Front Tires

[SGragg]

Need your experience with front tires. Never had any of the smooth, ribbed front tires like you see on some of the old CCs (below left). I've always had Carlisle Turf Saver or Turf Master (below right) treaded tires.

Do you all that have the ribbed tires find that they cause the tractor to wander off course or do they track pretty straight?

Thanks.

[mortten]

I put a set of Vredestein V61 tires on my 1250. Very easy to steer. They don’t rip up the grass. I find turf tires to be hard steering.

[Cub Cadet 123]

Stanton,

The ones on the left I have often heard referred to as the "flotation" tires. I've had those on several cubs and I think they are good for only two things.....squashing down the clover before I get a chance to mow over it--giving me a bad cut to the lawn and removing from the cub to replace with something better.

I've had great luck with the skinnies tri-ribs on the front. As mentioned, they make steering easier, as if you have power steering and they track very nicely to guide the cub through snow and turf. I've never used them for dirt plowing, so I cannot speak to their effectiveness there. When I put them on one of my 129's years ago, I was laughing on my victory lap with them because it seemed as though the front of my cub was resting on a cinder block and I was moving the steering wheel freely. The skinny tri-ribs sell new for between $40-$65 with tubes in them.

Cub Cadet 123

[Mike McKown]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

Stanton,

The ones on the left I have often heard referred to as the "flotation" tires. I've had those on several cubs and I think they are good for only two things.....squashing down the clover before I get a chance to mow over it--giving me a bad cut to the lawn and removing from the cub to replace with something better.

I've had great luck with the skinnies tri-ribs on the front. As mentioned, they make steering easier, as if you have power steering and they track very nicely to guide the cub through snow and turf. I've never used them for dirt plowing, so I cannot speak to their effectiveness there. When I put them on one of my 129's years ago, I was laughing on my victory lap with them because it seemed as though the front of my cub was resting on a cinder block and I was moving the steering wheel freely. The skinny tri-ribs sell new for between $40-$65 with tubes in them.

Cub Cadet 123

I agree with all this.

[Mike McKown]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

Stanton,

The ones on the left I have often heard referred to as the "flotation" tires. I've had those on several cubs and I think they are good for only two things.....squashing down the clover before I get a chance to mow over it--giving me a bad cut to the lawn and removing from the cub to replace with something better.

I've had great luck with the skinnies tri-ribs on the front. As mentioned, they make steering easier, as if you have power steering and they track very nicely to guide the cub through snow and turf. I've never used them for dirt plowing, so I cannot speak to their effectiveness there. When I put them on one of my 129's years ago, I was laughing on my victory lap with them because it seemed as though the front of my cub was resting on a cinder block and I was moving the steering wheel freely. The skinny tri-ribs sell new for between $40-$65 with tubes in them.

Cub Cadet 123

I agree with all this. I second the harder steering part for the "flotation" tires.

[SGragg]

Originally Posted by Mike McKown

I agree with all this. I second the harder steering part for the "flotation" tires.

Would you all consider the V61 tires in the “floatation” category or do they provide good tracking as well as steering?

[Mike McKown]

I would recommend you try these. They will work on wide rims with tubes.

https://www.bestusedtires.com/deesto...id=EAIaIQobChM

[jbrewer]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

I've had great luck with the skinnies tri-ribs on the front.
Cub Cadet 123

I'm going to have to try this on one of the cubs.

Skinny and tall is the secret to easy steering. I put a set of what looks to be small trailer tires on the front of my O and they've been fantastic (and cheap) for years now . Super easy to steer and they're fine on the lawn. I imagine the ribbed tires would be the same.


I had a 70 SS396 Chevelle with no power steering. With short fat , 60's series front tires, it was wrestling match to steer at low speeds. Fortunately I rarely drove it at low speeds....

[dbuck]

I have a set of firestone 3 ribs on the front of my 149, makes the tractor turn like power steering.

[ol'George]

We have gotten spoiled with power steering now a days.
In my day, most everything was Armstrong steering and one didn't try to turn the steering wheel unless the vehicle was moving a bit.
We learned it quickly and it really was not that bad, but to go back to it after having one finger power assist in todays world with vehicle at rest, is quite an undertaking and a wake up call to most young folks.
Just like there are folks that never drove a manual transmission let alone one you had to double clutch.
The "good old days" in some ways lacked some nice features we take for granted today,like electric windshield wipers, power windows and power brakes.
Hell, Radio and heater were optional, and turn signals didn't become standard till the middle 50's,--- about the time hydraulic lifters became standard equipment.
Try driving up a slight incline with Vacuum operated wipers on a rainy day or snow/icy conditions without heater/defroster, ya rolled the window down and stuck your head out to see or signaled for a turn with your hand/arm.
---enough rambling.