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The $1 Craftsman

#1

J

jakesmurray

So I went to a local FFA auction Saturday and picked up this bad boy for a whopping dollar. It has a little 8 hp Tecumseh in it, which I believe is original to the tractor. I also picked up a Yard Machines rear engine rider with no deck. It has a Briggs 10.5 hp I plan on swapping into the Craftsman. It set me back $15. I've attached a picture of both machines. What do you guys think? I plan on removing the deck from the Craftsman and using it as a little utility tractor around my place. It has a 4 speed transmission, which I have yet to test, but it shifts into each gear fine (3 forward, 1 reverse). Feel free to post thoughts/opinions. :cool:

mowers.JPG


#2

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

I love it.


#3

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

I love it.

Feel free to come by and see it anytime Chuck. Where you at in MO? :cool:


#4

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Springfield. What is the model number? I rebuild old Murray's for fun.


#5

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

This is one of my projects. 39004 GT Murray
2014-10-16 16.37.03.gif


#6

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Springfield. What is the model number? I rebuild old Murray's for fun.

You're kidding me, so am I! I'll get that model number tomorrow, it's got the original riveted tag on the back. I love that old Murray!


#7

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

That is amazing. All the people on here and someone from good old Springfield.


#8

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Yep, who knew...
Keep an eye on this thread, I'll update with pics as I make progress.
I'll get the model number this afternoon.


#9

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Well I forgot to get the model number today, I'll get it tomorrow. Here is a picture of the engine that will be going in this thing. It runs great until it chokes itself out due to a gas filled crankcase- hopefully replacing the needle and seat and installing an in-line fuel shutoff will solve this problem. Also need to track down an air filter cover, as it didn't have one on it. I'm hoping this will be a fairly easy engine swap. The battery that was in the Craftsman was shot, it was a 10 year old Interstate. The battery in the Yard Machines, however, took a charge, and didn't drop hardly at all on a load test. It's from 4/12, I'm hoping I can squeeze a little more life out of it... stay tuned. :thumbsup:

briggs.jpg


#10

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Haven't had time to work on this project, but I did get the model number today. It is 536.963631 and made with pure American steel. :cool:


#11

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Haven't had time to work on this project, but I did get the model number today. It is 536.963631 and made with pure American steel. :cool:

It is a Murray. I though it was. I will see if I can find the Murray model number.


#12

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

It is a Murray. I though it was. I will see if I can find the Murray model number.

Interesting! How does that work?


#13

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Sorry its an AMF mower.
Sears does not make anything. They have it made with their name on it. First 3 numbers tells you who makes it.
917 is Husqvarna
502 Murray
536 AMF


#14

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Wow, good to know. Now where does Electrolux come into all of this? I know on today's mowers, you can't tell the decks apart on a Craftsman and a Walmart Weed Eater.


#15

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Murray went out of business in 2007 I think. Briggs and Stratton bought them and now they are made by MTD and Husqvarna with Briggs and Stratton engines. Go figure.


#16

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Yeah I think I was actually thinking of MTD...

So who makes Craftsman tractors today?


#17

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Got the engine pulled out of the Yard Machines today. Drained the oil (or should I say gas :tongue:). I have a lead on an air filter cover from a guy in Marshfield (Chuck you know where that is). I've attached pics of the Briggs as well as the Tecumseh that's in the tractor now. I've also attached a shot of the model number tags. The registration number is 6100, I wonder if that means this is a '61?

briggs pulled.JPG

tecumseh.JPG

model tags.JPG


#18

BlazNT

BlazNT

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

MTD mostly right now. No way Im buying any of them.


#19

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

MTD mostly right now. No way Im buying any of them.

That's what I was thinking- MTD. There is so much plastic on everything these days it's sad. :thumbdown:


#20

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Not much of an update, but here goes. I tracked down an air filter cover for the engine, as it was didn't have one on it. I did not know this, but there is a tall and a short version of those covers on these older flat head engines. This 10.5 HP uses the short version. Someone had stuck a tall filter on it, and probably ran it without the cover since it no longer fit with that tall filter. Anyway I tracked down the entire air breather assembly with a filter in it for 5 bucks locally. I also sold the transaxle out of the Yard Machines for $20, so I'm $5 ahead and have the engine, can't beat that. Trying to get rid of the Yard Machines frame now to help further fund this project.


