Offroad lawnmower

[68C15]

I think you're right. the new fronts are too tall and the wheel base is too short. something sized like the old ones and move them forward about 8"

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by 68C15

I think you're right. the new fronts are too tall and the wheel base is too short. something sized like the old ones and move them forward about 8"

Thank you 68C15 for your input Does "old ones" mean the ones on the purple rims.

[Restrorob]

I agree with 68C15, The size of the purple ones look better on the front.....


Kool build !!!

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by Restrorob

I agree with 68C15, The size of the purple ones look better on the front.....


Kool build !!!

Thanks Restrorob!
I was looking at it over the past weekend and that's what I decided on too but I don't think I'm moving the front end forward, well not 100% sure about that yet.
Now my issue is that I can't get front rims & tires that size to match the back and the purple ones (they are a sport quad rear size) are the narrowest ones they offer in a 10in rim. I need a 10 in rim to clear ball joints, I can get a sport quad front tire setup most run a 10in rim but then there is no aggressive tread designs offered in them. Although when it's in 4x4 both front tires will be locked together so it won't steer very well and with the less aggressive tires that might help and let the inside tire slip and let it turn a little better. I think ill keep looking around at my options. Next on the list is steering but it'll might be a couple of weeks before i get to work on it.

[badpeanut]

How does the drivetrain compensate for the different tire diameters front and rear?

[Gokart Mozart]

Originally Posted by muddstir

Thanks Restrorob!
I need a 10 in rim to clear ball joints, I can get a sport quad front tire setup most run a 10in rim but then there is no aggressive tread designs offered in them.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/ATV-T...rclaw-K299.htm

Size Ply S.W. (in/mm) O.D. (in/mm) Max Loading Max PSI/Kgf/cm2 Rim

23x10.00-10 6PR TL 10.2/258 23.0/584 374/170 7.0/0.5 10.0x8



This reminds me of the STi-atv.

STI ATV - YouTube

[Restrorob]

Originally Posted by muddstir

Next on the list is steering but it'll might be a couple of weeks before i get to work on it.

I've started to say something about my build but held off so not to jack your thread, I bought a 96 Polaris Xplorer 400 with a blown engine. I stretched the frame to fit a new Kohler M20 engine I had laying around in front of the Polaris trans, I'm using a steering gearbox out of a mid 80's EZ-go three wheel golf cart. It will be set up as a mini 2 seater UTV with a 58' Pargo four wheel golf cart nose and dump utility bed on back.

Maybe a golf cart steering gear will work in your application ?

My gearbox will be mounted up near a dash position with the steering shaft and tube shortened to about a foot, It will tie into the upper section of the original 4-wheeler steering post via a bracket welded to the post.

As I said, I thought this is a Kool build..... Your putting a mower body on a custom 4-wheeler frame and I'm using lawn mower power with golf cart parts on mine, It helps being in the Lawn-n-Garden equipment/ATV/UTV business.....

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by badpeanut

How does the drivetrain compensate for the different tire diameters front and rear?

Between different sproket sizes and jack shafts I should be able to get it really close. The only time the 4x4 will be on is when im in something and that should allow for so tire slippage if its need. I going for the same distance per revolution of the old snowmobile track to keep the motor power to the tires the same as if it was on the snowmobile still.--(I Hope). This all is a learning experment, I have no real knowage in all this stuff- I just like to build stuff and learn by mistakes.

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by Restrorob

I've started to say something about my build but held off so not to jack your thread, I bought a 96 Polaris Xplorer 400 with a blown engine. I stretched the frame to fit a new Kohler M20 engine I had laying around in front of the Polaris trans, I'm using a steering gearbox out of a mid 80's EZ-go three wheel golf cart. It will be set up as a mini 2 seater UTV with a 58' Pargo four wheel golf cart nose and dump utility bed on back.

Maybe a golf cart steering gear will work in your application ?

My gearbox will be mounted up near a dash position with the steering shaft and tube shortened to about a foot, It will tie into the upper section of the original 4-wheeler steering post via a bracket welded to the post.

As I said, I thought this is a Kool build..... Your putting a mower body on a custom 4-wheeler frame and I'm using lawn mower power with golf cart parts on mine, It helps being in the Lawn-n-Garden equipment/ATV/UTV business.....

Your build sounds cool I like when people take stuff they have laying around and turn it into something that is useful. Got any pics?

I think for my steering i can get away with some arctic cat parts and snowmobile parts I have laying around, I might have to get some small u-joints too. I'd like to make it a direct steer setup. But I'm now thinking of switching to a different motor and that might get in the way of how I had the steering somewhat planed out. So now I got to decide to keep the snowmobile motor or ditch it for and bigger motorcycle motor.

[muddstir]

I decided on the tire size that I'm going to run. Even through the winner seams to be the smaller ones which I like better myself I'm going to run with the bigger ones. There were alot of deciding factors that went into it but the main one was couldn't get smaller tires and rims to match what I had for the rear. So I'll use what I have.

After deciding on the size I started to look at my choices to make it look better. I streched the wheel base 3in when I made the frist frame, I realized that I could just move the hood back to offset the front end. I only moved it back about 3/4 of an inch anymore I'd have to drill new holes for the mounts and I would have to cut the hood brackets down to fit, so I can take it back farther but I kinda like where it is now. Then I looked at the body lines to the frame lines and saw something didin't look right. It looked level but low, almost like the tires covered up to much of the body. I ended up lifting the front 1in in the a-arms area and 1in in the hood. I ended up lifting the rear fenders went about 3.5in to get that slight rake look . Now looking at it with all the tires on it it don't look half bad in my book.

