Guide to Buying Turf Tires

How to Choose the Right Turf Tires for your Lawn Mower or Lawn Tractor

Turf tires are generally lawn mower or lawn tractor tires that are designed with a wider footprint in the tread design that will minimize the disturbance to the grass or other sensitive surfaces. They provide maximum traction and maximum flotation, meaning that they are stable on loose or sandy ground. Typical turf tire treads provide solid forward, reverse, and lateral traction designed to make it easier to maneuver machinery.

Commercial Turf Tires versus Residential Turf Tires

Turf tire products are generally broken down by two main categories; Residential and Commercial Use. Residential turf tires are not as beefy- and not as expensive because they don’t require the same standards as a high use commercial mowing tire. One very popular residential turf tire is the Carlisle Turf Saver.

Commercial Turf Tires are designed for the high demands of long hours of use and higher traction needs for many types of terrain and surfaces. Two very popular commercial turf tires are the Carlisle Turf Master or the Carlisle Multi Trac C/S.

What Do I Need to Know Before Buying?

Generally you need to start with what tire is on the mower now. If you just give the tire size, you could run into issues as the same sized turf tire in different brands will have slightly different dimensions. So your best bet is to write down the size and all other information from your current tire. You can also take a photo and send it to us.

Do I Need to Buy the Same Tire Brand and Product?

Most people will choose to replace a turf tire with what is already on the machine…likely the OEM or original manufacturer equipment tire. If you had a good experience and were happy with the performance of the tire that you are replacing then it is usually easier to replace it with the same exact product. However, if you were not happy with the performance, traction or longevity/wear of your current turf tire, an experienced turf tire dealer can provide you with some options.There are also some quality after market replacement tire brands that offer excellent performance at a slightly lower price. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH SOME BIG WEBSITES THAT OFFER VERY INEXPENSIVE TURF TIRES! Some of these secondary big store brands may be cheaper, but are also not sized the same as the OEM and you could end up with a tire with completely different dimensions. Top brands such as John Deere, etc… and commercial mowers will generally come with top brand OEM tires such as Carlisle, Titan and OTR. Less expensive mowers such as Snapper will usually have less expensive residential turf brands such as Deestone and Kenda.

How Do I Know Which Tread Design is Best?

Turf pattern is generally determined by traction needs, turf sensitivity requirements and load (weight). This is where buying from speciality tire dealer will really pay off…we know your equipment, we understand your applications and we know which tires will BEST suit your own needs- not just what someone has in stock in your tire size! Ken Jones Tires stocks the best selection of turf tire tread designs from all the top quality OEM and replacement import brands available. Click here for more information about each turf tread design.

 

The right turf tire supplier will ask MANY questions

Tire size and what tire is on there now we will know may lead to finding the right choice but Ken Jones Tires has good better and best options (usually 4-5 options) versus one option with some online tire dealers.

One last tip:

If you have a piece of equipment that needs a new tire and you just search online or give someone your tire size and they try to sell you something different, BE VERY CAREFUL!
The same sized turf tires will NOT be the same size from different manufacturers. In fact, even with the same tire manufacturer, different products in the same tire size will have different dimensions. That is why it is always better to speak with a turf tire expert!