[AT] Turf vs. ag lug tires (was Re: [SEL] Aussie tractors across the USA

[Mike Sloane]

I would argue that, in normal mowing on dry ground, slippage has never 
been an issue with any of my tractors, nor has there been damage from ag 
lugs, except in very soggy ground that I had no business being on in the 
first place. I have half a dozen different grass cutting tractors, and 
on hard dry ground there is functionally no difference between turf and 
ag lug tires, whether on the flats or on steep hills. The wide turf 
tires do a little better as far as not sinking into soft/wet ground, but 
I agree that they have virtually no traction when going over soft or wet 
areas. I use whatever tires the tractor came with, and I would never 
bother to change from one type to another.

That is for grass cutting only, where traction is only a very minor 
issue. For any other tractor work, ag lugs are the only tires I use. 
When I worked at a New Holland dealership, we had charts showing the 
amount of slippage from different types of tires (radial, bias ply, 
various lug patterns, weights, etc.), but they were all based on the 
tractor being used for hard pulling, not mowing lawns. According to 
those charts, the most efficient results were obtained from having about 
10% slippage, although I never quite understood why.

Mike

Larry Goss wrote:

> 
> IMHO, What doesn't make sense is ANY use of turf tires.  I know, I
> know--- I've heard all the arguments about ruts in the sod, damage to
> the thatch, etc, etc, etc -- all BS.  When push comes to shove, turf
> tires have nearly 60% slippage.  That means they cause you to spend
> more time mowing your grass, and you always use more gas when using
> turf tires.  You can save 25% on mowing time and gasoline usage by
> changing out the OEM turf tires with low lug high-flotation tires,
> and your grass will stop suffering from friction burn caused by the
> tires.  In this day and age of ZTR mowers, that's a significant
> change in operating cost and the health of your lawn.
> 
> Please note that I'm not advocating using aggressive ag lugs on
> lawnmowers, but even those tires are probably better than turf tires.
> 
> 
> Let the flames begin.  I have run the "experiment" to back up my
> claims.  I ran a large L&G tractor with a 60-inch deck on it for 10
> years before exchanging the turf tires for low lug high-flotation
> ones.  It was the only change made to the mowing equipment, and I got
> the changes I'm talking about.
> 
> Larry
> 
>