Small size tires for ATVs and mowers - Recommendations?

[AuroraGirl]

So first question, but I noticed the ride on our mower is a lot... stiffer lately. And we did have a new tire put on the one rim with most wear onthe tire(right front) which was original. Its a john deere and I bought the same style carlilse turf tire, because it has kick ass rear tires and if its not a good tread up front, it has a tendency to just keep moving forward with no regard to your turning, which we found with the mostly bald tire. I didnt pay attention much until I tried using it at speed in our field (not mowing, but that would be similar experience) and it just was really god damn harsh to ride on.

I looked into the tire i bought, the one remaining, and checked pressures. And realized I put a 4 ply tire on and the other side is a 2 ply. Same tread, but the 4ply is very obvious a tougher tire because the PSI and load rating on it are much higher (at least capable wise) than the other which didnt say 2 ply but I assume that means 2ply(i didnt look for the ply on that tire, just using context clues here)

Am I smart to assume that the ply difference side to side and the fact one is just a 4ply when the tractor normally had 2 ply are both reasons it was stiff?

I hate to not use the tire since Its on.. but we dont have any front end attachments or anything and because my gma primarily uses it we will prob put 2 2 ply on the front at same time, and maybe keep that for spare or something... but anyway


other question, we have a 4x4 Polaris ranger. its more of a workmule to us than trail rider, but it also does need to see pavement here or there or to get to the trail and its otherwise on property, but we are due for some rear tires in the spring(frankly before winter if we use it for plowing this year.. very possible) and was wondering if there is a recommendation on tread design or type of tire. Frankly I kinda use the thing in excess its intention and move heavy **** with it but its not long term. But the traction ability is super nice to have.. well.. nice.. and being that these are the OE tires in kinda a mid-road design I wanted to hear if anyone had luck or recommendations since ive never shopped for ATV tires or had to compare how one compares to another etc. The thing is capable of 55mph on pavement so I wouldnt want the most aggressive tread for safety and wear sake, but nice grip in snow and mud and dirt is nice while also being forgiving on grass generally. The fronts are fine, they arent the most aggressive and they work ok considering no power steering and all. I can get sizes and plys if needed but I believe it was 4 ply fronts, maybe 6 rear. The rear are wider and possibly taller but way more contact there. Snow traction can be supplemented with sand, swearing, and chains if there is a good tire that maybe isnt the best for snow.

well this is the only two photos I had on my computer of the thing and its split in half lol

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that is what is currently on it

Also side question, is it worth trying to buff a plastic windshield to be clear again or is that pissing in the wind
Or as I was a smart child, I spit while riding a bike without facing my head to either side, so that just found a home on my face immediately after spitting.

They say Im smart, but Im just saying that actually happened when I was like, 8 or something. Some things should concern or at least draw question on such ideas.. lol

 

[80BrownK10]

I have bought what I liked tread pattern wise or was the cheapest. I have bought tires but not put enough time on them to say if there good or that I would recommend them. I would put heavier ply on the ranger if You load it. Mowers I would go cheap as I could and get 2 ply unless it was a heavy Zero turn.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I have bought what I liked tread pattern wise or was the cheapest. I have bought tires but not put enough time on them to say if there good or that I would recommend them. I would put heavier ply on the ranger if You load it. Mowers I would go cheap as I could and get 2 ply unless it was a heavy Zero turn.

yeah I learned that lesson with the 4 ply on the john deere. if i had the front attachments or did snow removal with it or something front heavy it would be warranted with 26hp and heavy frame etc etc but now its just a jackhammer compared to the not 4 ply worn left side. I was gonna get 2 2ply in the spring, well, 3 since the other john deer has the same tire but it also needs a new one, keep it as a spare or something for htat purpose

The ATV thing< i went and looked locally and the only tread was the dotted pattern you saw on old 3 wheelers a lot for the 3 tires . Something tells me that surface area would be good to whip snow out from under it maybe lol

 

[80BrownK10]

yeah I learned that lesson with the 4 ply on the john deere. if i had the front attachments or did snow removal with it or something front heavy it would be warranted with 26hp and heavy frame etc etc but now its just a jackhammer compared to the not 4 ply worn left side. I was gonna get 2 2ply in the spring, well, 3 since the other john deer has the same tire but it also needs a new one, keep it as a spare or something for htat purpose

The ATV thing< i went and looked locally and the only tread was the dotted pattern you saw on old 3 wheelers a lot for the 3 tires . Something tells me that surface area would be good to whip snow out from under it maybe lol

Usually those type tires for the ATV are the cheapest thing you can get, very soft tread and will wear fast and usually there a lighter ply and I don't think even if it was in the size you need would be worth it unless you just had to have something NOW and didn't care about the next few years or longevity. But to be honest I have never run those unless it was when I was riding a three wheeler when I was like 12 years and years ago. I have never bought them. Just my observation when looking at price and the few that I have seen upclose and felt.

 

[Grit dog]

yeah I learned that lesson with the 4 ply on the john deere. if i had the front attachments or did snow removal with it or something front heavy it would be warranted with 26hp and heavy frame etc etc but now its just a jackhammer compared to the not 4 ply worn left side. I was gonna get 2 2ply in the spring, well, 3 since the other john deer has the same tire but it also needs a new one, keep it as a spare or something for htat purpose

The ATV thing< i went and looked locally and the only tread was the dotted pattern you saw on old 3 wheelers a lot for the 3 tires . Something tells me that surface area would be good to whip snow out from under it maybe lol

There are voluminous different styles and brands of ATV tires available. Just pick one that you like, IMO. Buying anything "locally" anymore is pretty much an effort in futility.

