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

[charliehill]

Mike this will take some time to wrap your head around but a tire can NOT 
roll without  slipping.  That's why the 10%.  I have seen numbers years ago 
in a farm magazine that said more like 12 to 15% is optimum.  It has to do 
with having enough slip to allow the machine to put maximum torque to the 
ground.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 11:40 AM
Subject: [AT] Turf vs. ag lug tires (was Re: [SEL] Aussie tractors across 
the USA


>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
>>
>>
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