Mud-Murray Offroad Mower

I began to reinforce the front axle

I found this Piece (it was the frame of a Junk RER my Bud bought to build it as a racer, then scrapped it, another bud wanted to build it, and then decided to scrap it also, cuz he has not enough time) and wanted to make a piece of Box steel outta it.



but then (I was half the way cutting through the metal) the angle grinder (a 20$ cheapie) started to smoke like a chainsmoker, and once it cooled down, I fired it up again, it threw thousand sparks outta it. I looked up the brushes, they were worn out. In the package were a spare pair of brushes, put them in, fired it up again, and after 5 secs of runtime the brand new brushes were completely eaten up from this POS! I opened it up, and the rotor is pretty bad damaged, a few of the contacts where the brushes run along, were fallen off. = JUNK!!!

My dad bought a new Angle grinder (this time a better one) and til it arrives I ca'nt work on Mud Murray

Hacksaw

George Gooding wrote:

Hacksaw

HAHA LOL! Cutting 3mm Steel with a Hacksaw takes 20 Years! Luckily the AG will arrive me middle next week, probably tuesday, or wednesday.

That is a big piece of steel. I burnt out my angle grinder tried to cut some 1/2" plate. I bought another one but I still have the old one to try and fix up.

MatthewD wrote:

That is a big piece of steel. I burnt out my angle grinder tried to cut some 1/2" plate. I bought another one but I still have the old one to try and fix up.

Yep it is, THe POS thing gots normal warm, later that hot you couldn't touch it anymore, after cutting 3 mins, so I made a break, and once I cut again, it played Chainsmoker.

I got some packages with nice parts for Mud Murray...



What's in there...

a Car style Trailer hitch..

and 4 18W LED Lights!





Funny thing was, the 4 pack was only 3$ more expensive than a 2 pack!

2 of them are going on Mud Murray, the other 2 are going on Murray Widebody.
(I ordered them few days before I bought Widebody, and just thought: ,,A pair of spare LED Lights ca'nt hurt" and now they're will be all used.)

You're going to love those LED pods.  They barely draw anything and are very bright.

I love LED's on tractors!  SUPER bright!

Crazy_Carl wrote:

You're going to love those LED pods.  They barely draw anything and are very bright.

I think, I will, and they were super cheap!

MightyRaze wrote:

I love LED's on tractors!  SUPER bright!

The Stock lights on mowers are trash!

I had a VERY IMPORTANT Package in the mail...

The NEW ANGLE GRINDER!!!



Dad decided to pay this time a few $$ more, and gets a better one.



I Fired it up, and it cuts really good, smooth, and do'nt overheats like the old POS!

So I finally could reinforce MMs Front Axle!

I welded in the cut Piece the old AG died on, and put in some more steel.







I hope it will last.

Need to do some work on the area where the spindles connect.

I like the beefy ball hitch, cool. I've thought about buying those LED pods, but I quite like the yellow tint of stock tractor lights. New angle grinder looks good, Makita products are pretty durable. Front axle looks pretty beefed up, is it just your camera or is your front axle bent like a banana?

MatthewD wrote:

I like the beefy ball hitch, cool. I've thought about buying those LED pods, but I quite like the yellow tint of stock tractor lights. New angle grinder looks good, Makita products are pretty durable. Front axle looks pretty beefed up, is it just your camera or is your front axle bent like a banana?

I like it too, that's why i bought it LOL.
I hate the Stock mower lights, they're just as bright as a candlelight
I love the new Grinder
No the Axle is shaped that way. I thought it is bent, but that's stock.

Looking good so far

George Gooding wrote:

Looking good so far

Thanks!

I welded the last parts of the front axle.

Stock... (looks very weak)



PLEASE DO'NT EAT WHILE READING THIS POST! U CAN PUKE FROM SEEING MY WELDS!!



Front Axle is now double as haevy as stock! Sturdy enough for my applictions I would think!

Are you going to put a grease fitting back in that?

You beat me to it Rich.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Are you going to put a grease fitting back in that?

Yep just sideways cuz the old area is blocked. Need to machine Bushings next.

The front axle does look a lot stronger now.  Makita tools are great too.  My dad's Makita abrasive metal cutoff saw and his angle grinder have held up for decades.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

The front axle does look a lot stronger now.  Makita tools are great too.  My dad's Makita abrasive metal cutoff saw and his angle grinder have held up for decades.

I hope she will hold up. Nice. I love the new Angle Grinder.

I finally begun with the Angle Iron Frame Reinforcement!

I tested if the new angle grinder can handle this thick stuff. It can!



I shaped the Steel to fit the Frame.



and Welded it in.



















And the MST and 900 series Axle Bearings arrived!



If the Frame flexes after this, the welds broke! The Frame is now so damn heavy, I have problems to carry it around a few meters.

I definately need a Winch, to pull it back out, if it gets stuck!

Good job on the bracing, this frame is really beefed up. Now you shouldn't have to worry about it flexing when you off-road. I think you need to turn the voltage setting of your welder up a bit, and the wire speed. Those bearings are cool, I need to get some for my MST.

MatthewD wrote:

Good job on the bracing, this frame is really beefed up. Now you shouldn't have to worry about it flexing when you off-road. I think you need to turn the voltage setting of your welder up a bit, and the wire speed. Those bearings are cool, I need to get some for my MST.

I weld this thick stuff with the Stick welder, at max power setting. The Wire Welder wouldn't handle it really Good i think. I need to figure the right technique to feed the slag outta the weld while welding too. But i hope it will hold. Otherwise I Hate myself for building Mowers.

Looks like the frame should hold up.  You made have gone a little overkill under the floorboards.  Are you doing anything where the transaxle mounts?

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Looks like the frame should hold up.  You made have gone a little overkill under the floorboards.  Are you doing anything where the transaxle mounts?

Overkill is way better than too weak. I haven't planned anything to the transaxle mounts now. I can add some reinforcements easily.

I looked at Ebay for 8" ball bearing front rims.....

with shipping to me..

220$ !!!



I needed another solution!

So I saw the Vid of RCG modding Snowblower rims to fit his mower with ball bearings in them

I had the FNR Rims lying around off my buds POS Rat Rod Mower things

and I have 10 Axle bearings...

that sounds like: HOMEMADE FRONT RIMS! YEP!

I chopped off the hub





and I found some steel pipe that fitted the outside diameter of the bearings.

I cut off some slices and put them in my metal lathe to get them perfectly flat at the ends and at the right length.



and I hate throwing something away, even if it's junk, it could be helpful someday. So it was with the Axles off the blown FNR.

I put the axle in the part what's left of the hub, a axle bearing on the shaft, slide the pipe over it. Centered!



I used the outside of the rims as the new inside, cuz otherwis I would get into trouble with my front axle, and the rims would hit the axle.



this is the old inside, now the new Outside

and I machined the longer bearing guides for the inside



I welded on the other side too



now I just need to take the rims to the company my dad works for, and ask them if tey could drill me the center out to 20mm.



I really like the new rims, and they cost me nothing then the bearings. And hopefully the drilling job will be free too.