# Garden Tractor Tires



## Tomcatg (May 14, 2016)

I've got a Craftsman G5500 Garden Tractor about 2 years old. Pull a Swisher Trail mower, driveway rake, carts etc. I have chains and just ordered a set of wheel weights because I also ordered a Johnny Bucket and Johnny Plow. I was thinking about the need for lugged tractor tires and wanted opinions from you folks. Thanks.


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

Ag tires can tear up the yard,some times,but they do give better traction in softer soils,than ,say a Turf saver tread.
For what you describe,they should work well,however,they also slip a bit on ice .
I plan on putting a set on my Bolens,since it's used for plowing gardens,and general load hauling,as well as the occasional(rare ) snow plow duty.
For mowing,however, I use my John Deere LX266,with turf tires.


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## grauemaus (Aug 31, 2018)

HDAP tires are the compromise. I researched this as my turf tires are not gripping when I pull out trees even when I lock the rear diff. My yard is also a hill so sometimes if it is wet I seem to need a little more traction. Just need to pull the trigger, and figure out who can install them.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tractor Forum mobile app


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2018)

I know this is an older thread but Im new here....

For a GT with 12" rims I use heavy lugged ATV tires... I think they are best all purpose, all season tire available, *No Chains Required.... *I *HATE* chains, I have them for my bigger tractors because there is no other option, for garden tractors there is. About 8 years ago I picked up a used pair of DURO Red Eagle ATV tires for $40 and put them on my Columbia(mtd960) with a 54" snowplow..... and was absolutely amazed at how well they hooked up, as the seasons changed I left them on and consistantly found them to be very effective in any situation including breaking virgin ground with a 10" bottom plow. Ive used ATV tires on every 12" rim since.

ATV tires are made of softer rubber and require less PSI than any GT tire available, Ive even used them on lawn mowers.... they do not tear up turf and low PSI makes for a much softer ride. I dont fill them nor do I use excessive ballast, a pair of wheel weights is more than enough for anything other than a fel tractor where you need the ballast to offset the weight of a loaded bucket. Assuming a person uses his loader within the manufacturers recommended limits the ATV tires handle the extra weight just fine.

Yes I have used chains on garden tractors, and AG tires, and HDAP tires, filled or not, none have an advantage over the ATV tires except on glare ice where chains or studded HDAP tires will certainly dig into the ice better... but... ATV tires still move forward on ice. In winter my g-kids drive my tractors across 300 yards of pasture and clear the snow off the dugout to go skating, they've been doing that since they were 7 and 9 yrs old... in Alberta... we get lots of snow and the kids have never gotten a tractor stuck... at least not to the point where they needed my help so I never heard about it, the tractors, and the kids, have all made it home just fine.

IMO... ATV tires are the most cost friendly and effective solution, no chains, no filling tires, no 200+ lbs of weight hanging off the back, you put them on and you go to work.


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## T. Cruit (Feb 25, 2019)

I completely agree with Lance on this. Added some ATV tires to my Craftsman GT3000. Was a huge improvement over the turf savers I had before. Also they seem to handle loads pretty well. I run 10-12psi in them.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

Little late to comment, but here goes... The "red clay" soil we have down here in the South can get slicker than cow snot with just a little bit of moisture. Been putting ATV tires on customer machines for several years. Even put a few sets on z-turns, but they aren't really mowing a "lawn", they're more well groomed pastures with lawn ornaments


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