I dont think Ive ever been as excited about a forum topic as when I read the new topic email sent to me by heymow! Ive had the offroad mower bug ever since I got a job at a Hardware store that also sells and services power equipment.
I wanted to jack up this craftsman rider that i had repaired as soon as i got it. I had originally planned on selling a Craftsman rider that i had repaired during the season. But the longer it sat and ideas started coming to mind. So I extended the transaxle mounts and just hated the fact that there was no suspension so i scrapped the idea. Well after months of different setup ideas ive come up with this.
- Craftsman model 917.254244 frame
- Lengthened 20" w/ 1" 16ga sq tubing
- Kohler Command 13hp cv13t vertical shaft
- Four-Link rear suspension by using a peerless 771 tranny rotated 90 degress to accomodate a driveshaft running into a foote 6 speed transaxle with transmission components above differential components using input shaft as input for driveshaft
- Peerless model 771 2 speed converted to 4 speed
- Foote 6 speed transaxle
This is the frame so far, stretched 20"
Closer look at extension. Made out of 1' 16ga square tubing
Mockup of Transaxle
Mockup with lower longarm and picture of longarm
Tranny mockup- If i think I can pull off a front diff w/ 4wd i will make the other side of the outputshaft useful
Kohler 13hp
Now my build is not nearly finished but I think i finally know how I want the end result.
- Powering the beast will be the 13 hp kohler command with a 6" pulley I ordered from Phoenix Mfg. I had this, a 4 inch pully on the transaxle, and a 12hp flathead b&s at one point and this thing was scary fast. I am mounting the 4 incher now on my peerless 771 transmission.
- Instead of using a chain drive system i am rotating the tranny 90 degrees to fabricate a driveshaft to input into a 6sp transaxle. The original mounts for the transaxle have been removed and im going to fab mounts for a fourlink suspension setup. The two lower links will be longarms w/ tierod ends at each end that will mount at the differential end of the transaxle housing and up to the frame. The upperlinks will mount at the topside and triangulate into the frame. I have fabbed the lower links but I am thinking of rethinking design. I might make the shocks the upper links since room is scarce and sounds like a good idea.
- The front susp I have not started on yet but I want a four link setup similar to the rear when im done.
- Drive will come from a belt w/ a tensioner for now but I want a mechanically actuated clutch like a motorcycle setup with a gearbelt pulley output running into a gearbelt input on the 771.
- The driveshaft is gonna be tricky since theres a splined output on the tranny and a shaft w/ key of the transaxle so tonight mi researching how to pull it off.
- The kohler motor I have is disassembled b/c Im bout to order new rings or get an overbore kit and to t topend rebuild. I might even to some amature porting since its torn down.
- The steering system im not sure of yet. Would probably work stock, but im throwing around and interested in different ideas.
This is my build so far. I thought of making a swingarm and having differentials or solidaxles w/ a monoshock like an atv but i am limited in the flex possible b/c of the chain. Solid axle w/ no susp is out of the question. I will be hard at work finishing the rear susp and driveshaft this next week so I will continue posting updates.
Ohhhhhh man I need to go change my pants.
That thing is SWEEEEEEEET!!!!!
Splined sliding shaft coupler...Try McMaster Carr...
thnx man will be looking into it. I just started thinging about making somesort of jackshaft driven driveshast too. I could offset the tranny to the left or right, then put the sprocket on it and connect it to the centered up driveshaft with a sprocket on it too and connect them with a chain. Id have tomake sure i could shift gears still and not run into the frame but it sounds doable and alot cheaper if i dont have to special order parts
that thing is crazy u got some amazing ideas i can't wait to see that and if u come up with a way to make it fwd then u better have it up here so we can all see it but that this is saweeeet i can't wait to see it finished.
i really cant wait to see it when its done either, your mower is awsome!
: March 22, 2007, 11:26:11 AM
Ahhh mannnnn. Thank you HEYMOW! Well i believe i mentioned I work at the hardweare store and i was yippin and yappin w/ this customer who I always yip n yap w/ bout dat der power equipment at the hardware store.LOL. He's cool b/c he doesnt laugh at me like an idot when I talk about my projects so today when we was yipnyappin I was like hey come here to the comp and ill show ya what im talkin about. So I gets on the WWW and go click click click to heymow and pull up my thread and he's like "kooooooool. This guy is as crazy as I am." Well little did I know this huy has the mother load of all mechanics heaven at his house and gave me a present he had just laying around.
a 16hp Briggs vangaurd twin cylinder!!
