Some pics of my Skidsteer from yesterday after clearing snow for a couple hours...... I got a couple sets of old commercial truck chains for free, and then split them and broke them down and shortened them to work on my machine. Work pretty sweet!
cool machine I really dont like the controls on them but Ive used many case skids before. Have you tried running the chains in the rear? I think it makes a big difference
your 1845c look a bit better than mine, I'm jealous I found running chains on all 4 was definitely better especially when the snow gets deep... also put a fresh coat of gloss paint in my bucket and the snow didn't stick near as bad, that way I could actually dump a full bucket instead of just the top third...
I do have another set for the rear.....I use my 85 Ramcharger with a Meyer E47 Plow system to clear everything, then I am just using the Case to move and pile snow, and so far haven't needed the other set yet. I was also concerned that running the chains on the back might put more stress on the chain drive since it's the front wheels that have the drive motors. Didn't want to have the rears grab and then the chain snap due to the front motors torquing too hard? I have to weld on a new cutting edge this year....should have done it last year but never got a round to it. But a nice gloss paint job on the bucket is definitely on the list of things to do.
Actually on a Case 1845C even thought the drive motors may be located towards the front the power from the motors goes first to a large gear in between the two axles. Look at the side of the machine between the two wheels and you will see a cover with a grease fitting in the center. This large gear has two smaller gears as part of it with chains going to each axle so the strain on the drive motors would be the same no matter which wheel was doing the pushing! #11 is the gear on the drive motor and it drive gear #25 which then drives the two gears #33 at the axles. So when you put any kind of down pressure on the bucket it will tend to unload the front wheels and cause them to lift slightly loosing traction and as xgiovannix12 says chains on rear will actually work a bit better.
i found running the chains on the rears to be excellent ... BOTH front and rear tires have chain drives but I dont seem to strain the drives any with chains or my oTT tracks
Thanks for the diagram KSHansen.....that explains much! I can easily swap them on the rear wheels, or better yet toss the other set I have on and have all 4 tires chained up!
I think chains are easier on the drive chains as there is a lot of give when the tire rolls over the links. Whats hard on the drive chain is uneven sized tires on a hard surface. Steve
I use salvaged truck chains when plowing snow with my Cat 246 skid steer too. I have them on all four. They're plain chains without grousers. I find that skid steers are real hard on chains. Mine breaks a link and throws a chain about once every 2 hours on average. Every time I use a cold shut to fix them it comes apart in less than an hour. I was wondering if "store-bought" skid steer chains were a lot stouter than truck chains.
Sounds like your chains might be too big, or too loose? You can see on mine that they have the locks....I don't really need to use bungees if I don't want to they are so tight. I have not had an issue as of yet.....but I got 4 sets of chains that go over a full set of 24.5" dually tires. I'm a commercial trucker and have always call those "triples"....but doubles is another term I have heard. I kept all the cross links and pieces I did not use for spare repair items if needed. Was out today for a few hours trying to scrape ice off the gravel driveway and yard.....my bucket is beat and worn and has no cutting edge so it's a bit weak when trying to scrape down.
I didn't think loose chains would break easier than tight ones at the slow speeds a skid steer works. I reasoned that the chains would give rather than break. I've never had much luck with cam-locks staying put. My chains have them but I don't use them for tensioning. Winter looks to be about over here West of the divide. I'll try running them tighter next year.
Well I have been a commercial trucker for just shy of 20 years, most of that time in the Northern mountains of BC Canada so I have tossed on a set or two of chains in my day.... Loose chains will always break easier then tight ones. The chain links actually bind up and pull against each other and through leverage snap the links, even at slow speeds....which on a skid steer probably makes it worse since your rotating on the loose links with lots of weight and torque. If the locks are prone to coming loose then use a bungee chord from the the lock to the other side of the chain to hold them closed.
I've run chain on just the rear of my 1845c for years. Never had a problem. If we get a lot of snow, then I'll chain up all 4 tires. I build my own set of chains. Use rubber bungies to keep them tight and never had a problem breaking them.