I'd stay away from typical caster wheels - they are generaly smallish. The larger diameter the wheels, the more easily they'll deal with bumps and lumps on your lawn (rather than getting stuck). Lawnmower wheels are the way to go. Get decent ones, involving some metal, if your tractor is heavy -- and preferably 7-8" diam.
Secondhand GOOD wheels are fine (e.g. off a mower that recently had the wheels replaced and then the engine died and the owner decided to retire it). However I'd stay away from very 'used' wheels, as they often have worn axle holes that make the wheel wobble considerably which will not improve its performance on a heavy tractor.
To mount a lawnmower wheel on your tractor, get a bolt of the right diameter to fit the hole in the wheel and of the right length to go thru the wood bottom-frame of your tractor plus the thickness of the wheel plus 4 washers' thickness plus a nut. (You can just stand there in the hardware store and thread the wheel plus 3 washers plus the nut onto the bolt, then add the thickness of the wood, and buy a bolt long enough to accommodate all that. Or you can do it mathematically if you really want to
). The washers are to go between the bolthead and wood, between wood and wheel, and between wheel and nut, in order to discourage pullout and binding.
That's how I do it anyhow.
Good luck,
Pat
Secondhand GOOD wheels are fine (e.g. off a mower that recently had the wheels replaced and then the engine died and the owner decided to retire it). However I'd stay away from very 'used' wheels, as they often have worn axle holes that make the wheel wobble considerably which will not improve its performance on a heavy tractor.
To mount a lawnmower wheel on your tractor, get a bolt of the right diameter to fit the hole in the wheel and of the right length to go thru the wood bottom-frame of your tractor plus the thickness of the wheel plus 4 washers' thickness plus a nut. (You can just stand there in the hardware store and thread the wheel plus 3 washers plus the nut onto the bolt, then add the thickness of the wood, and buy a bolt long enough to accommodate all that. Or you can do it mathematically if you really want to
That's how I do it anyhow.
Good luck,
Pat
