Four wheel driver lawn mower thoughts

Oldpath05 · Jul 30, 2020

Now I think I found something I can afford, if I'm careful....... How to Cut Turf Tires on my Zero Turn - YouTube

ovrszd · Jul 31, 2020

kthompson said:
Richard, there is a used JD same model as yours near me for sale. Nice looking tractor design. No idea the hours and the mid mount mower should have had some work done before being placed for sale. $6,900. Mower lower looks like with it.

They are good machines. Just about 70% the size of your 2710. I previously had a 2910. Loved that tractor. Lost it in my shop fire.

Following along to see what you end up with.

GeneV · Jul 31, 2020

Oldpath05 said:
And or maybe this type of tire chain>>> Amazon.com: TerraGrips Tire Chains 23x1.5-12 [ST98]: Garden & Outdoor

I had those on my old garden tractor, they worked pretty good.

Oldpath05 · Jul 31, 2020

GeneV said:
I had those on my old garden tractor, they worked pretty good.

That sounds like a 3 or 4 star rating just like on Amazon, some say they run small and hard to put on and some say they wont stay on so I dont know if I want them or not. I do know a tire chain can be a pain.

GeneV · Jul 31, 2020

Oldpath05 said:
That sounds like a 3 or 4 star rating just like on Amazon, some say they run small and hard to put on and some say they wont stay on so I dont know if I want them or not. I do know a tire chain can be a pain.

Yeh, I got them on amazon too, and I did give them a 4 star review.

I got them instead of regular chains because I got an asphalt drive, and that tractor was doing plowing duty in winter. Mine stayed on no problem, and I had them on year round. When I first put them on, I deflated the tire somewhat, got them on snug as I could, and then they were real snug when I reinflated the tire. The only downside is that the ride is pretty rough with them on when going on paved areas, but that's to be expected.

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To kthompson, I think you could maybe do well with a garden tractor with locking differential, that feature made all the difference in the world to me. My house is on a hill and then the property slopes down into wetland which I do mow (when it's not flooded). And then there's the pond down there with muskrats tunneling into the banks. So yeh, very uneven ground, with lots of moisture in it.

This was my first tractor here:

I'd get stuck with it all the time before I got the terragrip chains. I wouldn't even risk mowing if my wife wasn't home, pretty regular I had to call her to come out and help me dig the sucker out lol. Getting the terragrips helped for sure but I'd still get stuck sometimes.

Now I mow with a new craftsman gt with locking differential, it's like night and day. I still occasionally get stuck (barely ever), but every time it happens now I have myself to blame. I see the ground is wet there, I know it's soggy, and then I still plow into it...and then I'm like no sh^1, sherlock! And then I go call my wife.

Oldpath05 · Jul 31, 2020

Wish I knew about diff lock 4 years ago.

kthompson · Aug 1, 2020

Taking it in two phases. Plan to install more aggressive tires on my ztr and today bought a self propelled push mower (seems odd to call a self propelled mower a push mower) to use in the tight areas. I know, not the direction anyone thought would decide upon. Twenty years ago would have just done that cutting with a string trimmer but have reached the point where that is not an option for any length of time.

Thank you for your thoughts and recommendation, each one helped. Oh, guy at the Mower Dealer suggested hiring a person to mow our yards.

stevem5215 · Aug 2, 2020

Can't beat the Steiner or Ventrac AWD system for tough place cutting. Lots used in the swamp of the run off ponds. With quad tires they just don't get stuck. The AWD system is hard to beat on them IMO. I have an older 420 with a 20hp Onan engine and the torque it provides is amazing.

You could consider just having another mower around for that function when needed. That's what i did. I have a Simplicity ZTR (2 of them) that i use for cutting grass on 4 acres here (wife's and mine) and we can cut it all in a couple hours together. And the Steiner is winter duty and loader duty. I have a 48" mower for it for the hills but I've found the Simplicity ZTR Citation XL with a 61" deck and ultra wide drive tires cuts the 20 degree high hill just fine. Probably due to the weight and wide tire traction. The lesser Simplicity ZT2500 I have can't hold a hill at all. Less weight and less tire traction.

Steve

kthompson · Aug 9, 2020

Need some help on tires for my ZTR. The size is 24 x 12 - 12. Mower weighs about 1700 pounds per Ferris site. I find Carlisle has three models, one being the current turf tire, the second one is the one prefer but it's load capacity is 670 or so and the other is their AT101 which my tire guy strongly recommends against. He told me he has those tires on his side by side and is sure would damage my lawn. The AT 101 tread design is the only design with the load capacity I have found other than the turf tires.

Hay Dude · Aug 9, 2020

kthompson said:
Need some help on tires for my ZTR. The size is 24 x 12 - 12. Mower weighs about 1700 pounds per Ferris site. I find Carlisle has three models, one being the current turf tire, the second one is the one prefer but it's load capacity is 670 or so and the other is their AT101 which my tire guy strongly recommends against. He told me he has those tires on his side by side and is sure would damage my lawn. The AT 101 tread design is the only design with the load capacity I have found other than the turf tires.

Kevin I added these to my zero turn. I can cut anywhere now. The only issue is you have to have a light touch on the steering, or they will shred your turf.