LMM's Rally Mower!

Not the best actually.... Why? you may ask?

FIRST: The gearbox is WAAYY too far back towards the rear-end.

SECOND: The suspension is WAAYY too weak.

THIRD: I don't know yet (but I'll find something)!!


(FIRST: The gearbox is WAAYY too far back towards the rear-end.)
(SECOND: The suspension is WAAYY too weak.)
This is why the rear end was pulling up thus bottoming out the suspension completely..

I will get to work on this better when I have a free weekend.  

I have recently locked the suspension solid with a 1/4'' bar. Then my chain tensioner failed.  So I need to rethink my whole rear-end then cut it out and rework the whole thing!  So maybe not as many updates for a little while?

Sorta ticked about it...

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

Not the best actually.... Why? you may ask?

FIRST: The gearbox is WAAYY too far back towards the rear-end.

SECOND: The suspension is WAAYY too weak.

THIRD: I don't know yet (but I'll find something)!!


(FIRST: The gearbox is WAAYY too far back towards the rear-end.)
(SECOND: The suspension is WAAYY too weak.)
This is why the rear end was pulling up thus bottoming out the suspension completely..

I will get to work on this better when I have a free weekend.  

I have recently locked the suspension solid with a 1/4'' bar. Then my chain tensioner failed.  So I need to rethink my whole rear-end then cut it out and rework the whole thing!  So maybe not as many updates for a little while?

Sorta ticked about it...

I understand, trust me lol! You never can get one thing fixed without something else breaking. Maybe you could use some heavy-duty shocks on there instead? Can't wait for more updates!

Don't even worry about the suspension anymore...

I think I got better plans, after the horrible thing that happened last night.  All was fine with the solid bar suspension until...  I decided to hit a snowbank along the driveway so i floor it and dump the clutch while going around this turn and BOOM one wheel is sticking out farther and more forwards than the other.  Later realized that I bent the front suspension bracket (due to not gusseting it).  I simply thought I would just take a test run then gusset it when I took it apart to paint it but no it bent like no tomorrow!  So I'm going to put solid suspension all around except for a limited pivot front axle with shocks.  It will be more like the Mowron's style except a peerless 700 with chain drive.  

I will be shopping for a live axle and flange bearings..

I also will change the title and the first post.

Sorry to hear the suspension idea is dead. But it will be much more solid/reliable. Your butt, on the other hand, may suffer!

Stretch44875 wrote:

Sorry to hear the suspension idea is dead.  But it will be much more solid/reliable.  Your butt, on the other hand, may suffer!

Touché,  it probably won't be any worse than yours right??
LOL I will be running low tire pressure with really good seat springs.  I also might find a way to suspend the fenders off of the frame with springs (like air-ride).

Well the design for rear suspention isnt super hard to grasp but designing it right (& enough time to do so) is the challenge. save that swingarm and leafs bro, later in life (hell even in a year) you might be able to come back and hit it harder with a new design.

redlinemotorsportts wrote:

Well the design for rear suspention isnt super hard to grasp but designing it right (& enough time to do so) is the challenge. save that swingarm and leafs bro, later in life (hell even in a year) you might be able to come back and hit it harder with a new design.

That's what I was thinking.  If we have another "Build-Off" next year I will get a better design in the air and find a better chassis, then I'll come back with a bang. But for now, it will simply be a standard "rally-mower".

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

Don't even worry about the suspension anymore...

I think I got better plans, after the horrible thing that happened last night.  All was fine with the solid bar suspension until...  I decided to hit a snowbank along the driveway so i floor it and dump the clutch while going around this turn and BOOM one wheel is sticking out farther and more forwards than the other.  Later realized that I bent the front suspension bracket (due to not gusseting it).  I simply thought I would just take a test run then gusset it when I took it apart to paint it but no it bent like no tomorrow!  So I'm going to put solid suspension all around except for a limited pivot front axle with shocks.  It will be more like the Mowron's style except a peerless 700 with chain drive.  

I will be shopping for a live axle and flange bearings..

I also will change the title and the first post.

Sounds like a plan! Are you gonna use the shocks you had on the rear suspension in the front?

the craftsman mudder wrote:

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

Don't even worry about the suspension anymore...

