Better tires for a zero turn???

   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #1  

jspeedracer88

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Southeast Indiana
Does anyone know if you could use ATV tires on a zero turn mower for increased traction? My ZD326 is terrible with the stock turf tires on it. They are 26x12-12 turf tires and I've found some ATV tires this size and wonder if they would work? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #2  
Some of the commercial mowers come with a tractor grip type of drive tire. The bars are not very high and they should work well. Check your local dealers. I saw a set of 4 for sale on craigslist just a few days ago but I cant find the ad now.
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #3  
Does anyone know if you could use ATV tires on a zero turn mower for increased traction? My ZD326 is terrible with the stock turf tires on it. They are 26x12-12 turf tires and I've found some ATV tires this size and wonder if they would work? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

ANY tire the same size "will" work.

But how well it will work is a different story.

ZTR mowers DONT have agressive tread because of the ability to "zero-turn".

I think you will find the better traction of the atv tire will come at a price. That is, tearing up the turf when you turn. And unless it is really soft/muddy, why do you need more traction?? Are you using it to pull things with?? and if it is that soft/muddy, I doubt a more agressive tire is going to help much.
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #4  
Took the originals off and put these on ours and they work fine in the spring and early summer but as the ground dried out and became hard the less traction I had.
Image4.jpg
We ended up with these. They will rip up the lawn when you spin them or make tight turns if not careful but all and all it ends up being far less. As for the original tires all I did was spin and left marks everywhere. We have had these on for about 4 years, way less tire spin.
All_Trail.jpg
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn???
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Took the originals off and put these on ours and they work fine in the spring and early summer but as the ground dried out and became hard the less traction I had.
View attachment 211610
We ended up with these. They will rip up the lawn when you spin them or make tight turns if not careful but all and all it ends up being far less. As for the original tires all I did was spin and left marks everywhere. We have had these on for about 4 years, way less tire spin.
View attachment 211611

What kind of tires are those, brand? Thanks
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #7  
Does anyone know if you could use ATV tires on a zero turn mower for increased traction? My ZD326 is terrible with the stock turf tires on it. They are 26x12-12 turf tires and I've found some ATV tires this size and wonder if they would work? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I have had the very same thoughts but have not bought different tires as of yet. I am of the mind they would help. I will report back if I decide to get new rears.
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #8  

I have exactly these same tires on my F935. Traction is poor on grass, worse than the 1/2 worn tirf tires I replaced. I've tried several inflation pressures to fix the traction problem but lower pressure to increase traction causes increased lawn tear-up.
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #9  
I have exactly these same tires on my F935. Traction is poor on grass, worse than the 1/2 worn tirf tires I replaced. I've tried several inflation pressures to fix the traction problem but lower pressure to increase traction causes increased lawn tear-up.

I am still of the belief that the turfs that come on them are fine. The provide ample traction under the conditions that you should be mowing in. Yet dont tear up the lawn when turning. And the two ZTR's that I have used (scag wildcat and bobcat ZT223) which are both ~1100lb+ machines, the few times we mowed where we shouldn't have and got stuck, it is unlikely that a different tire would have helped. It probabally only would have burried it deeper.
 
   / Better tires for a zero turn??? #10  
Without going out to the barn to look, those tires look like the ones I have on my Woods front mount deck mower.

With just over 300 hours on, if I spin, my tires will mud up and I go nowhere even when almost level. No matter the conditions, I need to really be careful turning or will tear up the lawn.

Having recently bought a 66" Swisher to pull behind the Woods, I too am thinking of some kind of lug tire.
 
 
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