OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Tech Talk Smooth wheels Honda HRU194 - Should I replace?

Hi.
I have had a Honda HRU194 since new. It's been an excellent mower. I've noticed the tread on the wheels are now smooth. There is no indication of cracks in the plastic so I don't think they are going to break in the near future. Is there any sense in replacing them at this stage. Is it better to have a tread on the wheels rather than worn smooth?

Thanks
Nathan

The tread on walk-behind mower tyres usually consists of circumferential grooves - that is, parallel to the direction of movement of the mower when you are mowing. The purpose of the grooves is to keep the mower from slipping sideways, for example when you are mowing across a slope, or to help the mower move forward in a straight line. I have never found any actual benefit from the grooves myself, unless I am doing something a bit odd such as mowing across a slope when the grass is very wet. In your position I would pay no attention to the lack of tyre tread unless I found the mower was not keeping to the direction I wanted.

Thanks for the reply. I thought as much but sometimes there are hidden benefits from replacing these things. My block is level anyway. :-)

kew, I think some people like to let the mower steer them, and others like to steer the mower. If you steer the mower, your tyres will go bald after a while, and it won't matter because all it does is make it easier to steer. However if you are a "follow the mower" operator, your own tyres won't go bald, but if you borrow or acquire a mower with bald tyres it will be annoying because the mower will meander around a bit. (Personally I steer the mower.)

And with the price of honda spares, personally I would use a set of wheels until the center breaks out of the wheel (a common failure.)