Need Traction for Loaders

[Mike Nelson]

We have 544J.D. and 744 J.D. loaders and having a problem with getting traction.The bigger loaders seem to have more problems than the smaller ones.(pushing 24'boxes)
I was wondering if I lower the tire pressure ,would that help?Going to call the dealer in the morning and see what they have to say also.
Appreciate any ideas you might have.
Thanks

 

[diggerman]

I think it would depend on the surface,but I always thought more tire pressure was better because the amount of the tire touching the ground would be less thus putting more weight on less surface area.The other thing you could try is to liquid fill the tires, we have an 80hp farm tractor with liquid filled tires and its a tank. Lastly, the J.D. loader I have used for snow in the past have been great because they usually have limited slip diffs standard,but if for some reason that is not the case with your machine you might look in to some sort of lockers for your diffs it makes a world of diffrence.We had to go as far with our new cat 938G to order it with traction control to try and solve the spinning problem.We have had some real trouble keeping it working,and would most likly order a diff lock the next time.You are right though sometimes for their power and weight I think our 416c TLBs push their pushers better than the larger machines,but I think that may be because the design of the drive system give you the ability to lock them all up.

 

[Deere John]

Mike - to get extra traction without the expense of tire chains on 980 size loaders that we use to feed the sawmill with logs, we found a company that was able to install some skookum studs in the lugs of the tires. I will endeavor to find more information for you tomorrow.

 

[Yardworks]

I was going to suggest fluid for the tires also. (diggerman beat me to the punch.) It just depends if you can use them with fluid in the summer months, Because once it's in there it is not very economical to remove and add for different seasons. Most farm tractors have fluid in the tires and it improves traction greatly. It adds more weight then you would think. Also, reducing PSI in your tires will help traction problems.

 

[Mike Nelson]

Thank for the ideas,

Still waiting to hear back from the dealer.I asked him if there was extra counter weights maybe we could buy.
As far as liquid filled,probably would work best as we only use the loaders for snow.Would we have to be concerned about corrosion from the liquid?
Actually thought about studding the tires,but think it might ruin the asphalt!
Again thank you

 

[cat320]

My town has a Volvo 90 loader and they keep the front tires pressure low it looks like that it has a flat but it doesn't mayby that is what you have to try.I don't know why they have it like that but they do use it for plowing.

 

[John DiMartino]

Mike,I seen 2 of your 544H's the other night when i was shopping,I was drooling all over myself,when i seen them,wife thinks ive lost it,since everytime we go shopping -i have to drive around the big lots and see what the guys there are using.Your loaders look brand new-the paint is still on the buckets!I thought my little pickup was the only thnig struggling for traction.When those pushers fill up with wet snow,I bet they are tough to push.I dont know if its possible with tires that big,but siping helps truck tires quite a bit,and with the loaders staying on site,tire wear should be low,so the siping should last a couple seasons or more.Just an idea,ive never seen it done on tires that big.

 

[Mike Nelson]

To answer your question John
Yes we purchased 10 new loaders this year.
They pushed this snow o.k. Sometimes you can't take a full bite(16-24'Pushers),but all in all they move some amount of snow
The major problem we have with traction is where we don't have to apply any anticing products.
Thanks again

 

[ojonesy]

fill them with SuperFlex SoftFill flatproofing. Completely fills tire (unlike calcium/water), no more flats/downtime, no corrosion etc., and rides like an air tire.

 

[pjforrest]

Liquid for tires for plowing

I have heard that they use calcium chloride in tractor tires to give them extra weight for snow plowing. There is another liquid that is used as well; anyone have any experience with either?

 

[DeereFarmer]

I drove a tractor for a guy once that put sand in all four tires. It worked pretty well, but once you got stuck you were stuck for good!

 

[VAhighwayman]

Lowering air pressure will work for traction...but primarly used to stop or cut down on the bounce when walking the machine on the road from one job to the next..the motorgrader I operate for the state..I keep the the tire pressure low..45 lbs but I do put on chains on 2 wheels of the rear tandems..our loader...544e...i keep the tire pressure at 80lbs...and put on chains on all 4 wheels if need....but like using chains or studs...you gotta be careful not to dig out or gowge the blacktop..I'd go with the counterweight and liquid fill the tires first..

 

[Dirt_Werx]

liquid fill the tires and look into wheel/ counterweights

 

[Dwan]

I would first try siping the tires. Big lug tires don't get any traction on snow pack or ice. This has realy made a differance for mine. I also did my Austern Western grader and it made a world of differance. To have the grader tired done would have cost $25 each so I bought a hot knife and did it myself.

 

[Big Dog D]

I would try the siping too! Did you ever consider applying the ice melting products to the other parts of the lot as well? Might be more econnomical to do it on the storms that you know and or anticipate having traction issues. Even if you didnt do the whole lot and only did the, or created main pushing alleys to reduce the amount of area that you are treating it may help and be cheaper thatn the alternatives.

 

[SD-Dave]

Here's the tires you need on your loaders for snow work. All the loaders in Montreal that are used for snow removal have them. With ice and severe temperatures the standard tires get too stiff, not siped, and have too little PSI (too wide) to bite thru the snow.

These tires are a rubber compound that stays gummier in colder temps, has sipes in it and the tread is designed for snow/ice. Basically its a Michelin Arctic Alpin Snow tire for a loader. Expensive but they work!!
loaders where exceptional traction on snow and ice is required.



The Michelin XSNOPLUS M&S radial tire, you will get:
Exceptional traction and maneuverability on ice and snow
Minimal chain usage
All-season use

http://earthmover.webmichelin.com/na_eng/tires/XSNOPLUS/index.html