How do I rebuild the front end on a craftsman LT1000?

well i had the scare of my life yesterday, I was using my LT1000 to pull my big wagon around full of firewood, I took off down the road and as I came to the top of the hill in the road, like an idiot I put it in neutral so I could coast down the hill faster. well keep in mind i modified the front end for more flex by relocating the front I beam bolt down so it would lift the mower, I also took out the bottom connecting plate thats sandwiched between the two plates the suspension beam bolts between. so I take off and hit about 20 mph and the thing gets the dreaded death wobbles, it took all i had to keep in control since the wagon behind me was actiong like a whip and throwing the mower back and forth. I managed to get it stopped safely though. Unfortantly i lost my suspension, it was such a violent case of the death wobbles it actually twisted the I beam and bent the back plate all the way back as far as it would go. Needless to say im building a much heavier stable front suspension with the help of my buddy...a PROFESSIONAL welder and metal fabricator.

Youre lucky you didnt crash - sounds similar to what my mod murray did going 30mph with wide front tires and unlocked front axle, i didnt have any damage to the tractor, but its un nerving to have it dart side to side and feel like the steering wheel came off with no steering response, no brakes to slow down either .


You might want to see about adding some sort of shock absorber as well to the front axle ends to keep it from wobbling.