Here is a couple of pics of it now

[Prerunner1982]

I like the look of those front wheels/tires myself... can't wait to see this come along. Lookin good!

[muddstir]

Thanks Prerunner1982, got busy around the house and haven't been working on it for awhile. But now its back in the garage and I got time to work on it.

[muddstir]

Been working on getting the shocks positioned but with the motor size it's giving me issues. So this leads me to a ? for anybody that knows anything about a-arms and shock positions.

Here is my issue = with how wide my motor is the front shocks will almost be straight up and down, and that (A) limits the true length of travel of the a-arms and (B) viewing the tractor from the front it looks kinda goofy. So I would like to angle the shocks inward some to fix (A) and (B). Now here is were it gets tricky, I looked at all the atv's I have and all the shocks are 90* to the axis of movement of the a-arm. I assume thats how it works (I could be wrong). Now I was woundering if I took the top of the shock and angled them towards the front about 5 to 10* would it hurt anything/ or is that bad practice when it comes to arm design/ setup. I would cut the shock mts. off and rotate them so that there in line with the shock and not binding it up.
I can't move the shock mts. forward on the a-arm any more, the tire will then be able to rub on them when the tire is turned. This will be my forth attempt to get these shocks mounted.
Here is a crappy drawing of what I mean, I hope it helps. The green line is the axis of rotation of the a-arm ( where it bolts on the frame at).

[Restrorob]

muddstir,

I don't see any issue with tilting/moving the shocks a little, It's not like your building a corner hug'n racing machine. Get them on the best way you can....

Food for thought on the steering, Keep in mind 4-wheelers have wide handle bars for ease in turning those big front tires. Put a small mower or even car steering wheel on there and you may find it un-steerable, That's why I decided to go with modified golf cart steering.....

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by Restrorob

muddstir,

I don't see any issue with tilting/moving the shocks a little, It's not like your building a corner hug'n racing machine. Get them on the best way you can....

Food for thought on the steering, Keep in mind 4-wheelers have wide handle bars for ease in turning those big front tires. Put a small mower or even car steering wheel on there and you may find it un-steerable, That's why I decided to go with modified golf cart steering.....

That's what I was thinking about the shocks myself, so I went ahead and tipped them just enough to clear the motor. I had to cut the mounts off the a-arm, cut them in half, then cut off the the bends for mounting, went to work put new bends on for mounting, rotated them so everything was in line then welded them back on the a-arm.
Its nice to see something getting done, this setup is my 3rd design and after spending all that time building the other designs and them not working any work done seems to be alot.
Now I need to level up the frame at ride height, make the mounts for the top of the shocks and weld them up.

That's a good point you made about the steering, but the bummer is I already ordered new tierods and ends for it. I hope it's not to hard to turn or I know what my first improvement will be.

[Narxoleptic Customs]

Sexy!! Keep it up man, it's looking great!!
Posted via Mobile Device

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by Narxoleptic Customs

Sexy!! Keep it up man, it's looking great!!
Posted via Mobile Device

Thank you!

[muddstir]

Here is a pic of the upper front shock mounts. The tubing that the mounts are on is off of the unused rear section of the atv frame that I bought, they had the right bend/ angle that I needed. The mounts themself I bent at work, I put three holes in each one so I can lift or lower it easily. I left the tubing long so I can incorporate a so called rollcage and some how make my steering mount to it.
In the pic you can see that there are no blocks under the front frame, its finally sitting on all four tires (its about time). I still have more bracing to do where the shock mounts mount to the frame but that will be done at a later date.

[propanemudtruck]

Very Cool build!

[jjzepplin]

Sick!

[aerotruk63]

Awesome build. This should inspire the guy I`m working with.

[muddstir]

Originally Posted by propanemudtruck

Very Cool build!

Originally Posted by jjzepplin

Sick!

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Awesome build. This should inspire the guy I`m working with.

Thanks guys!

[muddstir]

The next thing I wanted to do was get the steering shaft mounted so I could get it connected to the front atv stem part. But that's where one thing went to another to another.
I need to get the body in place so I could get the shaft mounted at the right angle/ area. So I sat the body in place and realized that there was going to be alot of trimming on the hood for the shock mounts to clear, no big deal, marked it out and got ready to cut. That's when I remembered about the chain case with the driven pulley on it. It bolts to the side of the frame and goes up about 18 inchs, and that puts it right at the top back corner of the hood where it latches to the console. I would have to cut the hole corner out and build around it, I didn't like that ideal due to losing the hood latch and I'd have to extend the hood out about 4in to cover up the chain case (I thought it would look out of place). After staring at it for alittle bit I decided on "body lifting " it first to see how it looks before I cut it all apart. I needed 5 inchs for the hood to clear the pulley so I made new front hood mounts that lifted it 4 inches then drilled new mounting holes that gave me the other inch.
It looks a little out of placed with the body lift to me- So let me know what you think. If I keep the body lift all gaps will be filled to make it appear stock. The pics are kinda bad but I hope you get the overall look.
This is with the 5 in lift

This is the size of the chain case

And this is where it should sit when mounted with the body lift ( will have very little trimming to do if its here.)

[fryer1979]

I love this build, makes me smile every time I see pictures. So cool, keep it up!

[stepside83]

this is a pretty cool build looking forward to more of it