mud

where I live here in N.E. Kansas we've only had 4 days this month w/o rain.My grass was getting out of control so the other day I decided to cut what I could of my "swamp" and wound up getting stuck in mud.I had to pull my mower out w/my tractor.I run turff tires and they turn into slicks in the mud.I see alot of Grasshoppers w/tires that have ridge treads that look like they might be alot better in mud.can somebody with these tires tell me if they work good on a less than perfect lawn....russ

173abn said:

where I live here in N.E. Kansas we've only had 4 days this month w/o rain.My grass was getting out of control so the other day I decided to cut what I could of my "swamp" and wound up getting stuck in mud.I had to pull my mower out w/my tractor.I run turff tires and they turn into slicks in the mud.I see alot of Grasshoppers w/tires that have ridge treads that look like they might be alot better in mud.can somebody with these tires tell me if they work good on a less than perfect lawn....russ

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Doesn't seem logical to buy new tires if others are good, just to mow in the mud.
Couldn't make that much difference in mud. They will all turn into slicks.
It will dry out soon enough. JMHO

You can also buy tire chains and in that way you can take them off when things dry out. You could also use ATV tires. The trouble with any lug tires they will rip things up a lot more.

thanks for the replys.thought about the chain thing,have a set in the barn.I think what I'm going to do is mount a small winch on it.I think in a month I'll be mowing dust and wishing for the mud...russ

I wouldn't change tires for one out of the ordinary season.

I have the lug tires on my current Grasshopper. I have had turf tires on other Z mowers. For me it's six of one and a half dozen of the other. The lugs will grip better, keeping it from spinning as much, but if the DO spin, they tear it up more. The turf tires spin more easily, so they tear it up pretty good too.

Your best tool against this problem is practicing your technique. Make sure that when turning you don't stop the inner wheel or run it too slow, allowing it to pivot in place. You need to turn the inside wheel a little, making a wider turn, but allowing both wheels to roll rather than the inside pivoting. IOW, the outside wheel has to turn a little faster without stopping or almost stopping the inside wheel. Hope this helps.

173abn said:

thanks for the replys.thought about the chain thing,have a set in the barn.I think what I'm going to do is mount a small winch on it.I think in a month I'll be mowing dust and wishing for the mud...russ

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They guys that run the Bar-Tread tires here (Georgia) do it for stability on ditch banks. The tread wears quicker on these tires which seems to be the main drawback. When they go slick, they go SLICK!