Craftsman LT10 build

My main trail/race mower. Started out as a 10hp Tecumseh, 600 peerless transaxle. Upgraded to a 18 opposed twin briggs, then started blowing transmissions. Now it has a 20hp v-twin, and modified 820 peerless transaxle.

Fresh paint!

My main modfication was the transmission. Started out as a 6 speed peerless 820-16d. Orginial spider gears and axles removed. Hubs for spider gears bored to 1 in and keyed. Needle bearings removed from the axle housings and replaced with bronze bushings. Orings removed from other bearings. High speed gear set installed. Brake shaft cut off and bearing replaced with capped bearing to prevent oil leaks. Go kart axle installed. 10 in brake rotor and brake caliper installed. Vent and fill plugs, filled with 90wt gear oil.

another axle built, in empty housing.

Welded axle keyway and filed smooth for orings to prevent oil leakage.

Spare tranny

disk and caliper on tractor.

Front axle is completely custom. 3/16 wall 2x3 channel, with welded ends. 10 degrees postive caster for handling, no toe or camber. Grade 8 3/4 bolts welded for spindles/pivots. Center pivot is 1 in bushing with bronze bushing, bolted to tractor with 3/4 grade 8 bolt. Also installed a rack and pinion steering.

Old axle donating its center to new axle.

basic idea of how spindles are made

installed on mower

tie rod connection

Rack and pinion

Some pics of the undercarriage. We use rods all the way across, above and below the belt, to keep it in place. Also x brace installed, and 1/2 welded to bottom of frame rails.

sweer cant wait to see more

What is the steering rack out of? Very solid looking tractor"nice job!

Dked41 ---- i saw a guy with a monster mower use that same one. Its out of a golf cart i would believe because that what the other guys was out of

what you running for exhaust on that bad boy?

No idea what the rack and pinion is off of. I bought it at a surplus place for 30.00. They sold out of them shortly after.

Exhaust is 3/4 electrical conduit. Duals ran out the back. It's a little small, but engine is stock. Sounds really good, quiet at idle, loud as heck when you get on it.

It's geared for 45mph, and gets there in a big hurry. Lot of fun to run it through the gears. With the 6 speed, 1st is still really slow, like a granny gear. You could actually mow in that gear. Pulleys are 6 in front and rear. I'll have to get a pic of the high speed gears.

Let me know if you guys want a pic of something.

my avatar pic is of my own old LT10 that ended up getting an 18hp opposed twin... built up almost the same way (but I kept my 3 speed peerless with some modifications)

Then someone stole it, and put it inside a storage yard where it rots away. Can't find the owner of the lot to get it back ( I have ways to positively ID the thing) or else I'd bring it back to life in a big way.

Stretch preps for surgery on his transaxle.



The Silver Bullet hanging from the chain fall, sans trans.



The oil is a bit sparkly but not too bad.



Proof that a #40 chain will work perfectly fine on a #41 sprocket... *poke poke*



That shifter key is toast. The reverse gear sprocket somehow rode up on it.

New Taillights on Stretch's "Silver Bullet!"

very well built so how do the tail lights come on do they come on by a toggle switch or a pedal?

Toggle switch... I have thought about doing brake lights on mine, but haven't gotten around to it.

TheRainbowBoxer wrote:

Toggle switch... I have thought about doing brake lights on mine, but haven't gotten around to it.

yea ive been thinking about it to and using a push start button on my brake pedal to turn the lights on but i figure i wont be going on any major road lol and if one of my buddys hit my rear there just gonna lift me off the ground

I used the brake light switch from a motorcycle. Adjustable, and weatherproof.

Doc Sprocket wrote:

I used the brake light switch from a motorcycle. Adjustable, and weatherproof.

never thought of that

That looks awesome!

Just looking at these- those U joints, i can only see two. Is there a third one? it looks like it would be really sharp turn for the second one, but then again i might be wrong.

Only 2 ujoints, one at each end of the middle shaft. Somewhat of a sharp angle, but it's a low speed steering setup, not a driveline.

Stretch44875 wrote:

Only 2 ujoints, one at each end of the middle shaft.  Somewhat of a sharp angle, but it's a low speed steering setup, not a driveline.

Gotcha. Maybe its the camera angle of the second pic that makes it look more then it is. I was kinda thinking about using a golf kart steering box for mine, but thats only if the gears broke or something. Trying to help out greener179 too with his broken steering. Thanks

I will defiantly model my next racing mower off this, my little simplicity i have now i wanted to be alot like this, but it just didn't work out and instead of having a locked transaxle like i wanted (so i could have gears) i had o have a 90 degree gear box and i wish i had revers because its pretty much pointless for doing anything other than going fast at this point   

Hey Stretch I know that you take pride in your exhaust but can you share a picture of it with us? I really like your exhaust sound. I ask because have another V-Twin that I am thinking about rebuilding for my Rally.  I was wondering about mimicking your sound.

Nothing like TRB's... Mine's dead simple, just two straight pipes out the back, made out of 3/4 electrical conduit.

Yes yes yes... dead simple...

thanks to TheRainbowBoxer's fantastic conduit bending/routing skills......