I've seen you comment about your mower tire before. How much air pressure are you running? You can make it ride as soft as you want it to, by lowering air pressure. Certainly the mower isn't so light that it's stiff with little/no air in it?

 

[AuroraGirl]

There are voluminous different styles and brands of ATV tires available. Just pick one that you like, IMO. Buying anything "locally" anymore is pretty much an effort in futility.

I've seen you comment about your mower tire before. How much air pressure are you running? You can make it ride as soft as you want it to, by lowering air pressure. Certainly the mower isn't so light that it's stiff with little/no air in it?

I did lower it quite a bit until it started to lower that corner, the mowers

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Like this one, it quite likes to plant the front down lol, esp with those rear tires. If I air down the front to where its as low as it can be just to maintain height, its still much stiffer than the other side. I think part of the issue is the front axle pivots in the center and hte opposite tire is got less tread now, and is half the ply construction perhaps.

At one point I thought the ride was bad was exclusively that but I figured out the mower decks attachment points werent properly adjusted, that helped fixing that. The last owner also had the scalp wheels extended quite far and then that effected it too (adjusted those)
Just because of that front axle pivot situation I figured Ill get matching tires on there in spring. Id also like to put turf tires on the back because those knobs arent actually that helpful on our yard, I dont know if its from the 2007 tires and being stiff/not sticky or if its a surface area thing.

 

[AuroraGirl]

also on snowblower, because I think i mentioned that either here or another thread, I got it tuned up and adjusted the skid shoes a bit / aired the tires up a bit but Iirc less than it was when last used just based on how its behaving now much better. it will need a new scraper for next year and I think ill try chains next year but its working better now at least

 

[Rumbledawg]

i don't have a SXS, but i do got 3 quads and have had real good luck using ITP mud lite XTR's. my wife's quad came with Maxxis radials and we replaced them with Maxxis zilla's, another good tire.
my dad has an '014 Ranger 570 and he has 2 sets, for everything he uses Maxxis ML1's and when he went hunting he would throw on a set of Superatv Intimidators. prob the best tire for any kind of extreme terrain. that's why he don't use them around his house or farm much, they tear the hell out of whatever your riding on. super expensive too...

this may seem a little hokey, but try it, for scratched plastic. my dad has a winter cab kit for his popo and we used a headlight polishing kit to get the scratches out, then brushed Future floor polish over it. it fills in any imperfections and makes it look like new again. downside, sometimes have to re-apply every few months depending on riding and weather conditions.
can use a soft brush to apply, self leveling so no "brush marks"

 

[AuroraGirl]

i don't have a SXS, but i do got 3 quads and have had real good luck using ITP mud lite XTR's. my wife's quad came with Maxxis radials and we replaced them with Maxxis zilla's, another good tire.
my dad has an '014 Ranger 570 and he has 2 sets, for everything he uses Maxxis ML1's and when he went hunting he would throw on a set of Superatv Intimidators. prob the best tire for any kind of extreme terrain. that's why he don't use them around his house or farm much, they tear the hell out of whatever your riding on. super expensive too...

this may seem a little hokey, but try it, for scratched plastic. my dad has a winter cab kit for his popo and we used a headlight polishing kit to get the scratches out, then brushed Future floor polish over it. it fills in any imperfections and makes it look like new again. downside, sometimes have to re-apply every few months depending on riding and weather conditions.
can use a soft brush to apply, self leveling so no "brush marks"

Interesting. I was gonna try heat application on the corner and see if melting gentle like some people say can fix, but I think the reason it got as bad as it is is because the windshield is so large and it has no across-supports only the permiemeter and it bows and deflects and probably flexes the surface too much + UV rays. might be a good idea if I repair it to run something across the middle that grabs the roll bars like the OE

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also the most worthless rearview mirror if ever seen in my life, its got a field of view thats great for the brat kids sitting in the dump bed around the yard(if someone had them) but its too much field of view for a small mirror and everythings distorted stupidly. It needs to be wider and normaler. Id ratrher have a wide angle rear view that goes in a car like the clip on one in my truck than a normal mirror width that sees that same view but in a smaller mirror...

rant of unrelated but annoying feature over lol

 

[Catbox]

This stuff works like a champ.

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[t44e6]

I remember the first time I found out how little authority those mower front turf tires have, so does that shed.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I remember the first time I found out how little authority those mower front turf tires have, so does that shed.

what do you mean

 

[t44e6]

what do you mean

It means they had no grip and I slid into a shed and dented it.

 

[AuroraGirl]

It means they had no grip and I slid into a shed and dented it.

im sorry. I had a deep tissue friction burn from when I got my atv running (auction buy for 30 bucks or something) and to my sadness the PO bypassed the NEUTRAL SAFETY circuit and had wire nuts splicing in the ignition. I fixed the ignition with a new switch and proper wiring, but the neutral indicator light wasnt working (bulb out) and dumb me had faith in some jack wagon not bypassing that...

The throttle was basically held WOT because of the carb replacement the design is different, and I didnt realize this. Cranked it over, it started. Cool!

well I was standing to the side and it was in gear , it raced to high RPM, burnt rubber and my ankle in a flash, and then took off in my shed thankfully damaging very little (broke an old junk headlight housing for park avenue) and knocked over things I just had to clean up. started to then try and climb a makeshift work bench, so I turned it off.

Then went and experienced excrutiating pain that ive only matched in intensity 2 times before but never for so long. I was immobile by middle next day and out of work for weeks

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Really need to finish it. needs a lot of odds and ends. but its an 87 which was last used in 93. I got as far as ordering a new intake block thing. Carb bolted onto piece which is metal/plastic hybrid but it cracked and couldnt idle right on its own but it ran good for what it did... too good

 

[t44e6]

AuroraGirl Eek! Yeah, burns are horrible.​