craftsman racing mower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86cMI03EPQw

here is my current project im looking for 60

Just my $.02...

If you're planning to go 60 mph, you might want to rethink your front axle. Without any caster angle to it, it will jerk around all over the place.

i probally will, but im working on a tight budget so ill try this and change it if absolutley necessary

lack of caster doesn't help, but the severe camber angle is what makes it unstable. We ran stock axles for years, they were ok off road, but as soon as you ran high speed on the road, they would try and find the nearest ditch.

If you could cut the ends of the axle off, and reweld them at 90 degrees, and bend the spindles to match, it will handle much safer. Heck if you are rewelding, you could put some caster in there as well. I can take my hands off the wheel at 45mph, and it tracks straight, and stable. If you are unsure what caster and camber is, google images have decent pics of it.

Also your tie rods need upgraded, cotter pins ain't gonna cut it.

i doubt ill het that speed lol i was just voiceing a hope lol i plan on drilling and putting a bolt to hold em on the tie rods tho thanks for the advice

I hit around 30mph on my 90% stock murray ( twin cylender motor, pulley swap and tire change - 6 speed trans) - no brakes to speak of, steering had serious slop , unlocked front axle.

Nearly crashed it at 30mph, altho it had 3 more gears to go faster it scared the bejeebus out of me , after the close call - i parked it and pulled the motor off it - havent rode it since, till i rebuild it right to handle those 3 higher gears.

If i were younger i probably wouldve hit 6th , just got too many things to do then spend time in ER and recooperating from a serious crash on my tractor.

Another thing to remember is it wont hurt when youre young- but will when youre older - i cut my finger really bad back in the 90's - itll still bother me today, specially when its cold.....

My .02 cents from experience.....

the steering is tighter than on most ive seen, and im working on a way to keep the tires from jerking back and forth really bad, i had a 16 hp briggs opposed but i went to crank it today and idk how but it has a broke rod so that aint going to work lol, i have a 18 hp kohler command opposed im going to put on it im debating on the pulley ratio im going to use its either going to be a 2-1 or a 3-2 bout what speed will that get me?

well the project is on hold for a while i gotta wait till i get money i got to lookin at the axle and the steering it tight but it didnt drop it low enough, im goin to buy a peice of 3"x2" tubing and use that, with the stock spindle, im going to drill and tap them so they take a bolt to hold the tires on, im going to mount the spindles so when i turn the tires cut in making it turn tighter, like they do on go-carts, i also have to buy, or make a front pulley, lock the rear end and brace the frame, im planning on running a 3 1/3 to one ratio which should give me plenty of speed but i plan on definately wearing my motorcycle helmet , ive lowered and mounted the seat solid, and im looking for a tether switch, i also have plans and a prototype for a supercharger which i plan on testing, the prototype is producing around 6 to 8 psi and i have a way of making it work with the throttle so that the more throttle i give it the more boost i get, any ideas for further saftey measures would be appreciated, me and some friends are getting a race going every couple of months, drag and round track, im planning on building a gas shock wheelie bar so that it can ride a wheelie but doesn't yank a kink in my neck when it hits the ground,

Gas shock wheelie bar... didnt think of that! Ill have to make one for mine...

Anyways, I went with a 12" in the front and currently have a 2 1/2" in the back which will probably change.

As for safety, removing that slop, a helmet and a tether kill switch should do it. Also look at getting some riding gloves for if you do fall. I personally use and love Mechanix Wear, and they are decently priced too. Some elbow pads will also help out if you do fall so you dont mess up your elbow.

If you wanna go all the way, dirtbike riding armor would do it.

Doug Fackler wrote:

Gas shock wheelie bar... didnt think of that! Ill have to make one for mine...

Anyways, I went with a 12" in the front and currently have a 2 1/2" in the back which will probably change.

As for safety, removing that slop, a helmet and a tether kill switch should do it. Also look at getting some riding gloves for if you do fall. I personally use and love Mechanix Wear, and they are decently priced too. Some elbow pads will also help out if you do fall so you dont mess up your elbow.

If you wanna go all the way, dirtbike riding armor would do it.

lol ive had it in my mind for a while that wheelie bar design after watchin a vid on tv where a guy got whip lash from one that was solid mounted, i grew up on fourwheelers and dirtbikes so i learned how to take a fall im planning on running a 10 on the motor and a 3 on the back, that way it has a good amount of surface to grip to in the back, im also welding rod across the bottom of my fram right under the belt to help protect it, i plan on inverting my transaxle which means really good belt retainers and im going to mount a steel plate as close to the pully without touching it as possible to help hold it in i might take and bend e peice of flat steel just bigger than the pulley and weld it to the plate idk its all just plans floating around my empty head right now as to how its going to work

still plannig on doing this, its just that i dont really want to build it considering i really haveno where to ride it, and i could use a mudder more, so ima work on that hopefully ill get to build this one to

small update, got a 29 hp kawasaki v-twin for free a while back, it needs a starter, ima still do this build, ima just collect the parts as i stumble upon them, hope to have it done by october
changed the drivetrain idea, gone run a live axle, found a gearbox that has forward, neutral and reverse for 20 bucks, what speed would i get if i did a 1:1 from the motor to the ragb then a 40 tooth to a 12 tooth?

Yeah you need to lean that front axle back, caster it. Give it some positive caster.

as soon as funds allow it, this is getting direct steer and a custom built front axle

well, i have to get a guys cutting mower back in service for him this week, he is giving me a gokart for payment, i am hoping it has a live axle ,if it does then i dont have to buy one or brakes or pillow blocks that just took 100 dollars off my expenses

Sounds like a good deal.

im pretty sure when i talked to him that he said they parked it cause of a steering problem so im getting a motor out of it to lol

Yeah.
Steering in a go kart might be a quick fix.

yea, probally a bent or broke steering rod lol ima use it on the racer to

Yeah.
Go kart parts are great for build mowers.

there is a tractor show that we go to every year( we cook at festivals so i have to be there) if i have the racer done in time its going to be in the parade and car/tractor show, i know the lifted on is going to be in it, if the racer is finished, the g/f said she would drive the lifted one in the parade which means ill be on the speed demon i forsee a donut being done in the middle of the highway during the parade happening

Sounds like it gonna be fun.

yea, it suprized me that she said she would drive it lol

Yeah.
Some girls would be afraid to .

she said she would drive the lifted one but would touch the racer, but thats cause of how im gearing it, im hoping it will hit 60 or 70, maybe even higher lol