Shopping for a new lawn mower means knowing which models to steer clear of, and knowing what sorts of components you’ll need. For instance, mower deck wheels are often made out of plastic or rubber, and one isn’t necessarily better than the other. It’s more a matter of how each is meant to perform.
Plastic deck wheels are often used in lighter-duty mowing because of their simplicity, and also because they’re not as heavy as rubber. This is why you often see them on everyday mowers used by homeowners, as they work well on even terrain. Plastic wheels are also resistant to corrosion and usually don’t require much ongoing maintenance.
Rubber deck wheels are used on larger mowers because they’re more durable and hold up under heavy load. They can also give better traction and shock absorption, which is important for commercial mowing, where there’s a need to handle all kinds of terrain. However, rubber wheels also need more maintenance because of their design, and may need to be replaced more often.
If you do prefer one wheel type over the other, you may be able to swap them out, depending on the mower. But beware that modifying your lawn mower could impact its performance, or possibly even affect the warranty. So before you buy replacement wheels, be sure to check your owner’s manual for the proper guidance on how to move forward.
How other mower wheels are designed and built
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The material used to construct mower deck wheels, whether plastic or rubber, is important because the setup serves a unique purpose. Unlike the mower’s other wheels, deck wheels should not touch the ground, only engaging if they’re needed. These wheels support the deck and keep it from digging into the ground if the mower dips too low on rough terrain. Because of their design, deck wheels can help decrease potential bounce and tilt on larger mowers as well.
But deck wheels are just one part of the mower’s system, and the other four tires are responsible for movement, steering, and traction across the lawn. The front tires are usually smaller than the back, and are used to help guide the mower through turns. These tires typically have ribbed tread patterns that support straight movement. In contrast, the larger back tires provide the mower’s primary grip, as well as its driving force. The back tires have deeper tread that allows them to keep traction on rough or slanted terrain.
Both front and rear tires are generally constructed using different designs, including solid, foam-filled, or traditional air-filled. Unlike rubber tires that can go flat, some riding mowers have tires made of reinforced rubber like bias-ply or radial types. Much like deck wheels, the mower’s other wheels are determined by the manufacturer based on the mower itself, as well as its application.
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Dr. Allyson Brotherson, chair of the family medicine program, at Hennepin Healthcare’s Whittier Clinic on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. Credit: Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Growing up in the Caribbean, Dr. Allyson Brotherson noticed that every doctor, no matter their specialty, had to know general medicine because it was the community’s greatest need. So when she moved from Trinidad to the United States to pursue medicine, she decided on general practice.
She ended up at Hennepin Healthcare, where her work is a daily reminder of “what it meant to be a doctor in a country like where I grew up,” she told MinnPost.
Today, Brotherson is the chair of the Hennepin County Medical Center Department of Family Medicine, which houses Minnesota’s largest family medicine residency training program at a single site.
In the wake of recent attention on HCMC’s financial woes and resulting bailout from the state Legislature, the training program –one of 11 residencies at the hospital – offers an under-the-radar example of the stakes for public health should the hospital continue to falter.
Since its establishment in 1970, the residency has trained over 550 doctors – about 34 at any given time. Roughly 75% of graduates have stayed in Minnesota to practice, according to Hennepin Healthcare figures.
The safety-net hospital’s financial difficulties, brought on by changes to Medicaid, the shutdown of Minnesota-based insurer UCare and the rising cost to treat publicly insured or uninsured patients, led to serious contemplation of its closure – and residency programs with it.
An illustration is seen on paperwork in the family medicine unit at Hennepin Healthcare’s Whittier Clinic on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. Credit: Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/CatchLight Local/Report for America
“Everybody in the system is under stress right now. Everybody is trying their best and to focus on patient care, but it is really weathering everybody,” Dr. Kris Schwacha, a family medicine physician at HCMC and faculty member of the residency program, told MinnPost earlier this month.
On May 18, lawmakers passed a funding bill to stabilize HCMC in the short-term. The legislation also calls for the creation of a task force to focus on longer-term sustainability and to recommend a new governance structure.
‘More expensive and less effective’
Any disruption to the family medicine residency would exacerbate the state’s long-time physician shortage, said Dr. Jamie Conniff, president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians.
Forecasts project Minnesota will need nearly 1,200 more family physicians by 2030 in order to meet the needs of residents. Additionally, the majority of counties in the state are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA), a label given to places that do not have enough providers compared to the number of people that need care.
Dr. Anjali Goel, a first-year family medicine resident physician, left, reports a case to Dr. Jenna Walters at Hennepin Healthcare’s Whittier Clinic on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. Resident doctors are the first providers to see many patients in the family medicine clinic, reporting back to their superior to create a medical plan. Credit: Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/CatchLight Local/Report for America
“The result of a family physician and a primary care provider shortage is that our care is more expensive and less effective than it would be if we were adequately meeting the primary care needs of our communities,” said Conniff, who serves a rural population near Cloquet.
Dr. David Councilman, family medicine program director, at Hennepin Healthcare’s Whittier Clinic on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. Credit: Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Dr. David Councilman, the interim program director for HCMC’s residency, said a bulk of its residents practice in rural communities after graduating. He added that family medicine doctors practice in every corner of the state, unlike more niche specialists, and typically provide a continuity of care, meaning patients can see the same provider for decades.
“Who’s going to meet our patients in their community?” he asked.
Relief, but still work to be done
In a last-minute deal earlier this month, legislators secured $205 million from the state’s general fund and an additional $500 million in reserve funds over the next five years to stabilize HCMC.
Dr. Chandra Cherukuri, left, and Dr. Muhammad Reza Chaudry, a second-year family medicine resident physician, discuss a case at Hennepin Healthcare’s Whittier Clinic on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. Credit: Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Dr. M. Reza Chaudhry, a second-year HCMC family medicine resident, said the news came as a relief. “I feel like this legislation and the funding is a clear indication that everyone understands that HCMC and the family medicine program is an investment in the future of Minnesota,” he said.
But as hospital and county leaders will attest, work remains to steady the institution.
“The stabilization funding does not resolve the long‑term impacts of HR1 or the structural deficits that uniquely challenge safety‑net hospital systems,” Joshua Yetman, Hennepin County spokesperson, said in an email statement to MinnPost. “But it does accomplish two essential things: it delivers historic support that prevents closure, and it gives us the time and stability to work with the state on durable, long‑term solutions.”
Schwacha said that so far, the residency program has heard a bit about next steps. Funding is not coming in all at once, she said, but is trickling in in a way that will allow residents and other physicians to keep providing care.
Amid the financial stress, Brotherson saw a silver lining in the appreciation expressed from the community for the hospital’s work.
“I hope we don’t change because the mission is critical, not only to the people who work here, but to the patients who come here for care. So if not us, I don’t know who would do it,” Brotherson said. “Sometimes a crisis is good for you to kind of rethink and have people realize how important we are.”
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