REAR TIRES DONT HAVE TRACTION RZ5426 / 967003606

bert777

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This is a 2012 model. I tried putting half the air in and the traction is still not very good. The tire tread doesn't look bad at all. These are original tires.
 

AmeriKen

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ZERO-TURN MOWER WITH RIGID FRAME - A "ZERO TURN" IT IS NOT ON IRREGULAR GROUND!

This is a 2012 model. I tried putting half the air in and the traction is still not very good. The tire tread doesn't look bad at all. These are original tires.

I'm not familiar with the RZ5426, so I researched it before replying to your issue. First, the frame is rigid. The front wheels are not on a pivot axle, therefore, if one of the front wheels is off the ground (one front wheel on a slight mound), then the opposite rear wheel will not have full traction and will spin. This happens when you are attempting to trim around an older tree that has a mound around it due to the root growth, a newly planted tree that has a watering basin, or mowing alongside a building that has a slope for directing water away from the foundation. Oftentimes, when mowing across irregular ground one of the caster wheels will spin on its vertical axis which indicates only 3 wheels are on the ground. This is OK if you are mowing in a straight line, but attempt to turn in the direction that has one of the front casters spinning on its axis, and it won't effectively turn. I have skid marks all over my yard where I have attempted to turn direction at the very moment when only 3 wheels are on the ground. Oftentimes, I have to back up and approach at a different direction - this is not why I bought a $5000 "zero-turn" mower!

I'm not sure how anyone can call one of these mowers a "zero turn" that has a rigid frame. They should be called "zero move." Interestingly, the sales literature subtly states that these "zero turn" mowers are designed for large flat areas. They won't tell you that if you have to do a lot of turning, particularly, on ground that is not flat as a table top, that they won't steer effectively.

My first "zero turn" mower was a 2006 Cub Cadet which had a pivoting front axle. Although it had a fabricated deck that was too thin and developed stress cracks or the anti-scalping wheel brackets fell off, I never had a turning issue until I bought a new 2017 "zero turn" mower with a rigid frame. I am so frustrated with it, that I'm in the process of cutting off the front casters and welding them onto pivoting front axle which has a tapered roller bearing hub that I have fabricated in my hobby machine shop.

I'm an engineer by profession, but I can't understand how the designers and engineers for the several "zero turn" manufacturers have designed these mowers with rigid frames. It's simple geometry; that 3 points establish a plane, thus a rear end that is riding on the uneven ground, but the front axle has to pivot to allow the right and left front wheels to go up and down over the contour of the ground - such actions keep the rear drive wheels firmly on the ground as the front wheels go through the vertical motions due to the ground's contour. You will not find a conventional riding mower with a rigid axle that doesn't pivot, because if it was rigid, then when one of the front wheels rolls over a raised area, the opposite rear traction wheel will spin through the differential. Additionally, you will never see a farm tractor with a wide front end that doesn't have a pivoting front axle, because it would never consistently pull a plow or other implement.

I'm surprised that "zero turn" buyers have not commented or complained on this issue. It's certainly an issue for me and my new "zero turn" mower with a rigid frame. Hopefully, my traction problem for my "zero-turn" mower is about to end when I get the pivoting axle installed. At this point; all items for my project have been fabricated - just needing to cut off the wheels with a stub frame, and weld them onto the fabricated axle.

Regards,
AmeriKen
 

Rocky J

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Would hanging weight on the rear of the mower over come this, maybe it would just be one front wheel floating and be more like a Segway
 

AmeriKen

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Would hanging weight on the rear of the mower over come this, maybe it would just be one front wheel floating and be more like a Segway

I don't think that it would help much, because you would have to hang weights on both sides, then that would get you back to where you started.

These many times that I've had the turning problem, I will lean and look over the edge and I will see the wheel spinning that is opposite of the front caster wheel that is off the ground. In frustration, I've moved the lever forward as backwards, but until I bump the other lever to get off of that particular uneven spot of ground, that rear wheel will continue to spin with just enough traction to tear up the grass.

Regards,
AmeriKen
 

Darryl G

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I don't find much of a problem with traction on my zero turn mowers relating to them having a rigid frame. Much more problematic for me is when going down slopes, when much of the weight of the mower transfers to the front casters. Traction on my new Bob-Cat mower is more of a problem than it was with my Exmark, weighing about 200 pounds less. The new Zero-T tires on the Bob-Cat appear to make the situation even worse over the Turf Master tires on my Exmark.

Both of my mowers have MUCH better traction when I have the rear bagger units on them. Just the weight of the hopper, whether I'm bagging or not, makes a huge difference in traction. I've never operated a residential-grade zero turn but I imagine the problem is exacerbated with the lighter machines.

Suggestions are to keep your fuel tank(s) as full as possible - it can really make a difference, don't run more than 12 psi in the rear tires, try not to do your turns downhill and put some weight on yourself and/or the mower, lol.
 
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