I think I got better plans, after the horrible thing that happened last night.  All was fine with the solid bar suspension until...  I decided to hit a snowbank along the driveway so i floor it and dump the clutch while going around this turn and BOOM one wheel is sticking out farther and more forwards than the other.  Later realized that I bent the front suspension bracket (due to not gusseting it).  I simply thought I would just take a test run then gusset it when I took it apart to paint it but no it bent like no tomorrow!  So I'm going to put solid suspension all around except for a limited pivot front axle with shocks.  It will be more like the Mowron's style except a peerless 700 with chain drive.  

I will be shopping for a live axle and flange bearings..

I also will change the title and the first post.

Sounds like a plan! Are you gonna use the shocks you had on the rear suspension in the front?

Probably.  The springs are real chrome and they are rusting really bad so I'm going to see if I can take them apart and coat the actual spring with a rubberized coating.  

Going back to tires.  When I did have it out for about 3mins the Dunlops did really good in the snow.  They could have been better, but they were half bald.  I was looking on EBay and they are apparently "vintage".  So I'm not sure if I still want to use those tires, or go Hole-shots..

GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK!!

Just cut it apart, and try again... there's plenty of time. Your first thought is probably the best, so go with it till it's done right. Sounds like you learned from this failure, so fix what broke and make it work. Just my two cents. I'd vote for the guy who, against all odds, tried to pull off something difficult and failed, rather than the guy who gave up in the middle and took the easy way out. Not trying to offend, rather I am trying to encourage a young mind with a good idea, that has bounced his brainpan off of an obstacle.   

Lawren Wimberly wrote:

Just cut it apart, and try again... there's plenty of time. Your first thought is probably the best, so go with it till it's done right. Sounds like you learned from this failure, so fix what broke and make it work. Just my two cents. I'd vote for the guy who, against all odds, tried to pull off something difficult and failed, rather than the guy who gave up in the middle and took the easy way out. Not trying to offend, rather I am trying to encourage a young mind with a good idea, that has bounced his brainpan off of an obstacle.   

Agreed. I'd like to see it re worked, just rip it all put and start again. The key is to keep the tranny sprocket as close to the pivot point as possible. I d even heard of people making there jackshaft double as a pivot point using pillow blocks on the frame and swing arm.

[quote="redlinemotorsporttsAgreed. I'd like to see it re worked, just rip it all put and start again. The key is to keep the tranny sprocket as close to the pivot point as possible. I d even heard of people making there jackshaft double as a pivot point using pillow blocks on the frame and swing arm.[/quote]


Yup, make the jackshaft double as the pivot, and you eliminate the need for a chain tensioner.

Lawren Wimberly wrote:

[quote="redlinemotorsporttsAgreed. I'd like to see it re worked, just rip it all put and start again. The key is to keep the tranny sprocket as close to the pivot point as possible. I d even heard of people making there jackshaft double as a pivot point using pillow blocks on the frame and swing arm.

Yup, make the jackshaft double as the pivot, and you eliminate the need for a chain tensioner.[/quote]

I understand what you guys mean.  My buddie that helps me out with stuff (he gave me the swing-arm and some other stuff) told me that he used to build minibikes with suspension.  He told me that he used the pivot point for the swing-arm for a jackshaft and mounted two sprockets on it.  Sorta like this right??
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exactly little brother  

Lawren Wimberly wrote:

exactly little brother  

Ok Thanks I'm going to have to some modifications to get it all to work, it might still turn around and have suspension. Only time will tell..

HUGE UPDATE!

I made up my mind on what I am going to do (FINALLY!!).  I will be getting a peerless 820 and putting a doc-locker in it (hopefully with a high speed gearset).  I am in the process of making a front axle out of one from a simplicity zero-turn.  I will cut it down and weld the spindle tubes from the original axle to the axle and bend the spindles with the torch to match my caster/camber needs.  I will go through the steering box (which is surprisingly really tight) and will be redoing it properly for racing/offroading needs.  Until I get the 820 I am running the original tranny which is a peerless 920/930.

That's all I have for now!

Throw some pics up little bro

mrkadage wrote:

Throw some pics up little bro

You got it, hopefully sometime tonight when I can get them off my phone.

UPDATE!!
I am still working on the new front-axle thing.  I put the original back on for a test run.  With a 4.5'' pulley on the oppy and a 3'' pulley on the tranny it flies around like nobody's business. Got the brakes hooked up to the deck engage lever (temporarily).  The steering is a bit squirrily at top speed but that's only on straight stretches not turns.  I've been trying it out quite a bit now that it's all back together.  

