# "Turf saver" tyres without chains?



## Coyotey (Oct 31, 2016)

I just bought an old ST 1032 machine and it has these "turf saver" tyres on it. Looks just like the ones on my lawn tractor - and they spin on wet grass! 

I don't have snow chains for them. My driveway is around 200 yards long without too much of a slope.

Does anyone use these tyres without chains? Would the 1032 be heavy enough to give it "ok" traction?


----------



## ctdave (Sep 11, 2015)

Coyotey said:


> I just bought an old ST 1032 machine and it has these "turf saver" tyres on it. Looks just like the ones on my lawn tractor - and they spin on wet grass!
> 
> I don't have snow chains for them. My driveway is around 200 yards long without too much of a slope.
> 
> Does anyone use these tyres without chains? Would the 1032 be heavy enough to give it "ok" traction?


I would say yes to the chains if you only have turf savers on. makes a huge difference with large packed snow piles and drifts. have them (chains) on my 10000 series 32 inch with 10lbs weight on the front that has turf saver tires. I tried without them then put them right back on. of course there will be different opinions, this is just mine....I am to old to be wrestling with a heavy machine pushing it forward because of lack of traction. i want the machine to do the work


----------



## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

Is the machine worth spending a little money on? If so, I would go out and buy a set of the Carlisle X-Trac's. You'd be amazed on what they would do for you.


----------



## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Kielbasa said:


> Is the machine worth spending a little money on? If so, I would go out and buy a set of the Carlisle X-Trac's. You'd be amazed on what they would do for you.


I second this suggestion.... :blush::blush:


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

chainless " turf" tires would totally ruin an otherwise enjoyable activity.! chain them, or as mentioned, upgrade to modern rubber.


----------



## blindfaith429 (Oct 31, 2016)

I was just recently given an early 70's 20" snow-blower, and mine has the "turf" style tires as well.

One of mine is flat. Not sure if it just needs air, or if I need to tube-it.

If I need to tube the tire, I was thinking about replacing both tires with the "X"style tires. I got the snow-blower for free, so I don't mind putting a little money into it to make a "good" snow-blower into a "great" snow-blower.

I will look into the X-Tracs.

BTW, thanks OP for posting this thread, I was going to post a similar one, but don't need to now.

Thanks!


----------



## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

Carlisle X-Trac tires work better than chains and usually cheaper too!


----------



## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

I have big lugged SnowcHog tires on my ST1032 and it just spun them on ice and trying to blow up an incline

http://www.carlisletirestore.com/store/snwhog.htm

X Tracs may be better, I don't know.

http://www.carlisletirestore.com/xtrc_atv.htm

So I put these on

Garden Tractor V-BAR Chains

and they barely clear the auger housing and with my incline I had to go with a Honda HS1132TA tracked machine to blow uphill.

So, no your turf saver tires won't work. Will other tires work for you? 

Just the facts, man. Just the facts:

What is your driveway surface made of? 

I see you say it does not have much of a slope can you provide some detail. How about how many feet (fraction of meter(s)) does it rise over 20 feet (6 meters)?


----------



## Coyotey (Oct 31, 2016)

Thanks for all your replies gentlemen. Just as I suspected - stands to reason that turf tyres are just that - turf tyres! I'm a bit puzzled as to why Ariens would sell this type on their packages back in the day. Perhaps their intention was to have them matched up with chains right off the bat?

I had a look at the Carlisle Xtrac (thanks for the suggestion) and I love the aggressive design. I would prefer to not have chains. We really get dumped on with all kinds of snow every winter here in Norway. My diveway is fine hard-packed gravel. It's around 200 yards long with an overall elevation change of around 10 feet.

My machine is more than worth it. I just sandblasted the intake and augers and it's going to get powder coated tomorrow, the Tecumseh 10hp motor is only 2 years old. I'm changing all the wear an tear parts too and threw a snappy looking LED light on because it gets dark here at 2:30 pm in the winter.

As long as parts are available, I'll keep this one for my grandkids (who aren't born yet)! This thing looks like it's built like a brick sh*thouse and could withstand a missle strike!! 

I appreciate all of you weighing in!

Cheers!!


----------



## Coyotey (Oct 31, 2016)

One more rookie question!

I don't know if the sidewall on the XTrac has "this side out" written on it....Which way should the tip of the "V" pattern at the center of the tread face: Forwards or Backwards? Should they "scoop" or "push out"?


----------



## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

I hadn't posted here earlier because I think "enough traction" is such a subjective term that you can never really have a "right answer". But what the heck, I'll throw in my $0.02...

I have to disagree with E350's comment that turf tires "won't work". Ariens sold thousands of snowblowers with those tires over a period of decades. Some people put chains on them, others didn't. But all presumably managed to get their driveways cleared. 

I've actually run them both ways - with chains and without. In the end I decided the downsides of the chains (vibration, machine harder to move around when not under power, rust marks on the garage floor) offset the benefits and I decided to run without them. Plus, and I know this is going to sound crazy but I'll say it anyway, there are some times when you *don't* want crazy traction - like when you've got the differential locked and are trying to turn the machine.