#21

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Replaced the needle and seat this evening. Very easy job, took all of a half an hour to do...
Used an old mower deck on saw horses as an engine stand. It worked great. :thumbsup:

engine.JPG


#22

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Looking good! Now if you mounted the engine on that deck and put a blade on it, it would be one powerful push mower...:laughing:


#23

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Haha, I actually thought of that as I was working on it last night- man this would really cut the grass... :cool:


#24

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

So I tried cranking up the engine that's on this thing before I take it off the machine. It has great compression, but zero spark. I took the shroud off and there was a big mouse nest and the plug wire had electrical tape all over it. It had been chewed before and someone wrapped it in tape. There are two wires coming out from under the flywheel that go to a circuit board looking thing. I'm assuming this engine has points and a condenser? I'm not going to put any more effort into it, I'm going to sell it as is once I get it off.


#25

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Made a little progress today. Got the deck removed and the engine pulled. Gotta love the simplicity of these old machines! Makes them very easy to work on... :thumbsup:

craft1.JPG

craft2.JPG


#26

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Looking good and I bet when all is said and done you end up with a machine you want and more cash in your pocket then you spent building it.
Tom


#27

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Looking good and I bet when all is said and done you end up with a machine you want and more cash in your pocket then you spent building it.
Tom

Thanks Tom, that's the desire! :cool:


#28

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

8 horses of reserve power baby! :cool:

decal.JPG


#29

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Got some time to work on this thing today. I took off all the remaining bracketry for the deck, and while I had it flipped on its side, I learned that the transaxle is a Peerless. That's kind of encouraging. I also discovered that the bearing in one of the v-idlers was shot. I've got a whole new pulley coming from ebay. The bracket holding the front of the deck was a thick piece of steel with a 1" nut jammed in it! You sure wouldn't find that on one today. I got both the front wheels and the hood primered. I'm going to paint this thing gloss black. I think it will look good when it's done. As for tires, my rear tires hold just fine, but my fronts have seen better days. Thanks to craigslist, I tracked down a used pair of 15x6-6 Kendas. :thumbsup:

1.JPG

2.JPG

3.JPG

4.JPG

5.JPG

6.JPG


#30

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Your project is coming along very nicely. I saw a video at YouTube where a gentleman was rebuilding idler pulleys by drilling out the spot welds, pressing out and replacing the bearings and then bolting the two halves together using small bolts. Seemed like a good idea, I have a couple of questionable ones on a new to me trail mower that I might try that out on.

Tom


#31

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Thanks Tom! That's interesting, I'll have to check that out...


#32

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Hey is the link to the video. Guy does very nice work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RCqWIuaLMQ

Tom


#33

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

I may have to try that sometime...


#34

Boobala

Boobala

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Been following this thread ...... you guys are having a ball , glad to see guys gettin down n dirty, got a couple of murrays myself and it's fun workin on them ....... waiting to see more pics .....ya'll take care n stay safe ......... Boobala...:thumbsup:


#35

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Thanks Boobala, yes we are having a good time, I hit a major speed bump this weekend, update coming...


#36

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Took two steps forward and one step back this weekend. The good: I got all of the wheels and the hood painted. They look good. The bad: One of the rear wheels would not come off the axle shaft. I had to resort to putting a 2X4 on the back of the wheel and hitting it with a hammer, and in doing so, it removed the wheel, but it ripped the axle shaft right out of the tranny. I was super bummed. Then getting the shaft out of the wheel was another hour of cutting and grinding. Luckily the wheel went unscathed through all of this, but the tranny is toast, it would need an entire new shaft. I'm thinking I'll take this opportunity to upgrade to a 5 speed transmission, I have a couple of leads already on craigslist. I've attached a few pics.

paint.JPG

tag.JPG

oil.JPG

axle shaft.JPG

remnants.JPG


#37

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

That is a total bummer about the tranny, hopefully you can replace it with a good one. Supposed to be fairly easy to rebuild.
Tom


#38

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

That is a total bummer about the tranny, hopefully you can replace it with a good one. Supposed to be fairly easy to rebuild.
Tom

It really is... :thumbdown:

I'm thinking of upgrading to one of these style: trans.jpg

I can tell you this, the new axle shafts will get lathered up real nice with anti-seize before I put the wheels on! :laughing:


#39

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Blacked out baby!

wheels.JPG


#40

Boobala

Boobala

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

That is a total bummer about the tranny, hopefully you can replace it with a good one. Supposed to be fairly easy to rebuild.
Tom

See my post in .... NEW POSTS .... PEERLESS / TECUMSEH transaxles

Also see ...... ( surplus center.com ) type transaxle in their searchbox ...... might find a NEW trans .....CHEEEEEP ! Boobala :thumbsup:


#41

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

I saw your post last night Boobala, that is awesome! :thumbsup:


#42

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

It really is... :thumbdown:

I'm thinking of upgrading to one of these style: View attachment 28710

I can tell you this, the new axle shafts will get lathered up real nice with anti-seize before I put the wheels on! :laughing:


Try here: http://www.jackssmallengines.com/Products/Peerless-Transmission/Transmissions

I know all about Never-Seize, use it on my motorcycle axles and I can say that stuff gets EVERYWHERE no matter how hard I try to be careful. LOL
Tom


#43

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Thanks for the help Tom! I actually picked up a transaxle today used locally off a parts mower. Update coming...


#44

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Update

I picked up a second hand transmission today from a guy on craigslist. It is a Foote model 4360-6. It has one issue, the left axle pulls right out of the transmission. I opened it up this evening and found the cause. The little retaining ring had broken inside. I attached a picture of the broken one as well as the other side, what it should look like. I ordered a new ring online for 4 bucks. I was surprised to see only grease in the transaxle upon opening it up. Does anyone know if this is normal? I also didn't notice any RTV or gasket maker around the edges of the case. Is this because it doesn't need to be sealed for just grease and no oil? All the gears looked to be in great shape. I also got all the mounting bracketry with the transmission, so I think I can mount it up fairly easily. :thumbsup:

transaxle.JPG

top half.JPG

bottom half.JPG

broken ring.JPG

good side.JPG


#45

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

This might help you if you don't have it already: http://www.mowerpartsweb.com/manuals/foote/4360-6_-9_-12_-16.pdf

As for no gaskets, I didn't see any listed on the parts list so I am guessing that due to the grease being thick nasty stuff none is required. Good luck with that and let us know how it works out for you.

Tom


#46

Boobala

Boobala

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Try here: http://www.jackssmallengines.com/Products/Peerless-Transmission/Transmissions

I know all about Never-Seize, use it on my motorcycle axles and I can say that stuff gets EVERYWHERE no matter how hard I try to be careful. LOL
Tom

If you need those frame bolts ( self-tapping .... used all over riding mower frames .. MTD, MURRAY, etc. ) heres a link to where I bought mine VERY CHEAP and they're a perfect match , they have other hardware also..... beats hell outa $4.00 + each !!!
hope this helps in your rebuilds ....... Boobala ......:thumbsup:

http://www.eastcoastbolts.com/gm516-18x1316hex12blkphosphate25pcs.aspx


#47

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

This might help you if you don't have it already: http://www.mowerpartsweb.com/manuals/foote/4360-6_-9_-12_-16.pdf

As for no gaskets, I didn't see any listed on the parts list so I am guessing that due to the grease being thick nasty stuff none is required. Good luck with that and let us know how it works out for you.

Tom

Thanks a million Tom! I found a diagram on Sears Parts Direct, but it was not very clear and only listed the Craftsman part numbers.


#48

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

If you need those frame bolts ( self-tapping .... used all over riding mower frames .. MTD, MURRAY, etc. ) heres a link to where I bought mine VERY CHEAP and they're a perfect match , they have other hardware also..... beats hell outa $4.00 + each !!!
hope this helps in your rebuilds ....... Boobala ......:thumbsup:

http://www.eastcoastbolts.com/gm516-18x1316hex12blkphosphate25pcs.aspx

Awesome :thumbsup:

I can't thank you guys enough for all the help.


#49

P

Pumper54

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

If you need those frame bolts ( self-tapping .... used all over riding mower frames .. MTD, MURRAY, etc. ) heres a link to where I bought mine VERY CHEAP and they're a perfect match , they have other hardware also..... beats hell outa $4.00 + each !!!
hope this helps in your rebuilds ....... Boobala ......:thumbsup:

http://www.eastcoastbolts.com/gm516-18x1316hex12blkphosphate25pcs.aspx

Thanks for the link. They sure have some great stuff there. I have a local place I go to that treats me real well price wise.

