lawn tractor tires (turf vs. ag)

[b79holmes]

I have a JD 430 garden tractor and will need to get rear tires. It has turf tires at this time.
Sometimes it does dig up the lawn and on a slow crawl down a hill slip down and also dig.
Are there pros to ag tires over turf? Will they dig more or dig less or mark the lawn differently?
Thanks,
Bill

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Turf tires are for lawn mowers.
Ag tires are for garden tractors.
My JD275 has ag tires and it's perhaps may be one of the last garden tractors. Ag tires are needed in garden for traction. Garden tractors were built to attach implements, like a tiller, disk or small plow..
Just my 2 cents, My Ag tires on grass have a smoother ride.
MY JD275 also has 48 inch mower..

Removed turf tires and put on ag tires on old craftsman for traction in garden..

If you are worried about marking the lawn your ground is too soft, get a lawn roller.

This roller is close to 5000# and little over 5 ft wide

We've been mowing with bar tires for years.

We can mow and roll at the same time.

Your problem may be your soil, not tires.

Clay soil is sometimes mud and some times hard as a rock.

Happy I sold my property that had clay.

Can you see the farmall leaving tracks??

 

[deene]

Ag tires will get better traction forward and backwards but will slide sideways on a hill, and yes they do tear more sod than the turf, the tires i prefer for best all around performance are the atv tires like they put on the newer jd tractors.

I have an x748 and i replaced the tires on the front last yr from being worn but will from now on use these tires on all the garden tractors i have when needing replacing.

Im not at the farm right now so cant give you the name brand but they are cheaper to buy online than from deere and when you do replace with whatever choice if you fill them with -20 windshield washer fluid it will help with any sliding you might encounter in the future.

 

[Mike M]

There may be a 3rd choice too depending on size ? An HDAP not sure what it stands for but it is like a knobby tire. JD has them on many of the new mowers.

 

[kencombs]

AG tires are very aggressive and will dig pretty good in soft soil IF they spin. Also on tight turns the inside tire will tear up a spot, the tighter the run the more it will do that.

I have a 455, later diesel garden tractor. I found a good compromise to be ATV tires, great traction. Just be aware if you push it and lose traction they too will dig, but since they have such good traction is is much harder to spin them.

Mine has a small loader on it and with the ATV tires is works really well with 150 lbs of wheel weights. With turf tires,it
is near useless without at least 300 lbs on the hitch in addition.

 

[b79holmes]

I saw a youtube video where someone was using Kubota industrial tires on a bigger JD garden tractor. Maybe these are similar to ATV tires?
Yes I have some clay but it's easier to change my tires than change my soil.
Bill

 

[Geo-TH,In]

In conclusion, I doubt if Ag tires will prevent you from leaving tracks/ruts when wet.
Can you drive a tractor on your lawn or truck and not leave tracks???

 

[MJMJ]

I have a horribly steep yard. Ag tires are ok but still lose traction easily, and turf tires are just plain dangerous on this hill. By far, the best traction with least damage comes from turf tires with studded chains.

 

[Kansas4010]

These R14's seem to be popular now. A combination of ag tire and turf tire.

 

[jacksun65]

On My john deere I bought some ATV tires not as aggressive as R1 but better than turf

 

[504]

I have run both,my 430 has bar tires. I had bar tires on the F-932 but I replace all 6 tires on it, and after one year the bar tires are going back on this year. THe best thing you can do is put a set of wheel weights on it,that takes out the slippage.

 

[RayP(MI)]

Have you considered tires meant for 4 wheelers or ATVs?

 

[SVcummins]

Those would be nice on a feed truck

 

[Traditional Farmer]

ATV tires work for me.

 

[Tim in New York]

I put Carlisle ag tires on m y jd345 when one of the turfs went bad. Best thing I ever did. I have one steep spot in the yard and about 400' of state road ditch to mow and they work great. I also had them loaded, and put on some heavy cast iron wheel weights. Makes a world of difference. I also plow snow with it and it does a great job up to about 8 of heavy snow or 12 of powder.

Tim

 

[kencombs]

HDAP = Heavy Duty All Purpose.

 

[Texasmark]

If the ground is hard no just smashed grass. if soft you will have little zippers all over the place. R1s will ride easier (on a different wheel) on your back than R3 or R4s if your wheels are of 16.5 Skid Steer wheel dimensions even though they are 4 ply. I bought a set of Carlisle turfs in 12x16.5 4 ply and the sidewall is so stiff I can mount the tire, leave the air out of it and it will stand on its own. I bought them thinking they would be softer riding (sidewalls) than Industrials that came on the compact tractor.....wronggggggggg!

$600 set of brand new tires sitting in the shed!

 

[WNYBill]

The gated community we spent our winter at uses a lawn care service and all their JD zero-turns have fiber drive wheels, no air. They have fiber (plastic) spokes and seem to flex, so they ride better. Go like the hubs of hell! Maybe regular treaded tires tear up the sandy soil??? I am going to talk to one of the supervisors about why. One thing for sure....no flat tires.

 

[560Dennis]

I think if its a garden tractor 430 that the Carlisle multi cut turf 8 ply tires are the best all around tires I use , I tried a lot of bar tires Carlisle super tread bar ,deestone bar , non give the traction that multicut have after ground hardens. More grip per square inch .
Soft clay or gravel sand use bar

 

[RB70D]

I have a 430 and have tried the ag tires. I have very little flat ground. They have great traction, but will tear up the grass something terrible. Stay with the turf tires. Ad weight and fluid if you need more traction.