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Lawn Boy tire questions

16 years ago

I was looking at a used Lawn Boy 10552 for sale at a mower shop last week. I noticed that the tire tread was all used up - especially front and back right side. Mower was for sale for $225 with some flex, ran good but surged. Electric start worked. I laughed when the owner said it was previously owned by an 80 year man. That 80 year man must have been a commercial landscaper, I thought, in my mind. Now FYI, I own a 10552 which I bought last fall which was owned by an elderly couple who traded it in for a Honda mower (I only paid $140 for mine). Mine looks like new. What do you think, should I go back and buy it, or get him to sell it for under $200?

Questions for all you Duraforce self propel owners:

1) Do these tires wear our at a faster rate than other mowers?

2) If so, is there another wheel/tire which can be used that is more durable?

3) What is the going rate for replacement wheels/tires?

Also, I saw a commercial Lawn Boy 22260 in for service for cable replacement, owned by a Landscaper. Looked in better shape than the 10552. Are cables a problem area for Duraforce Lawn Boys? Left my name for the owner if he is looking to sell. What is a fair price for this mower?

Thanks for your comments in advance.

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Comments (7)

fordtech
16 years ago
If you go by Ebay right now you will find 400 would be cheap for a 10552 in decent shape. They did retail for 500 plus so if you stole one for 140.00 you got lucky. There is a new 22260 just sold on Ebay for over 1000.00 so I guess you can figure the used value. There just is no book value on used mowers that I know of. I havent gotten a Duraforce aluminum deck self propelled model for less than 300.00 used.
rollerzeke
16 years ago
Hello all.

Hi bestf100 and fordtech. I have not had to replace any LawnBoy mower tires yet. Still have plenty tread. I have not had to replace any cables yet.
Ineresting question bestf100 brought up about " Do these tires wear our at a faster rate than other mowers?"
I noticed that many of the "restored" vintage LawnBoys already have "slick" tires.
My question: Did LawnBoy roll these vintage mowers off the production line with the tires already without tread?

Good day.
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1saxman
16 years ago
'My question: Did LawnBoy roll these vintage mowers off the production line with the tires already without tread?'

Yes. The early tires were slick, because they had roller drive which doesn't work with a 'knobby' tire. Lawn-Boy tires are long-lasting. I had one for 13 years and the tires still looked almost new. I cannot imagine what happened to the RH side wheels on the 10552, but I would be very leery of that mower.
rdaystrom
16 years ago
Later model tires that are the type with tread split open after a certain amount of use. I have seen a bunch of them do that. They do not last as long as the older slick type. They are expensive if they have the drive gear made inside.
1saxman
16 years ago
'Later model tires that are the type with tread split open after a certain amount of use'

The tires are semi-pneumatic (hollow) for better 'feel' for the operator. Naturally if you wear it out you will eventually break through and the tire will 'split'. Again, I personally have never seen one of the treaded LB tires go bald or split. I suppose in commercial work you could wear one out.
bestf100
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, actually the right side tires were not entirely used up. Just both right side edges were used up. Kind of like it needed a tire alignment.

Do you think that mower had been used to mow some high banked ovals (or hills) - like the high bank NASCAR tracks of Michigan International or Talledega?
rdaystrom
16 years ago
The later model tires split prematurely in many cases. I have seen dozens of them do this. They usually still have some tread on them.

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