I used to mow with everything having OEM Good Year turf tires. Now everything I own has 23 degree Firestone lugged tires except my zero turn, and I've found lugged tires for it, just haven't ordered them yet.
Was about 1963 that Dad let me mow the barnyard with our CC Original. I broke the clogged timing belt on the deck for the 2nd time and Dad traded it for a new #70 and 3-blade 38" deck but still on Good Year 6-12 turf tires. In fact, today, 2023 it still has one of those factory original turf tires on it, the other matching tire came off my #72 from when I put 23-8.50x12 23 degree Firestones on it just before Plow Day #1. About a year later I put 26-12.00x12 Firestones on my 982, and last summer I ordered two 6-12 Firestone 23 degree lug tires from Miller Tire, they had 5, now 3, and probably won't re-order anymore.
I've mowed with lugged tires probably 100 times, maybe more, and have done very Very little damage to my yard, I can see the "V" shaped lug depressions in the grass for about a day after mowing, then they disappear. I have a ditch along the road in front that my turf tires on whatever I mow with, zero turn, 70,72,982, slip & spin and tear up the grass. The Firestone lugged tires do not slip, EVER, so no damage to the grass. And that's over about 7-8 years of mowing with lugged tires. My 982 had a Carlisle more like 45 degree lugged tire when I got it that I didn't care for, but the Firestones are great. My zero turn with 24-12.00x12 Carlisle turf tires tears my yard up worse in one mowing from slippage that both sets of the Firestone's I have mounted have combined over all the years I've mowed with them.
The 23-10.50x12 23 degree lugged Firestone tires Miller sells would be a great tire for a higher horsepower Cub Cadet with 23-10.50x12 turf tires that are tearing up your yard. That is a size of 23 degree tire Firestone never made, but it's a really popular tire on newer larger HP tractors.
