Tires turf tires tearing up lawn

zmansmac · May 22, 2003

Had a small garden tractor for many years and just took delivery of a B7500 with FEL and 5 ft MMM. Had it a week and just love the tractor. One of the reasons I chose the 7500 is for the tight turning radius. I used it to cut grass twice now and realized, after a fair amount of damage, that I have to just crawl around in a tight circle because the outboard edge of the outer tire digs into the dirt because it is canted over in a tight turn. Tried 2 or 4 wheel drive and didn't seem to matter. The real problem seems to be the Carlisle Turf Chief tires that have a hard corner on them. Seems like a tire with a much rounded corner would be the ticket to faster turns without gouging up a circle. Anybody have a similar experience or can offer a solution. I hate to slow a good tractor down. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

chim · May 23, 2003

Z, are you mowing with the FEL on? What pressure are you running in the tires? I have a B7500/RFM/FEL/R4's and if I run lots of air or mow with the FEL on the tractor does some scuffing on tight turns.................chim

sandyc · May 23, 2003

Good Day....I remove my FEL and weight box when mowing. The ag tires I am using are aggressive and if I mow when wet or take a tight turn I can chew up turf. At the cost of buying turf tires I have decided to slow down and enjoy the mow...it's cheaper.

zmansmac · May 23, 2003

I forgot to mention that I have the FEL removed when mowing. When the tractor was delivered it had 15 PSI in the fronts which seemed a little low to me. After tearing up the lawn the first time I put 25 PSI in hoping to bulge out the middle of the tire and effectively try to make the edges have less ground contact in a tight turn. Although I think it helped a bit, it didn't seem to make a lot of difference. I have searched a bit for different tires and have found some with rounder edges but not in my size, 23x8.50-12. I did find some 24 inchers that didn't look too bad but I'm not sure if the size difference would mess up the level of the MMM. Another option I'm considering, if I can find a place that still does this kind of thing, is to have the tire edges ground down. I realize that this kind of change will probably cause a little slippage in tight turns but I'm willing to live with that since this tractor will be used primarily for mowing.

lpigott · May 23, 2003

Should have got a BX if mowing is the main thing you do. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gifGuess you'll just have to slow in the turns and make up the time in the straightaways /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

equipman · May 23, 2003

zmansmac
The manual calls for 22 psi in the 23 X 8.50 - 12 turf tires. My first response was to lower the tire pressure and see how that works. Tight turns on any turf can cause scuffing, you may just have to slow down a little when turning.
Lewis

markct · May 23, 2003

why couldnt ya simply grind down the edges yourself with an angle grinder and a coarse sanding disc, the tractor pulling guys do tire cutting and grinding all the time, just rotate the tire by hand and grind the corner some, just be carefull not to hit the cording

buzst · May 23, 2003

zmansmac,
Try putting some weight on the back (3pt) of the tractor to lighten the front end slightly.

theboman · May 23, 2003

Don't mow in 4wd unless it's necessary, it's very hard on the ground under the wheels, much more than 2wd.
Avoid tight turns is the easiest thing to do and avoid wet ground.
I have a B7500 and I've gotten better about ripping the turf the past couple of years.