lawnmower wheel tracks

[Quattro Pete]

My lawn mower leaves noticeable long lasting wheel tracks on my lawn. I suspect its a factor of it being RWD and having fairly narrow tread that put significant pressure on the grass. I try to mow at a different angle each time, but the effects are still visible.

Is there anything I can do to fix this problem like getting larger wider wheels maybe? Its a aToro 20333 and its only 2 years old so it'd be a shame having to sell it to get something else...

 

[FL_Rob]

Question is what else is there? With all the mowing i've done, I can tell you the bigger/heavier machines are way worse.18in. tires on a 1200lb machine REALLY leave impressions that can take days to go away.Even if you bolted on wider wheels its still a bigger footprint, although with less contact pressure.This is always an issue on very well manicured lawns.
That mower you have is one of the best in the industry btw,I'd keep it.

 

[Warstud]

Mow when the ground is not so wet and the grass isn't so long and see if that helps.

 

[1 FMF]

maybe dethatch your lawn.

 

[Hokiefyd]

If your grass doesn't stand up relatively quickly, it may not have enough moisture (the grass, not the soil). That Toro is a pretty heavy mower, but even with my super-heavy Honda HR215SXA, its tracks are gone pretty quickly.

Your grass type also probably comes into play. I have a relatively coarse-bladed Centipede grass. If you have a very fine-bladed grass, it may lean over more and not pop back up as quickly.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Moisture is not a problem. We've been getting a lot of rain here the past month or so, and before that it was snow. It's Kentucky Bluegrass.

I mowed on Friday... today the tracks are still visible. They usually stay visible for a week or until next mowing, at which point new tracks appear.

 

[Hokiefyd]

That's a long time. My wheel tracks are gone on the first portion of my lawn by the time I finish the last portion. You can still make out the stripes, but not individual tracks.

I don't think the Toro is THAT heavy. Shouldn't be more than 100-110 pounds, is it?

 

[Quattro Pete]

It's about 85 lbs. I'm just wondering whether there is something wrong with the RWD mechanism applying so much power that it pulls the grass a bit.

 

[Vikas]

Does anybody sell "rubber band treads" to go over lawnmower wheels? The OEM replacement wheels are quite expensive. I hope somebody will understand what I am asking.

- Vikas

 

[Pop_Rivit]

What length are you mowing the grass? Depending on the variety, the shorter the grass, the longer it takes to spring back up from the wheel marks.

My N weighs almost 2500 pounds, but doesn't leave lasting wheel marks in my yard (even from the skinny single rib front tires) because the lawn is kept between 3.5 and 4 inches. Same with my 1300 pound 757-while it leaves stripes it doesn't leave wheel tracks that last more than a few minutes.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Is this a potential solution to my problem?

 

[WagonBoss]

I'd offer that if you are mulching - try bagging, if cutting tall try reducing height. Or, vice versa. My experience is that cool season grass in the spring will lay over worse than other types. Its probably not the mower. How old is the grass? What variety of KBG? It may not have formed sod yet.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I have no idea what variety of KBG it is. It's about 3 years old.
The problems seem to have started after TruGreen aerated my lawn (2 years in a row). Last year, I specifically asked them not to, and those idiots still went ahead and did it.

As far as the length, I'm not sure, but I keep it relatively tall.

 

[bigmike]

Pete, are you seeing tracks in the grass or indentations of the soil? In other words, is the soil hard or soft?

Also, I'm wondering when you mow - morning or ?
If it is morning, I'd suggest mowing in the early evening instead. Make sure you're not mowing when the grass is wet as well.

KBG should be mowed fairly short. Something like 2.5 inches would be good.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The soil is very soft I'd say due to aeration and also a lot of rain recently.

I mow in the evenings.

The reason I don't mow too short is because I thought that slightly longer grass will be more resistant to drought conditions. Sometimes it won't rain much and I don't always have the time to water it.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
The soil is very soft I'd say due to aeration and also a lot of rain recently.

I mow in the evenings.

The reason I don't mow too short is because I thought that slightly longer grass will be more resistant to drought conditions. Sometimes it won't rain much and I don't always have the time to water it.



Thats what I do,When it starts to get dry any way.

 

[bigmike]

Some grass actually does worse when mowed too high (see Bermudagrass which is what most of my yard consists of).

My soil is soft because below the surface dirt is sand (typical in FL), so I get indentations in the soil from my mower. Nothing can be done if that's the case, other than modify the mower or something. You can even see indentations of my footprints when I walk on it, but it's actually the soil sinking/compacting. It smooths back out over time.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I just rechecked the height of my mower... I had it set at 2-7/8". I'll lower it to 2-1/2" for now and see how it goes...

The wheel upgrade idea is probably not going to fly as it seems these particular stock wheels were specifically designed with the drive mechanism in mind (they're not hollow).

 

[Quattro Pete]

FYI, here's what the tracks look like the day after mowing, but it stays that way pretty much until the next mowing...

 

[Quattro Pete]

By the way, here's Toro's response when asked about the tracks:

Quote:

Thank you for taking the time to contact The Toro Company regarding your mower.

All mowers will leave wheel tracks in the grass due to the weight of the mower. These tracks generally disappear in a few days.

If you are mowing on excessively long or damp grass, these tracks will be more pronounced and it will take longer for the tracks to disappear.

As the motors are continually getting larger, this added weight causes these tracks and they are considered normal.

We value you as a Toro customer. Please know that you have an open invitation to contact us at any time.


That still does not explain why the tracks weren't there during my first two years of ownership. Nor does it explain why I don't see tracks on my neighbors' lawns. I guess I'll have to put up with it or buy a new mower...