Tom


#50

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

I received the retaining ring in the mail today and got the transaxle all put back together. Now it shifts and spins like it should. :thumbsup:

I anti-seized each bolt and torqued them to 90 in-lbs, which is what they were at from the factory. I did have to remove the brake mechanism temporarily, as it was sticking, causing the gears not to spin...

tranny.JPG


#51

J

jakesmurray

Re: 60s Craftsman Eager-1 Project

Got the transaxle in today! It took a little fabrication on my part, but nothing too bad. Still have to put a new pulley on and route the belt. Not to mention putting the engine on. I also got the first coat of primer down on the body, as well as installed the front wheels.

new trans 1.JPG

new trans 2.JPG


#52

J

jakesmurray

As you can see, I had the title changed. I think it fits better... :biggrin:

I've made substantial progress within the past week. Here's a list:

-Finished painting body
-Installed rear wheels
-Installed motor
-Wired entire tractor, including push button ignition and kill switch
-Installed new fuel tank fitting
-New fuel lines w/ shutoff valve
-Installed seat
-Installed new battery

There are still plenty of small things to do, including tuning the carb, finalizing the belt system, modifying the hood to get it to fit, etc. But this thing now runs and drives! For anyone who is interested in how I wired things, I have attached the wiring diagram that I drew up and used. It's a very simple and effective system IMO, and I really like the push button ignition. See pics below. :thumbsup:

motor installed.JPG

new engine.JPG

new dash.JPG

new fuel fitting.JPG

wiring diagram.JPG


#53

P

Pumper54

Looking good. Clean, simple and functional.
Tom


#54

J

jakesmurray

Thanks. It's been fun. A lot of work, but fun. It'll be in the barn for a few weeks though, as I have several things around the house I need to get accomplished...


#55

J

jakesmurray

I got the brake hooked up and the hood trimmed to fit around the bigger Briggs engine. I decided I'm going to go the off road mower route with this machine. I'm going to add a foot throttle and maybe even lock the differential at some point. I had this thing back behind my house in a wooded area yesterday and it did great! It pulled the hills and there were only a couple of spots where I started spinning, but I was able to get out easily. I really was impressed by the capability of this thing. :thumbsup:

hood on.jpg


#56

S

shiftsuper175607

So I went to a local FFA auction Saturday and picked up this bad boy for a whopping dollar. It has a little 8 hp Tecumseh in it, which I believe is original to the tractor. I also picked up a Yard Machines rear engine rider with no deck. It has a Briggs 10.5 hp I plan on swapping into the Craftsman. It set me back $15. I've attached a picture of both machines. What do you guys think? I plan on removing the deck from the Craftsman and using it as a little utility tractor around my place. It has a 4 speed transmission, which I have yet to test, but it shifts into each gear fine (3 forward, 1 reverse). Feel free to post thoughts/opinions. :cool:

View attachment 28280

Well, first off you paid too much. But, you can get carried away at an auction.

Have fun!
I bought two push mowers today for $3 each (I know, paid too much)
The first one I got started
Bought a Troy-Bilt weedeater for $5 and I did nothing to it...it started


#57

J

jakesmurray

:laughing:

Gotta love deals like that!


#58

PUSH

PUSH

Wow
And I thought my brand new $46 mower was a deal..
Great thread - nice job on mower


#59

P

Pumper54

Re: The $1 Craftsman Thread Hijack!

Wow
And I thought my brand new $46 mower was a deal..
Great thread - nice job on mower

This is what I made out of a cheap mower: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/28928-Home-made-heavy-weed-brush-cutter

Tom


#60

J

jakesmurray

Wow
And I thought my brand new $46 mower was a deal..
Great thread - nice job on mower

Thanks! It has been a lot of fun. :thumbsup:


#61

P

Pumper54

Jakesmurray,

putting chains on the rear tires really help with the traction on hills and in soft ground. I had to put them on my Murray I use at the farm to get the traction I needed to go up the road leading back from the pond area. Have to put truck in 4 wheel drive to do it. ;-)

Tom


#62

J

jakesmurray

Jakesmurray,

putting chains on the rear tires really help with the traction on hills and in soft ground. I had to put them on my Murray I use at the farm to get the traction I needed to go up the road leading back from the pond area. Have to put truck in 4 wheel drive to do it. ;-)

Tom

Thanks Tom! I hadn't really thought about chains, it's a great idea. Also, I've contemplated locking the rear differential, but I think I like the steering the way it is...


