yes it had them, they were really short bungee cords. but get in some deep snow that is packed down and it would tear them off.

 

I ran the bike Thursday with the chains. It did the trick. 18" of snow, heavy rain, 19" of more snow, then heavy rain followed by 10" of heavy wet snow in one week. Water pools at the end of the driveway right where the plow dumps everything. There isn't a tire or a quad made that will push the heavy wet stuff while starting on a sheet of ice. I modified a set of chains I once ran on an old 2wd truck to fit the rear tires. I always use bungees for good measure.

Easiest way to install chains is to jack up the quad. Preferably in a heated garage.

As a footnote, I'm running the new Glacier plow system with a 60" blade. It installs or removes in seconds flat. Very slick!

 

I've plowed some big snowstorms without using chains and never had a problem. I think I would only consider them if I was driving on a lot of ice, maybe ice fishing or something like that. One thing to consider is they give you more traction than your machine may be able to handle. If something has to give I would rather it be the tires spinning than the belt slipping, or worse. Nobody I know would run chains on a plow truck, because of the way they will bite and wrap up the drivetrain.
that was a good question raised regarding the AWD. I guess it would keep it from engaging as much, but when it does engage it would probably be at a higher level of strain.

 

I posted a similar question in the Tire section.....except I was worried about ruining the AWD system by having chains on all four tires. Well I quickly found out WHY Polaris only sells rear tires chains on their website.....cause chains won't fit on the fronts because the struts and tie rod ends are too close to the rubber. ( gotta send mine back for a refund)

As for ruining the AWD.....if Polaris is selling the chains than I'm confident you could use them without risking damage. How can you damage a machine by GETTING traction???

Lastly, some here question the NEED for chains. Well, rubber and ice don't mix. Second, I only have 14 miles on the new 2004 Sportsman 500 but I am not sure I like the "new" tires they put on them. Maybe I'll have a better opinion later on but they seem more like sport tires than utility tires.

I'm getting chains so any trailer I pull this winter doesn't "push" me around.

 

If you think about the amount of weight that accumulates in front of the plow, which will eventually stop your machine and cause you to either spin, slip the belt or snap a propeller shaft. The rpm at which the tires slip will be much greater with chains, therefore the strain on drivetrain components is higher also, increasing the likelihood of breakage. Look at it this way, when the tires break loose and start spinning, the strain is greatly reduced. And spinning tires doesnt always mean the machine stops, mine will keep pushing snow while the tires have started to spin. That is traction. No slip at all can be a bad thing when you add the enormous weight to the equation. Maybe I'm not explaining it real well. Look at tractor pulls. If they werent spinning their tires, their drivetrains would explode. Think of the snow as the weight sled, the heavier it gets the more strain on the components. I'm not saying you have to spin the tires, but they should be allowed to at some point, because its a relief to the drivetrain, and its better than something else giving. Anyway, I do agree chains could be helpful in icy conditions, but I would be very careful and I wouldnt bother with them otherwise.

 

Over simplifying what you are saying.....the ice should break way before drive train components.

Or....if the machine is struggling that hard you should back off and try a different approach.

As I stated, I am not plowing anything.....I want traction so a heavy trailer doesn't "push" me around.

 

sorry, I missed that. I thought we were talking about plowing snow. My bad. In the case of pulling a trailer I think chains would be good, not just for getting it going, but to keep the rear tires planted. Which I guess is what you were saying.

 

Man, am I going to get it for this but:

Scavanau: chains on rear wheels only or on all 4 is not an issue.

Wileycoyote: My bike is a 97 explorer... Take a look at my pics....
Ice chains that get installed every december 1 and they stay on until @ mid april, and I've been doing this since I bought the bike .... in 1997.

Polarisboy2: wait until cars have driven over what you have plowed, add to that a little rain, then let everything freeze to a nice icy surface, then get some snow like a foot or so, then go plow....tell me how much traction you have pushing snow when your wheels are on ice????

HOSPORTSMAN: you will be suprised at what you will be able to do "with" chains...and if there the right ones for your tires, and installed properly, you can do the speed you want. I've blown my yard and during heavy storms will drive to the bro's place 3 miles away at @ 40 mph to do his.

clumsy2222: you didn't have the right chains for your tires or they weren't on right.

Northstar2: what are you talking about??? just cause you have chains does not mean the tires will not spin... it just takes more to get them to. Also, ice will give way before the bike parts and if your worried about the strain on the machine...don't...I've had my bike spin with chains on ice & snow plowing and blowing, mud & fallen trees & gravel hauling moose, and she still runs like the day I got her.

Scott: answered you in the other thread, like I said, my bike is a 1997 explorer... might be a difference in the hub strut assembly...don't think so but could be...My tires are bear claws but the chains also fit on my original polaris issued POS. and they did come awfully close to the steering tie rods and to the struts. I'll try to find my original reciept and see from what company I got them from. Maybe the ones you got were not the right ones. My brother in law has a sportsman 500HO and he's got chains on all 4 wheels with no issues, I see if he knows who makes them or from where he got them.

 

Honcho,

Well said. I bought ICC chains through Ronnie's Mail Order. If you go to www.wallingfords.com you can see them. If you get a chance go look at the new quads and let me know if they are different than what you have. I literally could not get my pinky finger in between the rubber and the tie rod end. I'm talking about a 1/4" gap. And the tie rods are up high above the rims so even pulling the chains to the outside like you suggested wasn't helping. The only other thing I could do is get wheel spacers like someone else suggested or get some skinny *** chains that didn't roll over the edge of the tire too much. Check out your tie rod situation and strut and let me know. I haven't sent them back yet.

 

Honcho, I was actually talking about NOT spinning the tires because of the chains, I didnt mean spinning the tires with the chains. As long as you can break the traction with or without chains, you're relieving the stress on the drivetrain. When the chains increase your traction a lot, the point at which they will spin is raised, am I right? It's just like having a clutch kit: the rpm at which it engages is raised. Anyway, if you've been running them all these years with no problems, I guess you must be doing something right. And if you feel confident driving at 40 mph for 3 miles with chains on, then your a braver man than I am.