Rear wheels of ride-on mowers

adan

adan

Well-Known Member
The fear of looking silly has caused me to hesitate on this question. But what the heck! I just have to ask this anyway: Why are the wheels at the rear of a ride-on mower larger than the ones in front?
 
The rear wheels are the drive wheels. Fatter tires = better traction. Front wheels are for turning. Smaller tires = easier steering.
 
KennyV said:
The larger the foot print, the less compaction of the soil, thats better for the grass... :smile:KennyV
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indypower said:
The rear wheels are the drive wheels. Fatter tires = better traction. Front wheels are for turning. Smaller tires = easier steering.
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Thanks for the explanations. I understand the issue about compaction. Indeed the larger the foot print the lesser the compaction. As to why the front wheels are smaller, Indypower's explanation makes sense. The smaller tires make steering easier.

Sometimes I tend to think that the rear wheels carry more weight than the front wheels. But the engine is closer to the front wheels, right?*
 
adan said:
The fear of looking silly has caused me to hesitate on this question. But what the heck! I just have to ask this anyway: Why are the wheels at the rear of a ride-on mower larger than the ones in front?
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With the lawn tractor approximately level front to rear, place a straight edge ( or string line ) from the center of a rear wheel to the center of the front wheel and make a mental note ( or actually measure ) how much out of level it is. Now lower the straight edge at the rear wheel until it is level. This would simulate the rear wheel being changed to the same size as the front. If you actually did this your tractor would be out of level with the rear being low by several inches or the amount the straight edge was originally out of level and you wouldn't like the cut quality.

Think on this awhile and let us know why the rear wheels are larger. You won't look silly, in my mind I guarantee, no matter what your thoughts are.
 
SandburRanch said:
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With the lawn tractor approximately level front to rear, place a straight edge ( or string line ) from the center of a rear wheel to the center of the front wheel and make a mental note ( or actually measure ) how much out of level it is. Now lower the straight edge at the rear wheel until it is level. This would simulate the rear wheel being changed to the same size as the front. If you actually did this your tractor would be out of level with the rear being low by several inches or the amount the straight edge was originally out of level and you wouldn't like the cut quality.

Think on this awhile and let us know why the rear wheels are larger. You won't look silly, in my mind I guarantee, no matter what your thoughts are.
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I could be wrong, but have been around tractors all my life, and to me the main reason for the size difference lies in the NAME...TRACTOR. When they were originally invented as steam engines, the only way the power could be put to use was to have large rear wheels and tires that could handle the power produced by the engines. The immense weight also required a wide tire tread to keep from sinking into the ground. There are a lot of four-wheel or all-wheel drive tractors produced that have identical sized front and rear wheel sizes, which to me makes sense but the vast majority of ride on mowers use two wheel drive, therefore the larger rear wheels and tires.

Remember...there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers...:laughing:
 
JDgreen said:
I could be wrong, but have been around tractors all my life, and to me the main reason for the size difference lies in the NAME...TRACTOR. When they were originally invented as steam engines, the only way the power could be put to use was to have large rear wheels and tires that could handle the power produced by the engines. The immense weight also required a wide tire tread to keep from sinking into the ground. There are a lot of four-wheel or all-wheel drive tractors produced that have identical sized front and rear wheel sizes, which to me makes sense but the vast majority of ride on mowers use two wheel drive, therefore the larger rear wheels and tires.

Remember...there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers...:laughing:
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QUOTE: There are a lot of four-wheel or all-wheel drive tractors produced that have identical sized front and rear wheel sizes,
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And how do the two tractors differ in steering? There is where the reason for the difference lies.
 
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