I recently bought an Ariens mower because the Troy Bilt threw a rod and I decided it was time for something new. I still have the Troy Bilt mower but don't recognize the tire brand and the fancy letters are hard to read. Anyway, the Ariens has 10" wide flat side tires so they are much wider but produce so little traction that they actually do more damage to my lawn because they spin so often. I checked to make sure the pressure was correct and even went further to deflate them further for that extra bit but it's still not good. The current tires are Carlisle Turf Saver R/S (or T/S can't remember).

I don't have any problems with the mower flipping over on itself when going uphill normally. However, if I lose traction, the mower will occasionally slide backwards a foot or so and then regain traction which will cause the front of the mower to lift off the ground slightly...and make me poo my pants.

Mowing downhill on the steepest parts is actually more dangerous because the transmatic transmission allows the wheels to free spin if you go too fast and when I apply the brakes, the tires just lock and I go skidding down the hill out of control.

I assume some better tires would solve the problem but I don't know what to get. Carlisle's website has plenty of tires but no descriptions other than Turf Saver I, Turf Saver II, Turf Master, Turf Trac, etc. and I have no idea what the differences are.

What you need are tires with ag treads (bars arranged in a broken V shape, like you see on large agricultural tractors). They offer much better grip - they are not offered as standard because they can tear up a lawn if you're not careful with them; however, as you have found out, you can actually do more damage with the smooth turf tires when they are not up to the job conditions.

If the ag tread tires (Carlisle makes 'em, do a web search) don't offer enough traction, put 5 gallons windshield washer fluid in each tire - that will give you an extra 70-80 lbs of weight right where you need it and actually lower your center of gravity (important on slopes). You can either put the fluid in by breaking one bead on your rim and pouring the fluid in, then resealing OR run it in through the valve stem (somebody posted on here not long ago about a method they use for going through the valve stem - involves using a garden pump sprayer inserted through the stem.

I've done both of those mods to my Craftsman DYS4500 LT and have no traction problems on the slopes in my hilly yard - I'm just waiting for the tranny to give out now... :) :(

It will make your tractor feel quite different....in a positive way. I've given you a link below. The standard twisted link chains should be adequate but the V-Bar is also there for your consideration.

Also, lower the pressure in the rear tires. With or without washer fluid in the tires, a lower pressure will help the tire conform to the surface and reduce slippage. My rear tires are kept at about 6psi with the fluid filling about 80 percent of the tire. You'll have to judge how soft is still okay with your tractor tires, but in 6 years of use I've only popped a tire off the rim once due to low pressure.

I popped the old ones off the rims and put these on already. I haven't tried them yet because it just rained and it's really soggy now. From the sidewall, it appears these tires are designed to be run between 5-15psi so I'll probably run them at 5 and see what happens.

I definitely plan to run some water/antifreeze in the front tires for ballast to help prevent the nose from popping. I'll see how the rear tires do normally before putting fluid in them.

One word of caution to anyone considering different tires... If the tires start to spin you have to back off the throttle quickly or they will dig in hard.

Put the tires back on the tractor and then tackle the slopes again. You'll be glad you did this.