Having said that, when I redid my 1032 I got "x-trac"-type tires and have been very happy with them. They provide close to the same amount of grip that chains do, with almost none of the downsides.

Coyotey, I've never seen any "official" information saying this, but I think with those tires the V should "push out" - ie when viewed from the top, the centers of the Vs should be pointing toward the front of the machines (so they're pointing toward the rear on the bottom).


----------



## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

ELaw said:


> I think with those tires the V should "push out"


To my knowledge they are what is called a "directional" tire. That said the "direction" pattern of the thread would go towards the direction that the tire will spin the most (in this case forward).
This is from the Carlisle website, notice how it is mounted.

x trac


----------



## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I used the turf saver tires and chains on my old Canadiana 8/26. The driveway had a slight slope and the tires needed chains for all conditions with an unlocked differential. Locking the differential improved tire only traction a little but made the machine hard to manoeuvre. Chains are difficult to live with for the reasons quoted by Elaw. Very rough ride on pavement.

I tried the Snowhog and I did not like the rough ride because of the widely separated lugs and the traction was not great either. My Ariens came with the Xtrac type tires and they are remarkable in terms of smoothness and excellent traction. As hsblowersfan mentioned the tires came oriented with the pointed part of the tread toward the front, typical of a directional tire. Although I have never turned them around, they work perfectly in forward and reverse. Lone Wolf has tried the Xtracs with both orientations and prefers the traction with the pointed part of the tread toward the rear.

The Xtracs work perfectly on ice or in deep snow on a slightly inclined driveway and never lost traction. With the Auto-turn both wheels are locked together so that helps traction while allowing easy turning when the system unlocks one wheel.

I would not get chains first, I would get the Xtracs and if there is not enough traction then add chains. However, adding chains to the Xtrac needs special attention to prevent the chain cross links falling into the deep grooves of the tread. You probably need an X pattern chain.

Good luck.


----------



## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

*Coyotey*: With a gravel driveway, you will eventually end up with a tracked machine. Either Honda HSS1332ATD or Yamaha 32" or 28"

But it sounds like you are really into your ST1032. Finish it, use it and report back what your experience is.

Thank you for posting here. Come back often. Also *ELaw* restored his ST1032 last season and did some pretty cool mods, so look up his member profile and find his thread.

BTW, *Town*'s advice is good, except on the ST1032 the wheels are so close to the auger bucket that I doubt there would be room for X pattern chains.


----------



## blindfaith429 (Oct 31, 2016)

In some cases, new tires may also be less-expensive than chains.

I just priced out a set of new Carlisle tires for my Ariens. I did the "Snow Hog", which is the "X" lug pattern. I need really small tires, 410-4 sized, and they do not make the X-Trac that small. Anyways, a pair of Snow Hogs, shipped, are about $35.

I'm not sure if I NEED a new set of tires (my tire may just need air), but I may buy a set just because they are so inexpensive, and because I got the snow-blower free.


----------



## Coyotey (Oct 31, 2016)

I really appreciate all the insight and advice guys! What a great knowledge resource this forum is! 

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the weekend forecast here in Norway. There's a freak early winter storm on it's way that's going to dump around 50cm (20 inches) of play-time on us from Friday to Sunday. So I guess I'll be trying out my "turf savers" afterall! Won't get my fancy new rubbers (Xtrac's) until next week


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

When standing at the operators position the tire lugs should make a V and should "point" forward. I guess that would be pushing the snow out.


----------



## Taurus04 (Dec 10, 2014)

If I am allowed to say on the forum, Princess Auto here in Canada has 60% off on Peerless tire chains (utility)--garden tractor or snowblower this Saturday November 5. $72.99 regular price - about $29.00.

Not advertising for them, but things are expensive in Canada.


----------



## FearlessFront (Aug 18, 2016)

They used turf saver tires because the machine is capable of switching to a lawnmower in the summer. That is why Ariens sold a kit with chains for the winter back then. Now you can buy chains from multiple sources. Also it appears almost all snowblowers had those flat diamond tread or turf saver style tires in the 60's and 70's. Why? Not really sure, my guess is that is the only style tires they had then, because they all had them and I've never seen an older machine with stock tires that ever had any other tread from that era, chains were used a lot more frequently then. My 1971 Ariens 32 wide 10000 series also has flat diamond tread tires, chains were on them when I bought the machine and they work great. My 24 inch machine had chains and they wore off because they were 30 years old. I went one storm with the chains off and the tires kept spinning out specifically on the incline at the end of the driveway. I made sure I put a good quality pair of chains on the machine before the next storm. When you buy chains you wanna make sure you get a good quality pair that will last a good long time, if you go that route. They make chains so cheap they wear off in one storm now, so you wanna make sure you get a good pair of chains that are strong where they go over the tread of the tires. I have one modern 2002 Snapper that has SnowHog tires. That machine did not come with chains when I purchased it and they are not really necessary but I added chains to those tires as well and that machine never looses traction and it moves smooth because the chains are somewhat in between the tread of the tires. I have also seen some old Ariens machines and other machines that had studs installed into the tread of those old style tires. I don't know if that was something someone did on their own or if it was a service dealers offered to do then but they appeared effective although I don't think they do studs anymore.


----------

