350x'inNY
01-14-2012, 07:34 PM
OK.... thought I'd start a thread for all of us with snow plows on our three wheelers to share info and best practices.
I have an original Cycle Country plow on my 85 Big Red. Been plowing with it for a few years now. I started out with the original tires that came on my Big Red. They were getting pretty worn, so I put on a new set of Cycle Country tire chains. What a huge difference! However, find that tire chains are hell on the tires... else their dry rotting just accelerated.... keep cracking the tires in the center at the "triangle" tips of the OEM tires. So I had another set of rears from a parts Big Red laying around. They have a more aggressive tread, kinda like the old school Wolly Bogger but they are Cheng Chens. They both had slow leaks, but one was quicker than the other, so I tossed a tube in it this summer and everything was fine. Well... until today. We FINALLY got enough snow to plow, so I dismounted the rear tires, deflated them, and put on the tire chains. Blew them back up and put back on the trike. Rolled it up and mounted the plow and headed out of the barn and up to the road to start making a pass at the mailbox, and that rear tire with the tube was flat and the darn rim was spinning in the bead! I'm sure it must have shreaded that tube. Anyone else running tire chains plowing? What tires/rim combos do you run? I can fathom the extra strain on the wheel/tire with the tire chains added.... lots a grip and no slip... something has to give somewhere!
So to finish the job, I had to resort to a set of 250SX rims/tires I had kicking around. Same tire design.... It actually plowed better than the original OEM tires. However, I couldn't mount my tire chains because they were too big for the 22" SX tires. I had less ground clearance but seemed to push better.... not as good as chains, but better that the 50% tread OEM 25" tires.
Hope the trike fairy drops me off some new rims and tires for the Big Red! Other than the 250SX, any other OEM Honda rims fit? What are the aftermarket options for Big Red rims tires? (I know they need the "large bell" design to clear the rear brake..." But are we limitted to just the basic steel, or can we get some aluminum bling?
As far as plowing, I usually run the plow angled and make the first pass down hill to use some momentum. Bite off another half width of whats rolled over. Then I tilt the plow the other direction, and start rolling the snow the other direction. I'm a little biased, but the Big Red is way more manuverable than my BIL's Polaras Ranger. I use the straight on setting when there is big snow. I'll hold the plow up half way and peel a slice off the top. I also use the straight on setting when I mound up a pile of snow...
Hondaline Hartman
I have an original Cycle Country plow on my 85 Big Red. Been plowing with it for a few years now. I started out with the original tires that came on my Big Red. They were getting pretty worn, so I put on a new set of Cycle Country tire chains. What a huge difference! However, find that tire chains are hell on the tires... else their dry rotting just accelerated.... keep cracking the tires in the center at the "triangle" tips of the OEM tires. So I had another set of rears from a parts Big Red laying around. They have a more aggressive tread, kinda like the old school Wolly Bogger but they are Cheng Chens. They both had slow leaks, but one was quicker than the other, so I tossed a tube in it this summer and everything was fine. Well... until today. We FINALLY got enough snow to plow, so I dismounted the rear tires, deflated them, and put on the tire chains. Blew them back up and put back on the trike. Rolled it up and mounted the plow and headed out of the barn and up to the road to start making a pass at the mailbox, and that rear tire with the tube was flat and the darn rim was spinning in the bead! I'm sure it must have shreaded that tube. Anyone else running tire chains plowing? What tires/rim combos do you run? I can fathom the extra strain on the wheel/tire with the tire chains added.... lots a grip and no slip... something has to give somewhere!
So to finish the job, I had to resort to a set of 250SX rims/tires I had kicking around. Same tire design.... It actually plowed better than the original OEM tires. However, I couldn't mount my tire chains because they were too big for the 22" SX tires. I had less ground clearance but seemed to push better.... not as good as chains, but better that the 50% tread OEM 25" tires.
Hope the trike fairy drops me off some new rims and tires for the Big Red! Other than the 250SX, any other OEM Honda rims fit? What are the aftermarket options for Big Red rims tires? (I know they need the "large bell" design to clear the rear brake..." But are we limitted to just the basic steel, or can we get some aluminum bling?
As far as plowing, I usually run the plow angled and make the first pass down hill to use some momentum. Bite off another half width of whats rolled over. Then I tilt the plow the other direction, and start rolling the snow the other direction. I'm a little biased, but the Big Red is way more manuverable than my BIL's Polaras Ranger. I use the straight on setting when there is big snow. I'll hold the plow up half way and peel a slice off the top. I also use the straight on setting when I mound up a pile of snow...
Hondaline Hartman