Now I had planned on using the kohler motor since it is a fully pressurized oiling system but so is vangaurd and now I have dreams of dual smoke stacks coming up each side of the mower so thank you heymow for letting me show other people in the world around me their not the only crazy ones!
sweet deal man
ya i was shocked. This build is already tough enoigh and when I keep getting goodies its hard to stay focused but Ive got the 2nd 1/2 of the day off tomorrow and the next day off so hopefully I can get this rear four link setup finished and move onto a driveshaft. I'll worry about the engine after the rest is sorted out
sounds like a very cool fabrication. id love to see more photos when you get more done. way cool project. 8)
ive also been mulling over a 4WD/2WS idea, but nothing fabricated yet still in the idea stage.
im making a ATLM now out of a 14.5ohv kgro power pro. i use this to pull a trailer around here for yard chores, and moving firewood.
so far ive cut the muffler into and took out the baffles and opened it up a bit to flow better and rewelded it back together (poorboys flowmaster)
ditched the deck, cleaned and repacked the transaxle with moly grease and added a lincoln locker to the differential, cut lug and nobbie tred into the turfmaster rear tires,(they really bite).
ive added an 8" pulley to the engine and a 5" pulley to the peerless 930 transaxle.
ive had to modify the idler pully location to fit the 8" pulley and play with steering arm clearances a bit to get it to fit.
im now going to either have the carb rebuilt/rejetted or buy a new one race ready. thats where i am to date with my project.
its my first mower build and im going to use this still to pull my trailer for lawn projects so im not going to get real crazy with this one.
but a guy at works going to give me a craftsmen 18hp twin mower i might do something with this summer.
keep us posted on your fab.
Erik
In response to lawngone
Thanks for the compliments on my project. Sometimes i think ive bit off more than i can chew but im still cookin. I plan to have updated pictures here soon of what iv ben doing. I fabed a new exhaust fr the kohler motor...with an ansa car exhaust at the end. It sounds awesome. Ive got video of that too just need to get it converted and posted to youtube. My buddy at the Gehl tractor place next to my work had John Deere coilovers for me that im waiting to get so im can fab my suspension. The coilovers are from a john deere utility vehicle.
That 4wd 2ws idea youre talking about...is that using one of those 4 wh steering transaxle. Ive been looking for one myself to go 4wd and that would be an awesome rig.
The lincoln locker you mentioned too, explain. Ive got a foote transaxle im messing w/ now....ive got others too but i need to lock it up and am interesten in this locker youre talking about.
Im sporry for not being more up to date muth my project but i beeen busy....slacking off LOL. Nah J/K. I had to scrap my old lower links(the curved ones) in favor of something a lot stronger than those were. Ive been rethinking the whole fourlink setup...not for some other design, but what makes a good four link. Theres some good tech articles online about building 4links on 4x4 trucks so ive tried to take some of the points and at least build something I 1/2
planned out.
http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticles/suspension/131_0306_four_link_suspension_part_1/So after reading I scrapped the old lower links and am planning on building straight lower links. But I need either 1/2 or 3/4 tie rod ends for each side of the links. The old links had 3/8" chinese rod ends from northern and their garbage. Ill be ordering some from grainger here soon so I hope there alot tougher.
Then suspension wise, a buddy of mine had coilovers off a john deere utv...which im hopefully getting today...that are fully adjustable and should be the perfect size.
The rod ends and the coilovers are the only things holding me up right now so im getting really impatient and bout to start making things happen
Oh and I ordered a complete engine gasket set for my vangaurd to seal it up and purty. I had to split the case just to make sure there was nothing wrong w/ it. Im missing the carb so im looking for a mikuni like Ibuiltmine setup ojn his 16hp. DUDE that was badass! I also like the arc parts available for this motor so I might mount the kohler for the beginning and hold onto my vangaurd til its where i want it and then swap it and use it on every mower ive got just for the hell of it. Well thats enough typin....burn grass, laugh at the crazy people staring at you while your ballin in a lawnmower....and buy american mader stuff cuz chinese stuff sucks!
the exhaust sounds nice, but dude, what up with all the tlakina t the end of the video?
i laughed so hard dude, idk if it was ment to be funny or w/e, but to me it was...
whats the "ticking" with the engine? valves or maybe lifters? doesnt sound right to me.
