[steveg]

I am replacing the front (drive) wheels on my craftsman mower about every 6 months because the teeth on the inside of the wheels get all chewed up. I have a fairly level yard and mow it once a week in growing season. All else seems to work fine on the mower, but at $40 a pair this is getting expensive. Any suggestions on mowing technique or mower adjustment that can extent the life of these front wheels? Do other front wheel drive mowers have the same problem? Thanks for your insights. Steve

 

[Austen]

Welcome to the site!

Hmm, so if I understand it correctly the tires are wearing quickly due to spinning I'm guessing?

We used to have FWD craftsman as a spare mower and I found that if you sometimes gave it a little push when you first engage the drive that it can help it to gain traction quicker. Also, when you are in tight areas and moving slowly another thing that you can do is to disenage the drive so the wheels are not constantly spinning and push it instead which will help cut down on some of the wear. Hopefully I'm understanding your question.

 

[steveg]

Thanks for the response. I have been out of town so sorry for the delay in clarification. Actually, the gear teeth on the inside of the tire is what is wearing out. The tire doesn't spin, actually the tire is not moving but apparently the metal drive gear is tearing up the plastic gear teeth on the inside of the tires. It happens to both front wheel drive tires. Steve

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Are you putting any grease on the gears?

Probably a toss up though as grease would attract dirt which would also turn into sandpaper unless you cleaned it and applied fresh fairly often. Also depending on the plastic the wheels are made up they might be attacked by a petroleum based grease. Something like Lubriplate white lithium grease might work better.

Aero - Lubriplate