#63

P

Pumper54

jakesmurray,

About 20 seconds on the net: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/peerless-maxtrac-snowblower-tire-chains-1-pair Not sure if you all have TSC up you way or not.
Tom


#64

J

jakesmurray

Yep, we have TSC up here. Thanks for the link!


#65

P

Pumper54

When you install chains on the tires I found that letting some air out of the tires helped a lot. Make sure the chains are even all around the tire and then inflate the tires properly. If you need to drive on hard surfaces make sure you don't tear them up. My mower at the farm only sees hard surfaces in the shed but I can see where there is some signs of wear on the concrete.

Tom


#66

J

jakesmurray

When you install chains on the tires I found that letting some air out of the tires helped a lot. Make sure the chains are even all around the tire and then inflate the tires properly. If you need to drive on hard surfaces make sure you don't tear them up. My mower at the farm only sees hard surfaces in the shed but I can see where there is some signs of wear on the concrete.

Tom

Awesome, thanks for the tips... :thumbsup:


#67

S

sjoerdjohannes

Wow, I wish I could find such cheap tractors here. Sometimes I see an old beat-up Wheel Horse without a working engine for like 300 bucks :thumbdown:

Nice job jakesmurray !

For the Yard Machine, what is the small handle for beside the steering wheel? It's visible in your first post.


#68

J

jakesmurray

Wow, I wish I could find such cheap tractors here. Sometimes I see an old beat-up Wheel Horse without a working engine for like 300 bucks :thumbdown:

Nice job jakesmurray !

For the Yard Machine, what is the small handle for beside the steering wheel? It's visible in your first post.

Thanks!

That handle is for the shift-on-the-go mechanism that MTD uses. They call them speeds, but it actually just puts more/less tension on the belt to control speed...


#69

J

jakesmurray

Well it's the last day of 2016, so let's update this thread. I've been working on this project the last couple of weeks. Until then, I hadn’t done anything to it since my last update back in August. My plan is to turn this thing into an off road mower. If you aren’t aware, you basically turn a lawn tractor into an ATV. There are guys on YouTube that do this. A guy by the name of Fearlessfront inspired me. So I am pulley swapping both the engine and trans pulleys (for more speed), adding a foot throttle, locking the transaxle, among other things. I had a local welder lock my transaxle. Basically you just weld the spider gears together. I got the pulleys swapped, now I just have to finalize the belt guards and maybe add an idler pulley to route the belt around the shifter. Once I do that, I have to figure out my new belt size. It will be smaller than before, since the pulleys are so much smaller. I’m running a 3” on the transaxle and a 5” on the engine. I should get about 20-25 mph in fifth gear. I have also begun installing the foot throttle, but still have to finalize it. It is just a brake lever from a dirt bike. I can’t wait to get this thing moving again. Stay tuned and happy new year to all! :thumbsup:

mower.jpg

locked.jpg

flame.jpg

swap.jpg

throttle.jpg


#70

Boobala

Boobala

Lookin good there ! I see Pumper 54 been checking this out too. He's into hot -roddin the mowers also.
Keep us informed .... good luck, .........and a Happy New Year to ALL ............... Boobala ..:cool2:


#71

J

jakesmurray

Thanks Boobala! :thumbsup:


#72

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

8 months later.......
crickets :laughing:


#73

J

jakesmurray

Update time!

This thing FLIES (in fifth gear). I haven't clocked it, but I'm guessing mid 20s.

I ended up having to swap the gas pedal to the left of the tractor (I know, kinda odd). I had no other choice with my clutch being on the right. I have to be able to use them in conjunction with one another, and with them both on the same side I couldn't do that. I made an angled bracket for the gas pedal to mount to, making it more ergonomically friendly (see pic). It works great.

Today I rigged up a Fearlessfront-style pull start on top of the engine (also see pic). It may save me one day out in the woods.

