Newbie from BC, Canada

Hi folks, glad to be here!

I started down this road a few weeks ago.  Back 7 or 8 years ago, a buddy bought himself a zero-turn mower & offered me his old 1997 Craftsman 19.5 hp L-head tractor.  I already had a Husqvarna mower, but I figured one day I'd play with the Craftsman.  It was in pretty decent shape, and had plenty of oil changes during its life with him.  Not many hours on it, either, I suspect.

It sat out in the weeds at my place, under a tarp, until a few weeks ago when I decided to dust it off & see if it would run.  After messing with it for a while (and rebuilding the starter a couple of times) I got it to fire up.  It burns a fair bit of oil, which I suspect is due to the oil rings being stuck in their grooves a bit.  I'm going to try some Seafoam & see if that doesn't help.

Meanwhile, I've binge-watched a whole bunch of Carsandcameras videos, which gave me a bunch of new ideas & inspiration.

I did a pulley swap (as 5.7 mph wide open wasn't doing it for me), with a 5 1/2" front and a 3" rear.  Now, it's pretty fast - I calculate it's around 27 mph, which is stupid fast given the horrible steering.  I already fixed the plastic steering knuckle by boring out the vertical hole and installing a close-fitting full length bushing.  

Unfortunately, there's still plenty of play, mostly at the tie rod ends.  I'm thinking of making a new adjustable tie rod with heim joints at both ends.  Plus, the front end geometry is horrible - negative castor angle, and several degrees of toe-out.  The former I can't fix easily, but at least with an adjustable tie rod I can dial in several degrees of toe-in to help make it more stable.  I hope.

I made a new wiring harness with a relay for the new LED pod lights I installed, put in a new battery, and fabricated a very complex belt keeper for the drive belt at the rear (the ones for the original 9" pulley didn't do anything anymore, and every time I shifted to reverse it threw the belt).

Lots more to do, but I'm having fun!!

Welcome to the forum! Can’t wait to see some pictures of your build. 

If it’s a stamped steel front axle, don’t even try to go fast. When that thing comes apart it’s gonna hurt. Idk what they made em out of, tinfoil maybe? A cast iron front axle is MUCH stronger and is a direct bolt in swap. Width could potentially be different so I’d recommend swapping the axle before making new tie rods that way you don’t have to redo them if they’re the wrong length. Above the axle, the frame is known to crack (if it’s the tractor I’m picturing in my head). Weld some angle iron along the front half of the frame and on top of the front corners to make the frame more or less bulletproof. A later gen 2 steering box is a better setup, but you can make the 1st gen pretty strong if that’s all you have access to. The gen 2 swap is almost bolt in, just have to drill one hole. Redneckcomputergeek did a good video on the swap on his YouTube channel

Sorry for throwing a lot at you at once, but welcome to the forum! Post some pics up if ya can

It is, indeed, a stamped steel front axle.  It's in almost brand new condition, so I'm not too worried about strength at the moment, but my primary concern is the horrible geometry.  ANY kind of speed with  negative castor & toe-out is going to be darty/scary, but add in a bunch of slop in the steering and it's truly terrifying at close to 30 mph.

I've gotten rid of most of the slop in the steering (what remains is coming from the worn ball joints at either end of the tie rod). I haven't driven it since I did that, but I suspect it will still be scary.

You've got me thinking about making a new front axle out of plate steel or rectangular box section.  That way, I could fabricate my own uprights, with castor built in.  Combined with some toe-in, the steering should self-center at speed & be a LOT easier (and safer) to drive!!

Lots of guys fab their own. Those front axles are notorious for cracking the welds and twisting the ends forward, essentially giving you tons and tons of that negative caster. I’ve had two that were broke when I got them that were just used for mowing, and my grandpas did the same thing. Again, it was just used for mowing. It’s got some caster built into the spindles too, since they aren’t quite a 90 degree bend. They’re tilted in a bit on the axis they turn on, but parallel to the ground where the wheel attaches. Pretty nifty.

