daugen
Super Star Member
When I renovated/restored my 1986 Gravely 8199G about 8 years ago, I replaced the original turf tires with HDAPs on the rear.
Using the tractor in Pennsylvania in hilly rocky farmland, the HDAPS worked great. Since I have moved to NC mud seems to be more of an issue, and the
HDAP's plug quickly. I've had Carlisle TruTrac R1's before, and they never let me down though they would certainly imprint on wet ground. Here the ground is much more sandy, but parts have clay patches and those are the mud problems.
I have a JD X750 to mow my five acres of lawn. I use the Gravely for utility jobs too small for the Kubota, like pulling carts, my water roller, and high mowing down into ditches.
I also have some pretty swampy woods with a pond back there that I'd like to be able to get back there by UTV and the Gravely. So I need more grip, plain and simple.
Recently I put Firestone tri-ribs on the front, and they work wonderfully preventing side slip on slopes. So I'm good on the front, but I'd like to go more aggressive in the rear plus perhaps go up a size.
So here are my questions. Has anyone here tried the BKT style lawn tractor tire, with a cross between a chevron pattern and R1? I've seen the chevron pattern on big zero turns but not garden tractors. My gut here is to get what I want in mucky conditions I need to go full R1 again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OP40XguMbc
I've had Korean BKT R1 tires before on an older SCUT and they were simply outstanding plus were finished nicely. Made Carlisle's look third world.(or Chinese as many are...)
but looking at this brief video, that tread looks pretty deep; the question is, will it clear mud? Does anyone here have experience with these style tires? Does it take a lug style tire with huge voids to clear mud?
Secondly, as much as I'd like to go to a 26x12x12 tire up from 23X10:50x12, and the extra rear height of the machine itself would be fine, (this GT is not used for regular mowing) but I don't know if the extra tire height will clear the fender pans. So I am going to measure. I also don't know if the larger size tire requires a wider wheel, which would not surprise me. That adds a lot of cost... Looking at the pic taken during restoration, looks like a good bit of clearance under there. Not going to alter the sheet metal in any event.
I'm not going to tractor pulls so take that idea out of the discussion; it's the mud...
I'd appreciate feedback from any of you with experience here.
Using the tractor in Pennsylvania in hilly rocky farmland, the HDAPS worked great. Since I have moved to NC mud seems to be more of an issue, and the
HDAP's plug quickly. I've had Carlisle TruTrac R1's before, and they never let me down though they would certainly imprint on wet ground. Here the ground is much more sandy, but parts have clay patches and those are the mud problems.
I have a JD X750 to mow my five acres of lawn. I use the Gravely for utility jobs too small for the Kubota, like pulling carts, my water roller, and high mowing down into ditches.
I also have some pretty swampy woods with a pond back there that I'd like to be able to get back there by UTV and the Gravely. So I need more grip, plain and simple.
Recently I put Firestone tri-ribs on the front, and they work wonderfully preventing side slip on slopes. So I'm good on the front, but I'd like to go more aggressive in the rear plus perhaps go up a size.
So here are my questions. Has anyone here tried the BKT style lawn tractor tire, with a cross between a chevron pattern and R1? I've seen the chevron pattern on big zero turns but not garden tractors. My gut here is to get what I want in mucky conditions I need to go full R1 again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OP40XguMbc
I've had Korean BKT R1 tires before on an older SCUT and they were simply outstanding plus were finished nicely. Made Carlisle's look third world.(or Chinese as many are...)
but looking at this brief video, that tread looks pretty deep; the question is, will it clear mud? Does anyone here have experience with these style tires? Does it take a lug style tire with huge voids to clear mud?
Secondly, as much as I'd like to go to a 26x12x12 tire up from 23X10:50x12, and the extra rear height of the machine itself would be fine, (this GT is not used for regular mowing) but I don't know if the extra tire height will clear the fender pans. So I am going to measure. I also don't know if the larger size tire requires a wider wheel, which would not surprise me. That adds a lot of cost... Looking at the pic taken during restoration, looks like a good bit of clearance under there. Not going to alter the sheet metal in any event.
I'm not going to tractor pulls so take that idea out of the discussion; it's the mud...
I'd appreciate feedback from any of you with experience here.