OP
Hay Dude
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2012
- Messages
- 19,139
- Location
- A Hay Field along the PA/DE border
- Tractor
- Challenger MT655E, Massey Ferguson 7495, Challenger MT535B, Krone 4x4 XC baler, (2) Kubota ZD331’s, 2020 Ram 5500 Cummins 4x4, IH 7500 4x4 dump truck, Kaufman 35’ tandem 19 ton trailer, Deere CX-15, Pottinger Hay mowers
So I got them installed and I was itching to find out how they would work on steep ground and, would they damage the lawn.
I got the Carlisle tires and man are they aggressive. Almost an AG tire. I headed over to another kind of steep bank with more sparse grass, moss, and weakly-rooted weeds that I cut every other week for a guy. What I found was that the tires were very rough on that area. Unless you drove very delicately, the bar tires made unacceptable marks in the sparse weakly-rooted "grass". I was kind of disappointed, but not surprised. I was very pleased with the traction, but if you put a cowboy on a zero turn with those bar tires, it'll look ripped-up in no time.
I then went home to my 3 acres of healthy lawn and cut some of it. My lawn is nearly flat. There, it went a lot better. My grass is pretty thick. It can take the "bite" of the bar treads and even some light slipping from the bar tires without leaving marks. I made some fairly tight, but not "zero-tight" turns and not much if any damage. However, anywhere where the ground was soft or patchy, making a turn leaves a pretty nasty mark.
The final analysis wont happen until I can cut the huge bank with the pond at the bottom. The grass there is not as good as my lawn. There's a lot of moving pieces to all this. I want to do a good job, but not slide sideways and end up in the pond. I also don't want to damage their lawn.
The traction is unquestionably there. Now can I keep the damage minimal.
On a slightly related topic, I have my eyes on either a used Deere 1565 or a used Kubota 3680. These machines are part time 4WD and offer much better traction. Even with turf tires, they get very good traction. However, they sit higher (higher center of gravity) so not as good under tree branches and not quite as maneuverable. I promised myself I would get 2 used machines. It will be interesting to see which one does better on the pond bank.
I got the Carlisle tires and man are they aggressive. Almost an AG tire. I headed over to another kind of steep bank with more sparse grass, moss, and weakly-rooted weeds that I cut every other week for a guy. What I found was that the tires were very rough on that area. Unless you drove very delicately, the bar tires made unacceptable marks in the sparse weakly-rooted "grass". I was kind of disappointed, but not surprised. I was very pleased with the traction, but if you put a cowboy on a zero turn with those bar tires, it'll look ripped-up in no time.
I then went home to my 3 acres of healthy lawn and cut some of it. My lawn is nearly flat. There, it went a lot better. My grass is pretty thick. It can take the "bite" of the bar treads and even some light slipping from the bar tires without leaving marks. I made some fairly tight, but not "zero-tight" turns and not much if any damage. However, anywhere where the ground was soft or patchy, making a turn leaves a pretty nasty mark.
The final analysis wont happen until I can cut the huge bank with the pond at the bottom. The grass there is not as good as my lawn. There's a lot of moving pieces to all this. I want to do a good job, but not slide sideways and end up in the pond. I also don't want to damage their lawn.
The traction is unquestionably there. Now can I keep the damage minimal.
On a slightly related topic, I have my eyes on either a used Deere 1565 or a used Kubota 3680. These machines are part time 4WD and offer much better traction. Even with turf tires, they get very good traction. However, they sit higher (higher center of gravity) so not as good under tree branches and not quite as maneuverable. I promised myself I would get 2 used machines. It will be interesting to see which one does better on the pond bank.
