i did, it isn't quite that easy...

PA is the worst. sodium chloride by the ton, then calcium chloride when the temperatures get cold.

It is so bogus- once they salt the road, it is 3x slicker than snow or ice until it melts.

when the locals put down cinders (low cost, we have about 10,000,000 coal fed power plats), you have great traction.

New Hamshire plows and then sands. A lot better traction then salt.

 

It wasn't until about 5 years ago that they started putting Magnesium Chloride on the roads. And yes, it does make the roads more icy once the snow melts and the temperature drops below 17 degrees (melts during the day, freezes at night). If there's even a hint of snow in the forcast, those [GUYS] at the road departments get all giddy and dump that [STUFF] all over...it's like driving through a river crossing when I drive to work.

Have you ever done any research on that stuff? (Look it up on Google....it's linked to cancer in many places, especially around Aspen, CO) Arsenic, lead, sodium, etc. What happens if you live in town and take your dog for a walk? He gets that crap on his paws and licks it off because it irritates the skin. Then he gets lead poisoining and stomach cancer and dies....what do you think your kids play in? I have to work in that stuff constantly during the winter in the shop that I work at. It drips off the cars, I put my knees in it to get under the dash to change blower motor resistors (Chevy Dealership) and 10 minutes later it feels like my knees have been dipped in battery acid. IT BURNS!!!

I strongly belive in sand/gravel ONLY. Even the sand has been mixed with a little salt up here, but it's mostly pea gravel. I would much rather replace my windshield every Spring than have all the bolts break off that hold my transfer case in and my brake drum backing plates to my axle housing.

That stuff is just a band-aid for people that don't know how to drive on snow and ice. "These idiot drivers don't understand the concept of leaving 5-10 minutes earlier to get to work, so we'll just spray this corrosive, cancer-causing stuff on the road to soften the ice. That way they can still drive like idiots and make it to work on time."

Enough ranting.....
SORRY ABOUT THE HIJACKED THREAD.....

Cody

 

what the hell is all this chloride stuff everyone is talking about? and what the hell is this cold, white stuff? I dont' think us here in Georgia ever see it and when we do see it Georgia goes into a state of emergency and closes down!

-cutts-

 

Yeah, forget Wyoming. I'll just head South. ^_^

Any open apartments down there Fishy? =)

A question that steers back to this thread though: Would a set of ag tires be any WORSE then...say...Wrangler MT/R, BFG MT's, or even All Terrain tires when it comes to rocks? Like said, the ag tire will dig you a hole to china (and what a plethora of wheelchock car's over there!), but does it leave you better or worse then other "mid-level" tire choices?

 

I think a soft curved tread patterns where the lugs are very close together would be about the same if not better I would think.

 

we live on 25 acres here in Fayette County and have a motorhome parked out back so yeah come on down...stay a while! we'll go wheelin

are ag tires really that hard of rubber? are they comparable to ground hawgs? i would think with as aggressive as ag tires are it woudn't matter how hard the rubber is the tread would grab effortlessly! i think i would like to try a set and find out! although i get a strange feeling they are not all that street legal!

-cutts-

 

Ag tires are alot like anything else the compound of the rubber is different from one to another manufactor. Although they tend to be a harder compound than most street tires plus the sidewalls tend to be alot stiffer. as to gripping with the hard compound it's fine in mud the problem with rocks is that they don't flex well, and conform to the surface that you are trying to crawl over expecially considering the truck you are putting them onto probably doesn''t weigh 1/4 what the tractor they were supposed to go on does.

 

Well it depends on the application, tire that are meant to be on a drive axle (like a 4wd tractor) are of a harder rubber, but tires that are meant for a non diver axle (like a trailer or something) and very very soft.

It seems to me that once you slice a tire (like a corner of a lug) they tend to chunk off easily, but i haven't really had any experiece with "new" (ag tires tend to last a while on a farm as they are used about once a year) tires, but i know the older tire will chunk off if sliced. Also remember ag tires are designed for loose soil and not rocks.

 

Monster pretty much nailed it. I'm not saying ag tires don't work on rocks, I'm just saying that while they are unbeatable in mud, they are not the best choice for a tire on rocks. A huge reason of this is that they won't deform and flex around rocks like, oh, a aired down bfg krawler. Also, the typical lug pattern on an ag tire offer very little "grip" on rocks, they pretty much only serve as claws. While they claw great, they are also prone to chunk like a bogger when used aggresively on a rock course. Make sense?

 

Yeah, I understand. Is that to say though that the ag tire would be less effective than, say, an aired down AT? In regards to rocks.

Course...

Rocks

What's the best rock tire then. Here comes an

 

Then an a/t? I'd have to say no, really nothing to grab there. But who knows? If it was a really soft tire aired down to 2 psi it will really conform to anything... I've never run any ag tire vs. aired down a/t tires on the rocks for some reason

Best rock tire? I imagine if you asked at Pirate they'd tell you the bfg Krawler. Thats what all the top competition guys are using.

 

the krawler seems like a good tire, and you can even get the uncut ones and cut your own tread pattern.

 

a lot of guys on pirate like regular swampers for rocks too. They groove the center block in half for more tread flex..

ATs are good for snow, ice, sand, mild mud. After that, you have to go all out in one direction.

 

Hell, those MTR's are pretty much an at...just softer and they seem to do well on rocks.

 

As I stated before- my tractor tires ran circles around my swampers in the rocks. A little more detail- the tractors were 8.3-24 (39 inches tall) and were very old, weather checked and chunked out already!! they were Firestone field and turf tires, even though they had been around a while (I bought them at a swap meet) there was plenty of lug- it was pretty rounded off though. After a weekend of wheeling on the rocks, some of our group had significant tire "chewage" on their rigs but my ag's looked just the same as when I arrived. The tires on my new rig are 11.2-24 (44 inches tall) and are Titan brand blems. They are a lot softer compound than my skinny old Firestones, but that might be mostly the age of the old 'stones. If I were building a vehicle that was only going to see rocks then I would go with the Krawlers because of their soft grippy compound- if I could afford them!!! As I am not afraid to get dirty, I like to play on all terrains and through my own personal experience feel that the ag tires are an unbeatable setup for all types of terrain (except street!!!) And at $300 for all 4 of them, I can buy a new set every year if I had to!!!!