With proper care and maintenance, a good lawn mower can last for decades. This means your machine will long outlast the tread on your tires, making your once self-propelled mower a push mower and making your job much harder. Here's a simple trick to retread your mower tires and keep your mower running like new. All you need is some basic tools and a used bicycle tire, which you can probably get from a local bike shop for free.

You can do the same thing with any solid tires.

Materials:

Used bike tire

String

1/2" long Screws

Tools:

Screwdriver

Scissors or snips

Step 1: Prop Up the Mower and Measure the Tire

This whole thing is much easier with the rear tires off the ground, so prop up your mower. I used a stool.

You'll need to measure your tire. No need to get technical here. The easiest way is to wrap a string around the tire and then either cut it off or hold your thumb at the length once it is all the way around.

Step 2: Cut the Bicycle Tire

First, cut the tire to the length of the string. Then cut the sides off so the bicycle tread is the same width as your mower tire.

Step 3: Screw the Bicycle Tread on to the Mower Tire

Put two screws into the end of the tread to start. Then wrap the tread around the tire, putting in a few screws as you go to hold it tight. Once you get to the other end, trim any extra and add two more screws. I ended up with seven screws total: two on each end and three spaced out around the tire.

Step 4: Repeat for Second Tire and Get Mowing

Once both tires are retreaded you'll be amazed at how much better your mower pulls. If you live on a mountain, this is going to be very important. Of course, the next step is to find a gullible neighbor child who wants money more than free time and will mow your lawn for you.