Craftsman Lt4000 mild off-roader

I did the same thing on a spicer with breaking the spider rod. The second version should be stronger but!!!!! Don't leave it like that !!!! Put some small prices of steel over your welds and weld It up again, as I locked a spicer that way and the gears broke around the welds and blew the case up. If you continue to build it up on each side with more material it will be much stronger with more surface area on the welds and hopefully not break.

Ooops! I guess we'll see. I sealed it up, waited an hour then tightened down the bolts and dropped her back in. I don't think I'm gonna go back until it breaks. I really hope it doesn't break. In 24 hours when the sealer is dry I will take it for a test ride.

Well good luck!!! I guess ypur probably not as hard on trannys as I am .

Oh is that what you think. Haha I just don't quite send it as often as you do but I break something pretty much every time I go out. Kinda inconvenient to send it when my lot is in the city and it's only 1/4 acre.

There is a way to put the warped axle that you welded in between a couple of centers and use an indicator, a torch, and some compressed air blowing on it to straighten it out again. It's not an easy thing to do but there are some youtube videos about it.

This is exactly why I'm anti locker. Seems like they always break.

I would love to see the videos on it. I Agree it's kinda annoying that they break quite often but I just can't live without them. When off road you just get so much more traction in those sticky spots where the un-locked diff couldn't.

Only way I'd weld lock a transaxle without a diff carrier would be to weld the entire spider and axle assembly into one solid piece. It's really the only way to go that's not a doc locker. Fearlessfront style is pretty much guaranteed to fail if you actually use your tractors. I don't understand what people don't get about that.

well this time I welded them to the axles too so it should be ok for a while.
The doc locker with the solid axle would be ideal if it was cheaper and I could get the parts that I need in town.

On the style fearlessfront uses he strictly runs very light tread tires and has a lower hp engine which works for what he does with it, which is mainly driving through slop and not offroading it and twisting the frame or getting the tires wedged in rocks or logs .

Yeah you do not see that in the videos much if at all.

Well I popped the bead on the other front tire today. Quick fix but I guess it kinda shows that I probably romp it somewhat hard. Starting to think that I should bring a spare tire and minimal tools with me. Also, The bottom spindle bushing is mangled up and needs replacing. Where can you get one?

Does searspartsdirect.com have decent shpping to Canada?  It's tough to get cheap parts where you live.  I wonder if @AllisKidD21 would have a better idea where to get parts in Canada.

Just get the dimensions for the bushing and make one on a lathe, or order one off ebay.

Yeah I could do that but they are very thin plastic ones. So I just took one off the lt1000 for now. I went for a ride today again. Lost the belt a few times, went out of a mud pit in a wheelie and the mower fell on top of me. You know, just the usual.

ouch lol.

It's better to replace those plastic ones with bronze. I think I had a pop can on mutt's original front axle for a bushing lol.

haha Nice. I just would think that brass that thin would be hard to do.

I'd get some measurements and go from there.  Maybe you can find an oil-lite bushing that will be a direct fit.  You could always make a delrin one too.

haha I could try to 3D print one.

Well I forgot to mention I did a send a month or so ago, It started squealing and rattling quite bad after I got out of a mud pit. My buddy said the belt was bad because the belt tension was bad at the time, we checked it out but all looked good at first glance so we just rode her home. A month or so went by and I took another look at it today because I wanted to go for a ride with my cousin before he leaves. This wasn't what I was expecting but i'm glad I found out hat it was, now i'm searching for a pulley, I think my parts lt4000 might have one..

well that's done for.  did the bearing seize up on it?

Lol I had that same thing happen on my lt1000. Just put a steel one back on it and send it.

Nope bearing was fine, I kept it in my bearing collection. I stole the pulley off of the build off because it will need a different clutch system anyways.

Man I need to take a break from the projects and send this thing haha.

Well just a heads up I sold this mower to clear some space and because I wasn't using it.

Would you like for us to lock the thread up for you?

No its ok. Just letting people know. Not worth the hassle probably.