Craftsman front drive query

[TradesmanGuy]

My 22 inch Craftsman pusher, like the majority of front drive self propelled pushers, uses plastic front wheels with gears on the back side that mesh with the metal gears on the front drive assembly. Before storing every fall, I remove the front wheels (and rear) and powerwash the debris off the wheels and axles. May be a dumb query, but would it be a good idea to rotate the two front drive wheels side to side to even out the wear pattern from the metal gears, or would it be best to replace the wheels on the side they were removed from?

 

[motorrefurb]

Sounds like your taking good care of your mower :smile: But if they are the same size then I don't see why not :tongue: And you have to remember, it's not like its a car where you are going tens of thousands of miles at 60mph with rubber tires on a hard cement surface being powered by a 300hp engine. You are using a lawnmower that goes walking speed and goes up and down a yard on a soft grass surface with hard-plastic wheels being powered by a 6hp engine :biggrin:

 

[Mini Motors]

Keep in mind that the tread still does wear, so it would be a good idea to "rotate" them.








But, don't they rotate all the time?:laughing:

 

[KennyV]

Absolutely rotate them...
even though you are mowing at a low speed... you most likely turn left (or right) more often, and that will contribute to one side wearing faster than the other....
Keep taking care of your equipment & before you know it it will have became "The old better built stuff", you always hear about.... :smile:KennyV

 

[TradesmanGuy]

Thanks, guys...the amount of debris that builds up behind the wheels surprises me, if you had sandy soil there would be a lot more wear and friction.

 

[benski]

Thanks, guys...the amount of debris that builds up behind the wheels surprises me, if you had sandy soil there would be a lot more wear and friction.

It's remarkable how much stuff jams up on the back side of those wheels, even before you go into taller weeds! As for trading side to side, I'm all for it.