Thoughts on changing rear wheels for wider stance on Scag Tiger Cub

[Wendol]

I have a large area (tank dam) that I prefer to mow horizontally, and looking for a little better stability with my 48" Tiger Cub.

In checking the owners manual it appears the rear wheels on the 52" model has the same width and tire size as my 48" ...... but with what appears to be a different offset in the wheels...........looks to be 1 inch.
48" rim part # 481659
52" rim part # 482414

Anyone done this type of change? Any downside to this change?

Thanks for any and all help!!

 

[cpurvis]

The downside is that offsetting the wheels puts more stress on the axle bearings.
The upside is that at only 1" of offset, it won't increase stress much.
The downside is, at only 2" of total offset, you probably won't be able to tell any difference between the two sets of wheels.

Check that the increased width doesn't make the tires wider than the deck.

When mowing sideways on a slope, keep your tires aired up and engine oil topped off. Make sure you aren't exceeding Scag's recommendation for max slopes.

 

[Wendol]

The downside is that offsetting the wheels puts more stress on the axle bearings.
The upside is that at only 1" of offset, it won't increase stress much.
The downside is, at only 2" of total offset, you probably won't be able to tell any difference between the two sets of wheels.

Check that the increased width doesn't make the tires wider than the deck.

When mowing sideways on a slope, keep your tires aired up and engine oil topped off. Make sure you aren't exceeding Scag's recommendation for max slopes.

Good info.........thanks for the reply.......especially about keeping the engine oil topped off.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Very sound advice
The most common reason for seized engines I see is mowing along a slope
Plenty of oil in the engine & every one of them said they had done it regularly without any problems..... till there was one,,,,, BANG !
If you are going to mow across a lot of slope you really should get a mower with a horizontal crankshaft engine
But quality is not cheap .

 

[StarTech]

Since both Turf Tigers use the same wheel motors so it shouldn't be a stress problem. But check deck clearance as you may or may not rear deck gauge wheels. Another option is to add inner tubes and water fill the tire assembly. This will add a little more wheel weight. Now water will only add 8 lbs per US gallon but it will increase traction too on the uphill wheel. Note in an area prone freezing condition add an antifreeze approved for tires to prevent this.

And take Bert and Wendol advice to heed above vertical engines and the operation on slopes.

 

[Wendol]

Since both Turf Tigers use the same wheel motors so it shouldn't be a stress problem. But check deck clearance as you may or may not rear deck gauge wheels. Another option is to add inner tubes and water fill the tire assembly. This will add a little more wheel weight. Now water will only add 8 lbs per US gallon but it will increase traction too on the uphill wheel. Note in an area prone freezing condition add an antifreeze approved for tires to prevent this.

And take Bert and Wendol advice to heed above vertical engines and the operation on slopes.

On the clearance issue.......with an increase of 1" on each wheel.........the left wheel would still set about 1" inside the left most side of the deck.
I ordered the wheel/tire combination this morning, and then got to thinking, on a straight away (next to building, fence, etc) no problem, but .......what about when I make a right hand turn at the end of such a run? I'm concerned it might throw the left rear tire into whatever I was mowing next to.
So I cancelled the order, and will take the mower out for a test run and see if that appears to be an issue or not.

Thanks to all for the valuable info!!

 

[Born2Mow]

I have a large area (tank dam) that I prefer to mow horizontally, and looking for a little better stability with my 48" Tiger Cub.

By "stability" do you mean resistance to sliding, or roll-over ?? I don't think you'll get much help with sliding as that's a Weight and Center of Gravity thing.

Also, when you cut close to a fixed object, you may hit the (out of normal view) rear wheel rather than the deck. Thus a swap may reduce close trimming.