First Project: Chunky Man

This will be my first riding mower project/build. I’m starting with a 2000’s ish yard man 56in riding mower. I’ve already had the mower for about two months. I first bought it as a roller for 25 dollars. My friend gave me a 3.5hp Subaru robin engine for free which I put on it. I then had to buy a belt which was only like 30 bucks. We got it running in about 2 days, we also picked up a Poulan roller for 25bucks which we got running in about 4 hrs. After riding it for a while (about two months) I got bored of it so now I plan on lifting it and putting some bigger tires and a good old flat head Briggs on it.

Welcome to the forums!  Can't wait to see the build!

First thing I’ve done to my project is lift the front axle

I started by completely removing the front axle and front and back hangers from the frame. I then moved where the top bolt hole of the front/back hanger would go to the bottom hole on the frame. I then proceeded to build braces for the bottom holes on the hangers that would normally bolt into the frame.

Welcome to ATLTF! Nice to see you started up a build thread!

One thing I must say is I'd add some more bracing to that rear axle plate, like maybe weld a couple from from the bottom corners of the plate back to the frame at a 45° angle. Just to be sure it you don't have any breakage with the added leverage there.

@AllisKidD21 I was planning on adding more bracing but it’s a lot of work for me to do that. I dont have a welder and my angle grinder is too noisy too use in town often. What I made the brace with in the picture was a drill. I just drilled holes along we’re I wanted it cut and the bent it. Thank you for the suggestion though, I really appreciate any feedback/knowledge from people who have been at this for a while.

Oh okay, I just assumed you had a welder, haha. Well I have no doubt that something could be rigged up without welding.

Keep up the good work!

After lifting the front axle I moved onto the rear end and hydro. First thing I did was split the rear end which was definitely a challenge. The rear end is very chunky, hence the name chunky man, and weighs about 150lbs. 150lbs in my opinion is fairly heavy to have to lift while holding the other half of the riding mower. The rear end was very simple due to that fact that all I had to do was move the rear shell piece down a bolt hole then reattach the hydro and then make two braces for the front bracket.

After reassembling the rear end I realized I forgot the hydros control so I had to split again and insert the shaft. It was especially difficult due to the fact that nothing wanted to line up properly. After getting the rear end put back together I put on the rear plate and fender to figure out how much longer the hydro control shifter would need to be in order to stick through the fender. The rear was lifted up about 6 inches so I had to extend the shifter a little more than that. I ended up using a tie rod from a past go kart project I had.

After going through a lot of off road rally mower projects I feel like the general census is that it’s better to lock the rear end. I have a hydro, and yes I know that the differential is practically the same as a transmission but is is still as beneficial to lock it. Can I use jb weld to lock it up or do I need to borrow a welder and do it?

JBWeld would not hold for a locker.

Are you planning on going through lots of mud where you will need the extra traction?  Are you going to be taking this up and down trails and off-road parks?

@Doug is not locked, but still can get around with minimal issues.
@AllisKidD21 is not locked and it doesn't slow him down.  

I think you will be OK. Locking would put stresses into your tractor, that you are already limited on building due to ordinances in your area. Locking the tractor, it will gain a forward push and become harder to steer and could introduce more frame flexing.

Personally, I would not lock, you can always come back later if you needed.  Not sure how sturdy a hydro is for locking.

After reading your feedback I think I will keep my hydro unlocked, I didn’t realize that it would add stress to my frame but I did know it would affect steering which is why I was unsure of wether or not to lock it. Wher I usually ride there are a lot of sharp turns so I will keep it unlocked.

Yeah, it you are just riding for enjoyment where there are sharp turns.  Definitely keep it unlocked.

Today I got a few smaller things done. I started off by mounting the seat plate and making two brackets to support it. After the seat plate was mounted I moved onto the rear lights. I made some right angle brackets to hold them. I used some very flat steel stock, maybe 1/16th in.

I got to hand it to you.  For someone with limited capabilities, you're doing a good job.  Be sure to go one extra step to make sure your mods are secure.

Thanks I really appreciate it, I plan to finish it up good enough for a test drive and then go back when I know the weak areas and further strengthen them.

where you from in illinois?

I live in Douglas county it’s about 140 miles south of Chicago

aw man im like 45 south of it

I’ve finally got this heapage done enough to test steering and front axle travel and I must say I’m pretty impressed by them