Do Lawn Mower Tires Have Tubes?

You probably know most bicycles have inner tubes and you have likely sat in a tractor inner tube at the lake, but what about lawn mowers, do they have inner tubes? Well, before you get yourself a puncture repair kit or a spare inner tube, let’s check if lawn mower tires are tubeless or if lawn mower tires have tubes.

Do Lawn Mower Tires Typically Have Tubes? (The Short Answer)

Generally, new lawn mowers do not have inner tubes and instead have tubeless tires. This is because the rim of a lawn mower wheel is made from welded metal parts that can form an airtight seal against a tubeless tire. Old lawn mowers and a select few new mowers with pneumatic wheels still use an inner tube.

What’s the Difference Between Tubeless Tires vs Tires with Inner Tubes?

So, a tubeless tire is a tire that has a reinforced bead running around both sides of the tire that locks into the rim when inflated, creating an airtight seal. For a tubeless tire to work, it must be matched up with an appropriate rim. The rim needs to have a beaded flange and be made of a continuous solid piece of metal.

On the other hand, a tire that needs an inner tube has a rim that can’t provide an airtight seal. For example, a bicycle wheel with spokes has many holes where the spokes connect to the rim. So a tubeless tire matched up with a non-airtight spoked rim just isn’t going to work, as air will escape through the spoke connections.

Advantages that Tubeless Tires Offer You

The big advantage of tubeless tires is that you don’t need to remove the tire to fix a puncture. If you have ever changed a tire on a lawn mower, then you know it’s not a quick job. Especially the front tires of a zero-turn lawn mower.

So, instead of fixing an inner tube, you just repair the tubeless tire. This means you don’t need to remove anything from the lawn mower. All you need to do is simply fix the flat and get back to mowing.

Are There Any Drawbacks to Tubeless Lawn Mower Tires?

The only problem I’ve ever encountered with a tubeless tire is that the rim can get damaged. If your lawn mower rim gets a bit out of shape, then the bead of the tire can’t get a good seal on the rim’s bead flange. Not that this is all that common, but if you get a flat tire, then it can be difficult to get the bead back on the rim.

So, if this happens to you and you get a total flat, then jacking up the lawn mower can help get the bead back on the rim.

How to Tell if You Have Tubeless Tires or Inner Tubes

So, does your lawn mower tire have tubes? If you are trying to figure out if your lawn mower tires are tubeless, then take a look at the side of the tire. Usually, a tubeless tire will state it on the side.

Also, if you look closely at the valve stem of your lawn mower’s wheels, you will be able to notice a difference between a tubeless and tube wheel. A tubeless valve is fixed to the rim, whereas an inner tube valve isn’t.

If your wheel has an inner tube, you should see a gap between the valve stem and the rim. Also, you might be able to push the valve inside the rim.