Craftsman 4k (I Have Yet To Name Her)

I don't have a hood anymore. The lights busted out and the whole hood was limp after that. So I took it off. I'm going to build my own hood here soon.

That will be sweet man. Have you seen the mud kings hood on YouTube. He is a friend of fearlessfronts. He made a cage out of conduit. I was thinking of doing the same thing. Do it dude

I've seen it. I'm not a big fan of the hood; I'd rather have it covered. I was thinking about doing the tubing so it would be strong enough to have a seat up there in case somebody wanted a ride around.

That would be pretty awesome. You could make it out of like flat stock then weld in like sheet metal with slats cut in it. It looks better in my mind(I have that problem a lot). What I thought about doing was making a hood then putting rod holders on it since I use my mower to get to my fishing spots. All ideas tho

Another thing you could of is make the hood frame out of pipe then put maybe steel mesh in the gaps. That way it would allow good cooling but also keep the big chunks of mud and crap out from the engine.

Here goes a long update. I may do it in parts because I'm lazy, but good news is I got all the pictures off my phone!

Update #1: Transaxle
I got the tranny all did up and pretty for her marriage with the chassis for the last time, hopefully! Lol. I oil filled her after I got that last little bushing I needed.

Here's the pretty tranny with her bead of RTV around all her edges:


I got the bushing in a few days ago. More like a week or two now. Whoops...


Don't forget to seal around the two bolt holes in the center of the transaxle like I almost did... It'll save you some time and valuable money in the form of RTV!


I got her case halves back together, and they fit together better than when I took them apart, if I do say so myself.


I got the transaxle mounted back up in its place. Please, people, take notes! Anti-seize is a wonderful thing. I coated every bolt with a little so it hopefully won't rust together. I even slathered up my input shaft the last time I put my pulley on and hopefully it won't be stuck on there for the next sorry sucker.


She's up all by herself!


I meant to get a picture of my tires and rims for you guys, but I can't seem to find one. I know it's on Facebook, but once again I'm lazy and I'm just going to post a picture of my mower as a whole. Lol.


Who doesn't like a nice rear end?



Now I'm moving on to wiring, guys! That sure was a fun afternoon. Something about cutting and stripping wire, cutting and heating shrink tubing, and smashing wire connectors make a calm afternoon. I am going to have to go back into my wiring harness to add another hot wire for something you guys will see very shortly... Lol. And another note here: Dielectric grease. I would use this anytime I have an electrical connection. It is supposed to insulate the connection and is another form of barrier from foreign objects; dirt, mud, water, that sort of stuff; from getting inside the wire and wreaking havoc.



No moisture getting in there. Unless I submerge it forever. Lol.


Here's the way I routed the wire loom. I think it looks very clean and I am very pleased with it! That loom is what was on the mower when it was made; it's over 20 years old!



I also cut out the fuel shut off solenoid wiring and clipped the end of the solenoid so it won't shut off the fuel. No picture of the cut tip...


Here's my push button and toggle switch!


Now onto some small mods I have either done, or am about to do. First up, I had to cut a little bit of plastic out of the shift lever guide thing. If I put the lever in reverse it would rub up against the tire. I cut the plastic out and now I have no safety of going from a forward gear to a reverse gear. I would not advise this to anyone unless they feel confident in their shifting abilities...


Here is how the lever rubbed up against the tire in reverse before I cut some plastic out:


New seat for me!


I need to cut these deck-mount plates off still...


And last but not least: the reason I have to run a new hot wire!!!! I got a pair of horns, which makes a 'set' I guess. Lol.


That's everything for now. I hope you guys like what's going on so far. I know I love it! I'll try to get some action pictures here soon for you guys!

I'm lovin what you have done to this tractor. Just one question. WHEN ARE YOU GONNA PAINT IT???????!?????

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

I'm liking this! I think when you get to front tires you should get 8" gt rims and go 16 or 18 x 6.50-8 Carlisle snowhogs (itp holeshots). I liked mine on my old tractor. And I even like my new ones even though they are smaller. They can turn really good in soft stuff even with aggressive tires and posi. Definitely recommend!!

I'll keep that in mind. I was kind of leaning towards some ribbed tires up front. Maybe get a pair of ribs and do my own version of a knobby tire by cutting grooves into a ribbed tire until I get the traction I want. I'm not sure yet.

Ghyde97 wrote:

I'm lovin what you have done to this tractor. Just one question. WHEN ARE YOU GONNA PAINT IT???????!?????

Paint is last on my list. I have a bunch more body modifications, such as the ATV rack, multiple times I'll drill holes for mounting stuff, and I still have to make a hood. After that I will paint her. Anybody know of a good place to get bed liner?

Go take a look at my build and look at the bumper and rack I made. I just used bed frame and some flat stock from lowes. As far as bed liner I know lowes sells it and I'm pretty sure walmart does also. Tractor supply might have it too but I'm not sure.