-Phil
That thing is knocking pretty hard....
ya i can hear the ticking...it seems to have gotten worse since ive been goin vroom vroom. Im gonna tear the head down again to se whats is been doin. Im kinda curious if those kohler engines oil properly at low rpm b/c thats when its the worse
are you sure thats when its worst? or is it just that you cant head it over the exhaust at higher rpm? i temd to agree with Chris that it might be knockin, BUT i do thin kthat if it was knocking you could hear it in the top end, but then again, with that exhaust, its h ighly likely that you wouldnt.
i know kohler K series horizontal shaft engines are near indistructable, but i dont know much about the vertical shafts like you have.
-Phil
thanks man. And I have heard alot of these kohlers like this tick too, brand new ones...and there die hard strong engines on commercial mowers. I got this one b/c someone thought it wa bout dead but the exhaust was just rusted out and the motor had no back pressure. The only tearing down ive done is remove the head and replace gasket....the valves are non-adjustable( that sux) so i didnt bother disassembling the head.
ya offroad i did remove the governor linkage and set the carb to idle lower.....doesnt really start well like that. Im hunting hard for motorcycle carbs and id like to put one on here too.
most newer briggs engines already have the electronic ignition on them.
-Phil
You if its an OHV it means its farley new so I highly doubt that it still has a points ignition system.
cool, its a 1994, 14.5 ohv briggs ic engine. so thats great one less thing to fool with.
also what kind of power improvement do you think ill see with the mods done so far. chevey/pontiac i know briggs ? not sure its my first goaround with.
thanx erik
with just a port and polish, i dont think youll see a whole lot right way, it will most likely be a better throttle responce and bottom end torque.
-Phil
Phil thanks for the reply.
ive also resized the jets via drill, to .06 from the stock .044 and put a header on it as well.
ive also made a methanol/water vapor canister ,and a cool can.
ive used both of the later in cars and had good luck with them so i figered it try them on the briggs as well.
i got everything together lastnite and fired it up. thiers a noticeable differance in how it runs. i had to play with air/fuel a bit to smooth it out and had to lower the idle some, it idled a few hunred rpm faster. some of this i think is from rebuilding the carb and getting things back in place and the rest i think is compinsating for the bigger jets and a easier air flow from all the porting and header.
it has given me the bug to want to have it bored .010 over, tri lap the valves and add a cam. my wife will love this hobby....
the cam will be the biggest help with your power. then along with the valves, shaving the head, and boring the engine, you should have some really nice power.
-Phil
Yes, the cam will help alot, you can also port your engine which is absolutly free as long as you have the right tools.
hes already ported and polished :P
-Phil
lol, yes
before you typ?
They'll be no typ'n on Mowbetter - that is strictly off limits here; you need to save that for your, well; whatever you save it for
got the pulleys on today both engine and transaxle are 5". so its 1:1 drive the plan was a 1.6:1 but i needed a longer belt so i went and got a smaller engine pully. (kinda glad i did)
took it for a spin around the soggie yard, its rained the last 3 days.going posi has made this thing alot harder to steer it wants to keep plowing straight in a turn. had to back it up and retry a few times to get it turned around.
i ran it up the road and back about a 1/2 mile total 1st gear is still fairly normal from what youd expect from a lawn mower (1st is like the old 2nd)but 2-5th are alot differant it pulls wheel stands in 2,3,4th. 5th i lowered throttle before shifting into. and it pulls strong to the left at around 20mph.
i thought to myself as i was going 20 something down the road those guys are nuts going 40+ on these things
ive got to get the steering more controlable and maybe add weight to the frontend to help with the under steer. anyway thats were i am now
oh the engine runs odd not very smooth it spudders alot now, ithought the drilled jet was to big so i put the new jet from the rebuild kit in. might try the drilled one next weekend and see how it runs then.
later erik
so this means you got the suspention done? or is it still solid?
i think we kinda missed a few things here....
-Phil
HEYHEYHEY...this is my thread. NOT lawngones. Im not one that likes to bablabla much until ive got pics to show my progress. Ive got my transaxle shock mounts made but im still waiting for my John Deere coilovers. Ive had another project ive been working on in the meantime while im waiting wor parts. saty tunedand wait for an updated thread notification.
SORRY lawnmowaman...i didnt really look closely at whole posted what, i just saw the "lawn" part of the used name who posted and didnt realize, my apologies.
-Phil
sorry my man was'nt out to steal your thunder.