List of things to "Finish":
*Wiring-Doesn't Charge-
*Peerless 820
*Steering Box
*Front Axle
*Lower fenders
*Bumpers

*Miscellaneous Stuff

Tell me what you think!!

I have been doing alot.  I'm almost done except the new front-axle (which will lower the front a little bit), tires (I know what kind I'm getting), and bumpers.  It's almost done!!

I also have taken it home over the long weekend away from school for Spring Break.  Got/Took some GoPro footage of riding around.  Then I ran outta gas, so I need a bigger gas tank there's a new modification to add! lol

I got a lot done sorry for no updates lately I've been real busy. I got a lot done though. I got ye olde peerless 930 that I blew in the offroader last summer and doc locked it and threw it onto the rally. I also cut half to three quarters of an inch out of my fender mount so they sit lower. Still need to weld up some 3 lug hubs since I don't want to put a keyway in the axle. It will all work though because I have two sets of 3 lug rims (one for atv tires and one for turfs for riding in the yard). Thanks to stretch for advice on disconnecting the gov on an oppy, I will doing that soon.

I've been waiting for a test run with the new tranny set up so I threw it all together and put er in the rally. So I put it on jackstands to run it and realized I put the gearset in backwards so it goes backwards instead or forwards!
LOL! So I'm going to have to take it back out again. Grr.  
So anyway that brings it up to date for now.

Gimme some feedback guys!

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

I got a lot done sorry for no updates lately I've been real busy. I got a lot done though. I got ye olde peerless 930 that I blew in the offroader last summer and doc locked it and threw it onto the rally. I also cut half to three quarters of an inch out of my fender mount so they sit lower. Still need to weld up some 3 lug hubs since I don't want to put a keyway in the axle. It will all work though because I have two sets of 3 lug rims (one for atv tires and one for turfs for riding in the yard). Thanks to stretch for advice on disconnecting the gov on an oppy, I will doing that soon.

I've been waiting for a test run with the new tranny set up so I threw it all together and put er in the rally. So I put it on jackstands to run it and realized I put the gearset in backwards so it goes backwards instead or forwards!
LOL! So I'm going to have to take it back out again. Grr.  
So anyway that brings it up to date for now.

Gimme some feedback guys!

My feedback is that we are in dire need of some pics!     i want to see this thing!

redlinemotorsportts wrote:

LAWN MOWER MUDDER wrote:

Gimme some feedback guys!

My feedback is that we are in dire need of some pics!     i want to see this thing!

OK OK OK! Here ya go:
Took 'er home.
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Got it back trying a new gas tank but it didn't fit so..
decided to do moar stuff.
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DOC LOCKED AND READY TO ROCK!!
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Dat stance!
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Snapper RER hubs (Two LH ones) welded to the axle
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Belt stuff.
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^^the two idlers have been removed and belt retainers have been added^^
(Too much belt tension)
Also that red bar WAS a 700 mount for the suspension look at what not gusseting stuff can do HAHA!

Soo is that good enough for now Red?

Bahhahaha that axle! thanks! That stance will get you the ladies!

Yerp.  Also forgot to mention I chopped 1/2-5/8'' outta the fender mount, so they sit a little bit lower.  Got her going for the first time with the DocLocker and I got some good fish-tails, drifts, and donughts with those puny turfs on the back!

Stuff
[ ]Tires
[ ]Bumpers
[x]Tranny
[x]Belt/ Idlers
[x]Brakes
[ ]Steering
[ ]Front-axle
[ ]Frame bracing
[x]Governor Removal (motor)
[x]Fenders lowered

Getting closer!!
Here are some much needed pics!
GUESS WHAT I GOT IN THE MAIL!!!
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Climbs hills like nothing...
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Maybe possible front tires? 15x6-6 Carlisle Snow-Hogs. I like these better that the 16'' tall ones..
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We are getting there in just over a month left.

Stuff
[x]Tires
[ ]Bumpers
[x]Tranny
[x]Belt/ Idlers
[x]Brakes
[x]Steering
[x]Front-axle
[ ]Frame bracing
[x]Governor Removal (motor)
[x]Fenders lowered