If you’re going to do your own front axle, some go kart knuckles that sit up much higher (in relation to the axle) would allow you to run larger tires than factory without giving the chassis a ton of backwards rake. We call that the Carolina squat where I’m from.

mh434 wrote:

It is, indeed, a stamped steel front axle.  It's in almost brand new condition, so I'm not too worried about strength at the moment, but my primary concern is the horrible geometry.  ANY kind of speed with  negative castor & toe-out is going to be darty/scary, but add in a bunch of slop in the steering and it's truly terrifying at close to 30 mph.

I've gotten rid of most of the slop in the steering (what remains is coming from the worn ball joints at either end of the tie rod).  I haven't driven it since I did that, but I suspect it will still be scary.

You've got me thinking about making a new front axle out of plate steel or rectangular box section.  That way, I could fabricate my own uprights, with castor built in.  Combined with some toe-in, the steering should self-center at speed & be a LOT easier (and safer) to drive!!

I’m sure you have done this already and I don’t want to overwhelm you but if you plan to have the axle apart check the spindles. These come stock with wheel bushings which can cause some steering play and sloppiness as they wear. They also wear into the spindles, so a lot of people like to replace them with 3/4 x 1 3/8 ball bearings. It’s a pretty cheap upgrade to do and it is much lower maintenance. After market kits are around $20 usd for new bearings and $30 usd for the spindles (which also could benefit from a gusset or two). Either way I’m sure you knew this already I just thought it would be worth suggesting. 

If I make my own axles, I'll have to make spindles as well, and the idea of using bearings is a great one - thanks!

Welcome to ATLTF!

Thanks, Mighty! I think I'm gonna have a LOT of fun here!

There's a guy a block away from me whose business is working on & modding lawn tractors, and he has a couple dozen laying around all the time. I suspect I may be visiting him for some parts.

Come to think of it, he probably has several front axles laying around....any idea which ones are worth looking at to replace my Craftsman sheet metal one? Might be quicker than fabricating one from scratch, and probably less expensive, given the price of steel around these parts

A cast iron axle off a tractor with the same frame as yours is a bolt in swap. Probably takes about 30 minutes to do. I’m assuming yours is an AYP craftsman

To tell the truth, I don't know WHAT it is. It's a Canadian Craftsman, so its model numbers etc. don't match up with ANY US models. What I do know is it's a 1997 model with a 19.5 hp flathead "turbo cool" horizontally opposed twin & a 6-speed transmission. The nearest US equivalent I've found is the Craftsman LT1000.

According to the owner's manual (which, amazingly, I still have) it's a 944.6084650 model, and there's virtually nothing on Google about it, other than people trying to figure out where to buy parts etc. The engine, thankfully, is reasonably well known - it's a model 42E707 type 2631-E1

According to the manual it has a Dana 4360-122 6-speed transaxle. Strangely, the front axle is shown as a welded solid steel unit...NOT the stamped steel one that the tractor is equipped with. although the part number shown does refer to the stamped steel piece-of-crap.

Anyway, I'm searching for alternative front axles for it....

If it’s similar to an LT1000, it should be AYP. Same as a poulan, weedeater, husqvarna, rally, and a few others. They’re my favorite base to start with since they’re common, strong, and very swappable since there’s so many variations of the same frame.

Welcome! If you don't already have one, pick up a 110v flux core wire welder to start with, plus some cheap welding gloves and a helmet. Then with that and a hack saw, you can pretty much build anything. Post some pics of your tractor when you get a chance!

mr.modified wrote:

Welcome! If you don't already have one, pick up a 110v flux core wire welder to start with, plus some cheap welding gloves and a helmet. Then with that and a hack saw, you can pretty much build anything. Post some pics of your tractor when you get a chance!

mr.modified you have a fantastic train of thought but I respectfully disagree on the hacksaw. Hacksaws have their place, but I'd recommend an angle grinder. Much faster and most setups are under $100 us, the dwe402 Dewalt is fantastic (had mine for 6 months now, its 80 on amazon, Bosch has a good one for 50) Mike Festiva said that they key to fabrication is the ability to cut and grind metal so I'd pick up the grinder first and the welder second. Happy Thursday to y'all!

