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I manicure about 3 acres with an MTD 18 HP with rear tires with a similar tread to my wifes Acura. The slightest bit of moisture on a slight incline spins 'em. Can I put ATV type tires on this rider or do I need to buy a "garden" rider?

What size are the tires? If you can find a more aggressive tread in the correct size you can swap them out, no problem.

On my old mower I had the same problem... turf tires and no traction. I added some tire chains to the rears, which gave a lot more traction. Of course, if your lawn is real nice you might not want to go that route since it won't be too kind on the turf.

That said, a more aggressive tread like an ATV or knobby tire would probably be your best bet, just depends on the size.

Depending if you have a lawn tractor (smaller wheels and tires) or garden tractor (larger wheels and tires) your options in tires may be limited. Some of the new X500 Deeres come with HDAP tires, which are made by Carlisle and have a tread pattern that is quite suitable for lawns and yet provides superior traction. Wheel weights may help as well, in giving you more traction.

CadizHunter said:

I manicure about 3 acres with an MTD 18 HP with rear tires with a similar tread to my wifes Acura. The slightest bit of moisture on a slight incline spins 'em. Can I put ATV type tires on this rider or do I need to buy a "garden" rider?

Click to expand...

Try weights first. I bought a used weight lifting set at a yard sale for $5.00, drilled some holes in a couple 5 pound weights, and it made a world of difference using the tuff tires you describe.

You need wheel weights or a weight box and a more aggressive tires with a flat tread section.Tires with a crown or rounded tread section have 1/4 of the contact patch that flat tread tires have.Also,try running less air pressure in the tires.I run 8 to 10 psi in the rear on my mower and 14 psi in the front.

MTD? Yea, well...... Weights first, then Sears tires..... they can usually get a different set for you. I got a great set for my golf cart once at a regular tire store. Very aggresive for hill climbing.

Thanks for another interesting chat site Muhammad.
Regarding limited traction with turf tires, I have cut grass for 15 years using a Cub Cadet model 982 Super Garden Tractor (35 year old machine). I rebuilt this incredible tractor from stem to stern. I live in Ottawa Ontario and we get piles of snow every winter, so I loaded both read tires with 10 gallons of used antifreeze ( imperial gallons @ 10 Lbs per gallon) and also filled the front tires with about 2 gallons per tires. I also mounted tire chains on the rear wheels (2 cross links) and have been running this combination for 12 years. I have not lost a pound of air in any in the tire and there is no obstacle I can't move or ride over. Interestingly, I have no problem at all with damage to the grass, unless of course I try to spin the rear wheels.

Dan

We have weights on the John Deere lawn mower that we own. We also have a couple of lawn tractors too, we don't use them to mow with. We use them to pull the roller around with and to use the lawn sweeper.
Try weights first and then switch out the tires.

I have 330 pounds of weight in the drivers seat....I had too add weights too the front tires too help with turning. :laughing:

The standard turf tires not working? You can try these.

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/show_tires.cfm?category_id=3&tread_id=27&page_num=1

I would have never thought to put liquid in the tires at all! Also, I've never heard of putting weight on the tires. Those both are great ideas! It would be quite useful to have greater traction on the slopes. :thumbsup: