Tire chain lengths

[eastonct124]

Does anyone have a set, not on their tractors???
I need to know how long the side chains are, with, and without the hooks, and how long the crosslink chains are (including the hooks), on each side...for chains that fit a 23x8.5-12 tire.

I'm not sure if mine are marked wrong, or if I'm not installing them correctly.

[R Bedell]

Don't have a set of 8.50's.....but I do have a couple of sets of 10.50's. I will measure the length tomorrow morning for ya.

[Yosemite Sam]

I've got several set that haven't been put on yet...

First off I guess I should say that I get my chains from... wherever (auctions yard sales and such) and then end up making them the length they need to be based on the width/length of the "cross chains" (longer cross chains = shorter side chains and vice-versa) I'll measure a couple of different ones and post what I find but not sure it will help.

[eastonct124]

What I have I bought at a tag sale in sept?.
$10. couldn't pass it up. The yellow Hduty bag, was stamped 23x9.5-12.
I have 8.5w tires so i figured they'd be fine...loose if anything.
They are so short, it's ridiculous.
Here's what I have. Side chains (not counting the big hooks), are 45" long.
The cross chains, are 15" including the big "U" hooks that attach them to the side chains.
The side chain connectors are 4" long. But I'm not sure how they attach yet.
Even with them, the side chains look to be 2"-3" too short.
But, I've NEVER used, or mounted chains, so I'm assuming I'm doing something wrong.
First I need to eliminate the chains as suspects.

[john k]

this might not be the right answer, but how much air do you have in the tires? when i put my chains on i jack up the tractor and let the air out of the tires. then i inflate them, but i run the tires soft in the winter for better traction.

[eastonct124]

The pressure is low enough that they mushroom out alittle when i get on.
I'm only about 175lbs.

Pressure's low......25lbs?

[Matt G.]

25psi? That's WAY too high...rear tires should have somewhere between 8-12 psi. That's part of your problem.

[Yosemite Sam]

The guys may be right about the pressure. Depending on the tractor and it's use, I only run enough air in my rear tires (year round) to hold the tractor up. Better traction and softer ride (I've got a pacemaker and if I'm jostled around too much the pacemaker will activate, more than too much and it will put me to sleep).

When I put chains on I deflate the tire, put the chain on and then inflate the tire again. I also pull the chains tight when I hook them, I really hate loose sloppy chains and I never use anything extra on the side chains to help hold them "snug".

[eastonct124]

I guessed on pressure. I only put in enough to keep shape. Like I already said, I weigh about 170-180lbs, When I'm on it, the tires mushroom even more than they are already. There's not alot of air in them.
But, I'm not going to remove the wheels, deflate them, and attempt installing the chains until someone can give me a length so I know they are long enough to actually fit.
Again,
Can anyone PLEASE give me a length and width measurement from a chain that is known to fit a factory original Firestone 23x8.5-12 on 6-12 or 7-12 rims (or any tire that size)????
I have not removed the original tires yet, so I don't know the rim size.

[R Bedell]

Here is the data on my 23 x 10.50 x 12 chains.

Chain length = 55"
Chain length with closing clasp = 60"
Chain width = 14"

Guess it would be safe to say the 8.50 would be 2" less, making them a 12" width.