Ghyde97 wrote:

Go take a look at my build and look at the bumper and rack I made. I just used bed frame and some flat stock from lowes. As far as bed liner I know lowes sells it and I'm pretty sure walmart does also. Tractor supply might have it too but I'm not sure.

I already went and looked this morning! Lol. I like it. That style front bumper is what I plan on doing. I haven't really though of an idea for a rear rack yet. I know I want something that has enough space for my tool box and a few other things.

I used to have a jeep and that's where I got the idea for the front bumper. My rear rack can hold a come along 1gallon gas can 20ft of rope and a ammo box with a little extra room left. For both the rack and the bumper I had absolutely no plans unjust started cutting and welding.

Ghyde97 wrote:

I used to have a jeep and that's where I got the idea for the front bumper. My rear rack can hold a come along 1gallon gas can 20ft of rope and a ammo box with a little extra room left. For both the rack and the bumper I had absolutely no plans unjust started cutting and welding.

A stinger is what I want to do. But I want bigger tubing than what you used. Which means I'll actually have to buy some. Unless I can find some around the house. I plan on having my tool box and a couple straps off my Dad's flat bed in the rack. Plus miscellaneous little stuff that I might need.

I used what I had. The side rails are angle from a bed frame. The parts that the bar is welded in are the wheel brackets for a bed frame that I cut up. And the bar was a big ass screw driver my dad had that had a broken tip that I heated and bent to what I wanted in a vice. Thicker pipe would be cool.

If I orginized my rack I could probably fit a lot more stuff but it's all just thrown up there and strapped down.

What I use for rope is dock line from west marine it's like 50c per foot for some with like a 6000lbs. Remaking strength and it has a lot of stretch which means it would be good for snatching.

Ghyde97 wrote:

I used what I had. The side rails are angle from a bed frame. The parts that the bar is welded in are the wheel brackets for a bed frame that I cut up. And the bar was a big ass screw driver my dad had that had a broken tip that I heated and bent to what I wanted in a vice. Thicker pipe would be cool.

If I orginized my rack I could probably fit a lot more stuff but it's all just thrown up there and strapped down.

What I use for rope is dock line from west marine it's like 50c per foot for some with like a 6000lbs. Remaking strength and it has a lot of stretch which means it would be good for snatching.

I'm probably just going to save money and buy some pipe, and try to talk my Dad into getting a pipe bender. The straps my dad gave me are about 27' long each and are rated for like 5k lbs. They aren't stretchy, though.

Turns out I need to buy a new solenoid. I even broke out the multimeter just to be sure I wired up everything correctly, which it turned out I did. Here goes another $10... Oh well. At least it's well worth it. I hate having to get the jumper cables out each time I want to start the tractor up!

I also mounted the better looking seat on my tractor today. And knocked those stupid deck mounts off the front. Now I have like another 4" of ground clearance. I also got the horns prepped to get put into my tractor. All I need to do is drill holes and mount them. And get another push button to operate them. I already started on the wiring for it all. I just need to tuck it into the wire loom when I get the time.

TooIngenious wrote:

Turns out I need to buy a new solenoid. I even broke out the multimeter just to be sure I wired up everything correctly, which it turned out I did. Here goes another $10... Oh well. At least it's well worth it. I hate having to get the jumper cables out each time I want to start the tractor up!

I also mounted the better looking seat on my tractor today. And knocked those stupid deck mounts off the front. Now I have like another 4" of ground clearance. I also got the horns prepped to get put into my tractor. All I need to do is drill holes and mount them. And get another push button to operate them. I already started on the wiring for it all. I just need to tuck it into the wire loom when I get the time.

How come we don't have any pictures of the seat?

Ghyde97 wrote:

How come we don't have any pictures of the seat?

Short story: I'm lazy.
Long story: I have to go get my phone fixed. My phone has developed dead spots in the touch screen. It takes too much effort to try and get to the camera and then hope that the rear facing camera is on so I can take an unawkward picture. Even if all that works, I still have to upload them to my computer and then to Photobucket. I have the app on my phone, but I can't hit any of the buttons on the app because they are all near the edge of the screen, where I can't touch. It's so annoying. I can't hit the menu, home, or back button. (Yes, I'm an Android fan!) It's real annoying trying to type messages because I can't hit about 75% of the letters. Or the backspace. So if I mess up on a text I have to close the app, clear it from recent apps, and hope the message wasn't saved as a draft. Don't even get me started on all the stuff I can't do on Clash of Clans because of it...

I'm amazed you get anything done, being that lazy

BURN!!!!!

Thunderdivine wrote:

I'm amazed you get anything done, being that lazy

Eh. It's just pictures. Lol. Which I took today. But now I have to put them on photobucket... I also started drawing up some IFS designs today because I got bored. I'm torn between doing custom Front Suspension and getting a 4 wheeler with some and adapting it to my tractor. I guess I'll just have to see what all rolls around for me to get my hands on. I took a couple more brackets off that didn't need to be on there. Like the one for the deck engagement and some more deck bracket things. It's coming along nicely.

