With 15 inches of snow in forecast for the weekend, spent an hour or so today putting chains on my 2wd tractor. Found out early on, it is helpless without them.

But aside from that, what I can remember about buying chains was.......it's complicated. Too many styles and choices.

From those that know.......any advice for the rest of us? Which style or pattern is best?

Double ring chains are about the utility tire chain for tractors.

A good jack and cribbing makes it easier to put them on.
Jack it up, transmission in neutral, spin tire with chain draped over it,
Pull the chains around.

Latch the inside first, then catch the outside
Pull up slack, tightening inside first, then outside

Been doing it this way for over 40 years

I put em on top of tire an drive ahead, be careful not to run over the hooks. Tighten inside quite tight making sure you can hook outside, roll it back and forth slowly and continue to tighten outside til they’re tight.

I prefer twisted chain. If you are close to getting one more ring but cant, dont be afraid to let some air out of the tire. That makes it easier to get that last ring, then air it back up.

I like the bear claw skidder chains. Or maybe it's bear paw, I don't remember. They have a ring in the center of the chain pattern that has 4 grousers on it, they bite good but they're only for off-road use, they'll tear up a road bad

A good studed diamond type chain is good for a 2 wheel drive tractor. Very easy to install. Layout flat on the ground and drive onto it all the way to the end. Take a good piece of rope and go from each side chain and hook it over the lug on the tire and then start backing up. You are able to center the chain as you go. Do this until the chain comes all the way around under the tire and hook it together. Simple and easy to do have done this for years with skidder tires.

This is the style we use, they’re rough going down the road but they work, I’ve always lifted them over the tire to put them on.

That is same style I wound up with. My rims allow me to pass a piece of baler twine thru the rum, so I tie up the end around 10 o'clock position, then drive forward and the wheel pulls them up and over. Same process as jacking tractor up, but without the jack. Takes getting on and off a few times to keep it lined up right, but once returned to the starting place, the ends are ready to hook together.

These are the only tractor chains I've ever used, but they seem to work OK. In 10 inches or more of the wet snow we get, tractor is helpless without em.

The other mod I have is we put a piece of 2" schedule 40 steep pipe on the edge of the tractor blade. It will move snow, but won't dig. Not gravel, not in the grass. Slides over both, yet pinches the snow up to roll it off. Just drop the blade and go.

Here the road graders have a spike deal on the chain bar that looks like it works, the pipe deal is pretty good idea I’ve moved my fair share of dirt an rock, I will say when we went to a MFWD tractor it helps, but you can still spin on slick snow, I know adding weight helps we had a backhoe hanging on the old 4000 for weight as when we took it off we just spun even with chains.

I have an old IH 766 (2WD) and use chains every year, for plowing snow on my farm. For additional traction weight I carry a 4 x 5 ft balage round bale on a rear spear for an extra 1200+/- lbs of weight.
Some of the new chains look real useful, definitely better than what I have, but mine are still pretty good.