[Shop-talk] tripod mower traction issue. (I'm fixing it in my shop!)

[David Hillman]

On Mon, 11 May 2015, eric at megageek.com wrote:
> Can anyone explain why it can go in reverse up a hill but not in forward?
> (and yes, the bar tires were mounted in the proper direction.)

    As previously noted, weight transfer to the undriven wheel.

> Is there something I can do to fix this issue?   More or less weight in
> the rear, or elsewhere?   Is there a tire out there with spikes in it or
> something?

    If anything, add weight to the front, not the rear.

    I have no idea if there are off-the-shelf spike tires available, but 
they are easy enough to make, especially for low-speed operation.  We make 
tires for ice-racing all the time, and they see far more abuse than 
anything that plowmower could dish out ( ie, 100mph, 1+ lateral G ).  The 
only problem might be if you are plowing asphalt that is in good shape, 
and you'd like to keep it that way.  Metal tires might leave some marks.

--
  David Hillman