LawnBoy UTLTV aka MULE

Doc Sprocket wrote:

Yeah- the particular type of composite lamp your tractor uses form the factory are nothing to write home about for sure. True HID's are pretty expensive, and somewhat overrated for the purpose.

The greatest tips I can give you to make the most of whatever lights you get is to pay more attention to the circuitry than most people would. Wires that are of too small a gauge cause a power loss, and therefore dimmer lights. Go with larger wire than you think you need. There's charts out there that will tell you based on wattage or current draw, how large the conductor needs to be.

If you have a pretty good draw on the circuit (say, 2 lights greater than about 40 Watts), I strongly suggest the use of a relay. You would use smaller wiring through the switch and coil side of the relay, and larger conductors on the actual lighting circuit. This will prevent your switch from damage caused by higher current, and will maximize the light's output potential by delivering all the current they need.

And remember folks- Install a fuse!

yes cant forget the fuse's i was thinking about getting hid's but then i remebered my factory lights where pretty dim with the old engine and i got a high reving monster opposed twin so there is no telling how bright my lights are gonna be lol i will just have to wait and see

I always thought id be cool to have lights like two of them on the front, and then have two pointing at a 30 degree angle on the back fenders, like side/crawler lights haha, im getting some slick ones for my mower to match the rat rod grill.

redlinemotorsportts wrote:

I always thought id be cool to have lights like two of them on the front, and then have two pointing at a 30 degree angle on the back fenders, like side/crawler lights haha, im getting some slick ones for my mower to match the rat rod grill.

i cant wait for that lol

Doc Sprocket wrote:

For your viewing pleasure...

These shots are total killer. Ive came back to look at them a cupple times-what camera are you using?

them pics are very shall i say pro

Thanks guys- I appreciate the props. I'm used to just snapping nothing pics of parts or build progress, to post of forums or keep for myself. I'm not a photo guy... After I Re-read the banner thread, I thought I'd really like to submit one. So, I grabbed the camera, jumped on and just basically stopped in a bunch of places and took shots. The camera isn't anything special, it's a Canon PowerShot S5, that's easily 6 or 8 years old at this point. I do have a much nicer DSLR, but don't use it much. Why? Because half the time I'm taking pictures with greasy, grimy hands! LOL

Doc Sprocket wrote:

Thanks guys- I appreciate the props. I'm used to just snapping nothing pics of parts or build progress, to post of forums or keep for myself. I'm not a photo guy... After I Re-read the banner thread, I thought I'd really like to submit one. So, I grabbed the camera, jumped on and just basically stopped in a bunch of places and took shots. The camera isn't anything special, it's a Canon PowerShot S5, that's easily 6 or 8 years old at this point. I do have a much nicer DSLR, but don't use it much. Why? Because half the time I'm taking pictures with greasy, grimy hands! LOL

lol i can respect that dont wanna mess up a nice camera

What an incredible build! looks like a GREAT TOY.

Thanks- I'm having a ton of fun with the build, and still have a few tricks up my sleeve.

u better pait, coat your rear fenders soon, they startin to rust, unless u like it thaT way, lol

I primed them weeks ago. The photo above that was quoted, was right after I installed them.

I've just got to do a bit more metal work (maybe today) before I can paint.

Doc Sprocket wrote:

I primed them weeks ago. The photo above that was quoted, was right after I installed them.

I've just got to do a bit more metal work (maybe today) before I can paint.

Oh duh, lol sorry

Well doc I wanted to do the fender thing on the back like you did, so I got a small galvanized fender from the junkyard. The way my stock fender is will make it hard for this new fender to mount up but I came back here and got some more ideas. well back to the garage and hopefully ill get it all figured out! Heres a pic of it now.

Hey- Good luck, hope it works out for you! (Shouldn't you have thought about that before the fancy paint???)

Did you do any pulley swaps on the UTLTV?

Not yet... Thinkin' 'bout it. If I do gear it up, it won't be by much. Don't need speed- need torque.

1/1 ratio seems like a good ratio for lawn use/hauling. Thinking that is around 15-18 mph, on most transaxles. You'd have to calculate it out for yours. That way you don't have to have the rpm's up sky high, just to drive across the yard.

Our 820's are speed way up(45), but 1st gear is still slow enough to haul stuff around.

Yeah- I haven't crunched the numbers yet, but I don't think I will increase the top speed by more than 50-75% of what it already has. I need the torque, and am still running factory steering and brakes. And we all know how good those are at high speeds...

hey doc, i seem to remember you saying in the beginning that this was a build for the old lady

well doc this is what I came up with. im going to have the stripes go down the fenders, I already sanded the burned paint no biggie.

richie thomas wrote:

hey doc, i seem to remember you saying in the beginning that this was a build for the old lady

Yup! She considers it hers. And we're just gonna go ahead and let her think that, aren't we?

Redline- Looks good!

[quote="Doc Sprocket"]

richie thomas wrote:

hey doc, i seem to remember you saying in the beginning that this was a build for the old lady

Yup! She considers it hers. And we're just gonna go ahead and let her think that, aren't we?

lol my girlfriend doesn't mind me spending so much time working on them, but ive yet to convince her to let me build her one,

I know I haven't updated this in awhile, then again I haven't done anything to the MULE in awhile. I drive it pretty regularly, and it runs great. The next step, though, it to inspect and probably replace the transaxle input shaft bearings. With the belt tight (clutch out) this thing has developed a helluva whine to it.

I'm not looking forward to it- I have to take the whole rearend out, remove the pulley, and crack the case. What a PITA for a couple wee needle bearing units. Not hard, just time consuming. Dang.

After I've gotten the tranny surgery done, I can move on to the mods again. I want to make a lid for the carry box, and I have to further brace the rear bumper/hitch framing. Gotta cleanup all the bodywork and paint this sucker. Eventually, I'd like to make a canopy/fabric roof thing, and I was thinking about an ATV style cargo rack too.

20 bucks it don't whine as much as mine, mine complains at everything I do lol

xxXMowerdudeXxx wrote:

20 bucks it don't whine as much as mine, mine complains at everything I do lol

I'll take your 20 as fast as anyone's... LOL- she's pretty loud. Louder than the engine at idle, and that's WITH the Cherry Bomb on there!