Well, I have a 240V Miller Autoset MIG welder, a 50" pan brake, a 1947-era 9" X 54" South Bend machinist's lathe, and a box full of angry grinders, so I'm pretty much up on fabrication (I'm scratch-building a Lotus Super 7, when I have time to work on it...no kit or anything, totally scratch including the suspension arms etc.).

Of course, I'm always up for new tools!! Next on my "want" list are a decent plasma cutter, a benchtop milling machine, and a TIG welder when I get rich!

I just finished fabricating a complicated belt retainer/guard for the rear 3" pulley, which seems to do the trick. The belt only touches any of it when the clutch is used & the belt stops turning anyway. Under load, it doesn't touch anywhere.

I do want to try messing with the front suspension a bit before I invest in the steel for a new axle. I'm going to try fabricating a new steering link and tie rod, with heim joints throughout, as that will give me toe adjustability (it has a bunch of toe-out at the moment) & get rid of a lot of steering slop at the ends, which are a little worn. It doesn't take much play anywhere to translate to a LOT of slop at the steering wheel. I fixed the sloppy joint just below the steering wheel by opening up the joint bolt hole a bit and fitting a fabricated, tapered & threaded pin, but there's still play....

I'm really jealous of that setup!

LOL, thanks!  I've been doing amateur shade-tree fabrication for quite a few years, and I love doing it, so my new tractor build is a brand new challenge.

Got a brand new idea for a gas pedal yesterday!  I was given a used-but-serviceable T-Rex rat trap yesterday, and it will make a perfect gas pedal!  It has mounting holes, a nice stiff spring, and a stainless steel hinge pivot.  I was planning on using a push-pull throttle cable (the kind with the single, stiff wire inside), so I needed a fairly stout spring, but didn't want to use the long coil spring kind I have in stock.  All I have to do is make a cable pull on the side of it, bolt it down, and make a top plate for my foot (oh - and remove the opening lock on the thing - wouldn't want it to lock wide open!).

That's one of the things that makes this forum and these builds so amazing - you guys have fantastic ideas, and end up with great machines.  I have a LOT to learn!!

Ya killin' us man!  Pix, Pix, LOL

As soon as I can figure out how, I'll post some project pics!

mh434 wrote:

As soon as I can figure out how, I'll post some project pics!

Click this. This is how to post pics!

Here's an attempt - a pic of my scratch-built Lotus Super 7 project car....several years' work into it so far.  At the moment it's torn apart for frame painting, but once that's done I can start reassembly.  In the pic, it was about ready for engine start, but I resisted temptation!



Here's a pic of the dashboard I made for it....it's tough getting 1960's era gauges to talk to a 21st century engine & electronics, but so far it seems to be working.



...and my engine...





The tractor, now, that AIN'T pretty yet!! I am pondering doing a flames paint job on it when it's mechanically sound, though....

Murraymountain wrote:

mh434 wrote:

As soon as I can figure out how, I'll post some project pics!

Click this. This is how to post pics!

Thanks! I knew someone with the right answers would chime in!

This is a GREAT forum!!!!

mh434 wrote:

Murraymountain wrote:

mh434 wrote:

As soon as I can figure out how, I'll post some project pics!

Click this. This is how to post pics!

Thanks!  I knew someone with the right answers would chime in!

This is a GREAT forum!!!!

Thanks @Murraymountain the link is also in my signature below.

Made a new tie rod for the front end today.  The original one was a) crusty, b) too short, and c) non-adjustable for toe.  The new, fabricated one is very strong, and very adjustable, so hopefully it will get rid of some more of the steering slop & allow me to get a bit of alignment done!

Nice fab work! Good call on the heim joints