrileth6618]

I use the same method. Btw what conditions are those chains intended for? maybe forest use since they don't seem to have spikes on them. I just put on winter chains on my valmet 502. Those chains have inch long spikes on the outer side so they grip on ice well.

[@tommycashflow8712]

GREAT JOB>>>>>>>>>> thanks

[@guyapeterson]

Thanks for all the videos. I just finished getting through the last year + worth of videos. I'd have to say the only one that lost my interest was the one going through the Dexter breeding DNA matrix (black-dun-red etc...). It was fascinating when you hit the covid pandemic around March to see the how you were dealing with the disruption. Really well made videos and the jokes aren't bad either. I look forward to your upcoming posts. Good luck and blessings on you, your family and farm.

[@bettyvancott5282]

Thanks for info 👍🏻

[@alanlivingston8329]

Hi. Could you possibly do a video on the quick attach adaptor on your 656 and where you got it? Thank you

[@wesboettcher6105]

I've been in the market to buy a set of chains. I've kind of looked online but haven't found anything that looks promising, but maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Pete do you have the name of where you got those chains? Any help would be appreciated.

[@howardiko7156]

Dam nice for working alone. Perhaps you could add the rubber type tensioner to reduce the rust.

[@zachwiz4709]

I have never seen it done that way before! That is cool! Also I am placing an order for your book tomorrow!

[@johndellinger4877]

Nice set of highway chains rubber straps work great they prevent fender slap

[@bigmikex2333]

Unless they are liquid filled, let the air pressure down until the tires squat good. Tighten the chains the best you can. When you air up the chains will tighten up snug. I have run chains many many winters and have never used any other securing method.

[@kenprosje2505]

Another trick you can use a hydraulic jack under the drawbar frame.... jack up one wheel( at a time) to clear the ground by 3to 4 inches you can pull the slack out of the chains (lock your brakes or put the tractor in gear with engine turned off to keep the wheel from turning when you go to tighten the chain Trick #2 if your tires are not loaded (air filled only) and you have a good air compressor with the tire jacked up when you go to tighten the chain let air out of the tire ...tighten the chain and the pump the tire back up to pressure

[@clydeschwartz2167]

Excellent video i use a hydraulic jack to Jack up my tractor and forklift when I put the chains on. I mark the left and right on the chains so I know which side they work best on i don't use the cam on inside of the chains I been stuck and the snap opened up and I really had a mess. Now I a threaded chain repair links on the inside

[@jeffferanec4526]

Thank you! That looks like a good method, sure beats lifting those heavy things. Let the tractor do the heavy work.

[@davidshultz4986]

My parents just got me some of those off amizone. man their really heavy and awesome to have can't wait to try them out .Peru IN got snow but out in the country were still cleaning up from it

[@larrymoore6640]

I never put chains on a tractor but I hated putting them on our cars. That's a good tip. Thanks....

[@joeblockley9695]

So what's happening about the liners/bores???

[@howardbenoit7474]

nice job nfld canada

[@dougdoesit3013]

Thanks for the tip Pete. Just put em on for the winter and driving them up over worked slicker than a whistle.

[@ellisc.foleyjr9778]

You might think twice about chucking the spreaders/springs. once you've rolled off a chain in a mud trench, or heavy wet snow situation. I used to put straight tensioners on the inside of the tire to keep the back tight also. To each their own!.

[@dalelewis5905]

Had those on a larger tractor - plowing snow on paved roads will shake yer grates! Changed to the traditional cross links for the next set I bought

[@stevejodoin9937]

Just bought ladder type studded tire chains and was a little anxious about putting them on easily and properly. Your video was on point! Sooooo easy to do and alone also. Thx a lot ! Go 🇨🇦

[@louismarchaland8939]

I just stumbled on your video tonight, I have been using a very similar method for several years to mount my chains. Except instead of running the baler twine through the rim I just loop it over the tire tread making a V of it. Also I make certain when fastening my side chains to keep the inside and outside latches in the same chain links so the chains are the same length that will reduce the tendency for them to try and walk off a tire.

[@geraldkarl642]

Thank you, winter days in central NY....

[@hotgore]

The other method I have seen is jacking the back of the tractor up and throwing the chains on. Need to try it next year with the 8N. Also, make a video about tightening the chains when they are all rusted up, that is when they get fun!

[@aleksandrrr]

Did this today, By far the easiest way, you also thighten them pretty good toing this.

[@jamesmorrison1884]

They look good chains help alot in my opinion. I was thinking put on for snow removal but the past few years snow comes then melts away. I have not put the blade on tractor this mud season yet. Great video thanks

[@tractoragriculture1352]

nice 👍👍👍👍

[@teaganhawkins20]

Like seeing the tractor videos, but love seeing the animals!

[@jeffferanec4526]

I think the little clevis' are supposed to go to the side chains on the other side of the couplers.

[@outbackrider6438]

Great idea to share. I have 4 tractors, just keep the chains on them all year long, granted, it's not a solution to 4 wheel drive, but I have yet to get a wheeled tractor stuck with chains on it, and when on ice, the bite is incredible. Best.

[@countryheart9528]

Fired the chains on in a hurry with this method. Thanks big guy!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Like #520 Thanks for the video!

[@anthonyhengst2908]

That's neat. I think some of the older neighbors did it that way. Always wondered how they did it.

[@bradsmith8943]

I just put on chains for the first time today, using this method. Worked great!

[@mac8775]

I did the same job just the other day.... to my snow blower LOL

[@notajoke4587]

Got tour link from country wiev acers i enjojd it

[@rjkelly4789]

We have a small chicken farm only our second year can you give us some tips

[@cherylbean8020]

chain install

[@alexandert6489]

if it was christmas and there was a parade it would be awesome with those blue chains and chain tighteners.

[@Jim19826301]

Most people I know use bungee cords for tensioners. They use them on the inside of the tire too.

[@joebarwick7779]

trust me YOU NEED THE CHAIN TIGHNERS