Advantage of pneumatic tires versus solid tires on finish mower?

[oosik]

The only thing with real thorns here - Russian Olive. One small tree out in the lawn where I mow. Never had a problem with its thorns though.

There was an old homestead about three miles down the county road. They had a grove of Black Locust. I got permission and cut it all down for firewood. I understand the situation with air inflated tires and locust "spikes/thorns".

 

[MossRoad]

I've had riding mowers for forty years out here. I mow two acres of "grass". My grass is field grass that, when mowed, looks pretty much like a real lawn.

40 years with OEM air inflated tires and not one single flat.

What are you guys mowing that causes so many flats??

With mine, I have pneumatic casters on the front of our front-mounted mower. If you make a pivot on a berm, curb, hole, etc., it can put extreme side pressure on the tire and pop the seal on the rim. Tubing it resolves that issue pretty well.

 

[MossRoad]

I have black locust... about 10,000 of them according to the state forester. They don't have thorns like the honey locust. Just little thorns on the smaller branches. Multiflora Rose has worse thorns. I pull about 60 black locust annually for firewood. Never had a flat from them.

 

[TractorGuy]

Never heard of a RFM with pneumatic tires. I don't see any advantage over solid for that application.

I got a solid set a while back with sealed bearings. I think I'm going to install those when I go through my mower this winter. I have half a mind to convert the caster swivels to sealed bearings. Tired of greasing both.

The caster wheels on the front of my F725 are pneumatic and I don't have any trouble with them. If they were getting flats I would go solid there in a heartbeat.