This thing is an absolute ball and is surprisingly capable. I have a wooded patch behind my house that has a fairly steep grade, and I haven't gotten stuck once. :cool: I still need to get it into a good mud hole...

IMG_4004.jpg

IMG_4005.jpg

image.jpg


#74

Boobala

Boobala

Update time!

This thing FLIES (in fifth gear). I haven't clocked it, but I'm guessing mid 20s.

I ended up having to swap the gas pedal to the left of the tractor (I know, kinda odd). I had no other choice with my clutch being on the right. I have to be able to use them in conjunction with one another, and with them both on the same side I couldn't do that. I made an angled bracket for the gas pedal to mount to, making it more ergonomically friendly (see pic). It works great.

Today I rigged up a Fearlessfront-style pull start on top of the engine (also see pic). It may save me one day out in the woods.

This thing is an absolute ball and is surprisingly capable. I have a wooded patch behind my house that has a fairly steep grade, and I haven't gotten stuck once. :cool: I still need to get it into a good mud hole...

View attachment 31232

View attachment 31233

View attachment 31234

Lookin good there , gonna build a bigger motor on it someday...?? If I may ... I noticed in one of your pics ..
from on the thread posting ......IMG_4005.jpg
you have the fuel filter BEFORE the shut-off valve ..... I think .....it's better if reversed... in case you have to change the filter you can shut-off the gas and not have to bother clamping the fuel line to prevent fuel loss ..... just a thought ..
to each his own .. Be careful out there ....... Boobala ..:cool:


#75

J

jakesmurray

Thanks Boobala! Yeah I debated the fuel filter placement myself. I finally decided it would be better for the valve to have filtered fuel going through it, but it probably doesn't matter. I'll probably swap it one of these days. As for the engine, I may upgrade one day, but for now I kinda like the fuel economy. :laughing:


#76

P

Pumper54

Looking good there Jake, put some chains on the rear wheels and you will most likely be able to climb trees with it.

https://www.mowersdirect.com/lawn/lawn-mower-tire-chains.html

Tom


#77

J

jakesmurray

Thanks for the link Tom. I may have to pull the trigger on a set of those...


#78

P

Pumper54

Jacksmurray,
I had to put a set of chains on my mower I keep at our farm as the rear wheels tended to spin going up a short but steep hill we have. I put the truck in 4 wheel high and crawl up the road, the mower with the chains on bops right up. It is a bit "thrilling" to do so but I have to get up the hill to put the mower away in the shed.
Tom


#79

J

jakesmurray

Nice, I still need to get this thing out on a nice mud romp, then I'll make a decision on chains...


#80

J

jakesmurray

To whoever rated this thread five stars, I truly appreciate it! :thumbsup:


#81

J

jakesmurray

Update! Spent the afternoon replacing the original ball and socket steering joints with heim joints that I picked up at O'reilly's. Now I have tighter steering, and a little toe in, as opposed to the toe out that I had before. I also replaced the front steering linkage with a straight across bar, opposed to the curved one that was originally on the tractor (to accommodate the front deck support). That means more ground clearance. :cool: I got to try out my new Lincoln welder in the process, it worked great!

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#82

J

jakesmurray

Mounted up a brush guard last week. Got around to getting some pics today. I think it turned out alright.

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#83

BlazNT

BlazNT

One shinny part on a dirty mower. Love it.


#84

J

jakesmurray

It'll be dirty soon enough. :laughing:


#85

P

Pumper54

Looking good there Jake. Time to find a mud hole. :cool:

Tom


#86

J

jakesmurray

Thanks Tom! I'll post up a pic when I find some mud... :thumbsup:


#87

J

jakesmurray

Given my busy life, I decided to let this machine go. I was, however, able to find it a great new home! Thanks to all who followed along in this thread! :thumbsup:


#88

J

jakesmurray

For anyone that is on YouTube, please go and check out this channel, 'Kraken King'.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...oIicrqscNCvQ&usg=AOvVaw0MrK_d3qiX1RSyhHu4qx_3

His channel is all about off road mud mowers, and he has some great content! He is trying to gain subscribers, so if you could subscribe to his channel, that would be awesome! This is the gentleman that I sold my machine to, so it will now be starring in his videos! :thumbsup:


#89

B

backintime

BlazNT.. that 39004 GT is just superb. Love it


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