One thing I have noticed is a slight drip from the axle ends of my transaxle. I expected this since my poor little spicer only has two little rubber washer things on the ends to keep stuff inside the tranny. I hope when I get an 820 it won't do that, and I don't think it will. But fingers crossed. Lol.

I think that's it for today, besides pictures. Oh, I should be getting a solenoid next week. Like Monday or Tuesday. No more jumping the starter!

Can anybody guess what I've been planning up? Lol.

TooIngenious wrote:

Can anybody guess what I've been planning up? Lol.

suspension

Carshowkid wrote:

suspension

You got it! Lol. I hope to get it all planned away very soon. I'm basing the suspension off of larger tires than the Snow Hogs that were mentioned before. That picture is using tires about 21x7-8. I'm torn between which two tires I want to buy, though. I'm looking at the Front Max, manufactured by Kenda: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/26315/i/kenda-k284-front-max-a-t-front-tire, in a 20x7-8 size. I was also kind of considering the Pathfinder, also manufactured by Kenda: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4764/i/kenda-k530-pathfinder-front-tire. The only reason I am shying away from the Pathfinder is that the only size for an 8" rim is 19x7-8; the tire is not quite as tall as I'd like. I kind of want the Thrasher, manufactured by Duro: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/24205/i/duro-hf277-thrasher-front-tire. This one actually has a decent size, 20x7-8, but it only comes in 2-ply. Here is yet another Kenda tire, the Dominator: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4743/i/kenda-k300-dominator-general-sport-front-tire. This one has a decent size, also, but the price is starting to draw me away. This is where I stopped looking at tires because I had the search listed from low to high price. Any and all input is very welcome.

Today's updates: I took the ball and battery out of my parts tractor. I have a lady who has been speaking with me on Facebook who may like to buy it. Unlike the last asshole who sold it, I made sure that she realized the engine did not run and that there is a crack in the front of the transaxle. I also drove my mower over to my friend's house, but the coil is being stubborn and failed when I went to start it back up to go home. It is still sitting over there. It should be fine by tomorrow, I'd think. I wish somebody would reply back on their thread about some engines being for sale... Lol. I really need one. Between the coil going out and the stator destroyed in mine I'm done with it. I need something that is reliable to start and actually charges the battery.

TooIngenious wrote:

Carshowkid wrote:

suspension

You got it! Lol. I hope to get it all planned away very soon. I'm basing the suspension off of larger tires than the Snow Hogs that were mentioned before. That picture is using tires about 21x7-8. I'm torn between which two tires I want to buy, though. I'm looking at the Front Max, manufactured by Kenda: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/26315/i/kenda-k284-front-max-a-t-front-tire, in a 20x7-8 size. I was also kind of considering the Pathfinder, also manufactured by Kenda: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4764/i/kenda-k530-pathfinder-front-tire. The only reason I am shying away from the Pathfinder is that the only size for an 8" rim is 19x7-8; the tire is not quite as tall as I'd like. I kind of want the Thrasher, manufactured by Duro: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/24205/i/duro-hf277-thrasher-front-tire. This one actually has a decent size, 20x7-8, but it only comes in 2-ply. Here is yet another Kenda tire, the Dominator: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4743/i/kenda-k300-dominator-general-sport-front-tire. This one has a decent size, also, but the price is starting to draw me away. This is where I stopped looking at tires because I had the search listed from low to high price. Any and all input is very welcome.

Today's updates: I took the ball and battery out of my parts tractor. I have a lady who has been speaking with me on Facebook who may like to buy it. Unlike the last asshole who sold it, I made sure that she realized the engine did not run and that there is a crack in the front of the transaxle. I also drove my mower over to my friend's house, but the coil is being stubborn and failed when I went to start it back up to go home. It is still sitting over there. It should be fine by tomorrow, I'd think. I wish somebody would reply back on their thread about some engines being for sale... Lol. I really need one. Between the coil going out and the stator destroyed in mine I'm done with it. I need something that is reliable to start and actually charges the battery.

yay! I guessed correctly!

Carshowkid wrote:

yay! I guessed correctly!

Yes you did. Lol.

I've been emailing somebody who has some front suspension off a Polaris that I may be buying. Like I was telling him: It all comes down to price. I might just get something prefabricated to save myself a bunch of time. But at the same time I would like to be able to say I built the front end. Eh, oh well.

I also have an engine I may be picking up this week. We shall see. It's a 16 horse Kohler. Supposedly nothing is wrong with it. The kid is going to clean it off tomorrow and see if he can get it to fire over. If he can, he gets $40. It seemed pretty fair to me. I'm also going to be getting parts for my engine soon. That stupid stator is $90 off of the parts list. Yeah right. I might be getting a coil and a stator, both used, for $35. That's with shipping.

Now that's a good deal