BJ Garage's Craftsman "EZ" Build

Hello everyone! My brother-in-law and I would like to enter our Craftsman EZ3 into the 2015 Build-Off competition. We plan on building it into a general off-roader and work horse.


IMGUR Album of our Craftsman EZ3: https://imgur.com/a/CxnQ0
^^^admins: you can zoom in on the sign that was required for the build off from within the link above if needed.

I want to give a little background to why we are entering the build off with this Craftsman, then I will describe our plans.

My brother-in-law and I have been working on building my old Murray "grasshopper" wide body into an off-road machine. We have a build thread in the regular build forums here. This has been our first endeavor in the mower/tractor building/off roading scene and we are having a blast. Since we are nearly complete with the majority of the Murray build (even though it may not look like it at the moment) we wanted to build a 2nd off road tractor for my brother-in-law to ride as well as for work use around the property. We also recently started a YouTube channel called BJ Garage (our names are Brad and Joe), so we wanted to have a build that we could document in the new channel as well (it's a little late for most of the Murray build).

We are trying to keep things "EZ" and utilize parts that we already have or can make ourselves. Our plans for the Craftsman "EZ" build are as follows:
-repair the slipping steering
-swap in a 18 horse kohler v-twin engine (we are using the 20.5 oppy pictured in the Murray build. 18 hp kohler is coming from a Husqvarna that I also have)
-build custom 2-into-1 stack exhaust.
-build and install gas pedal
-pulley swap the rear to 4 inch pulley
-lock the peerless mst-206 transaxle (breaking out the welder this time)
-pulley swap the engine pulley to 4 inch pulley (deck pulley) (possibly)
-improve belt/clutch system as needed
-build an adjust on the fly belt tensioner from old deck height controls (still on the fence about it)
-either cut a set of 20x10x8 turfs for the rear or find a decent and cheap set of similar sized ATV tires.
-install front brush guard and winch
-build rear bumper and tow hitch
-perform simple re-wire
-custom paint job (possibly, otherwise clean up of original paint)

I'd say this is less than 50% done for sure. Even with the few idea's we are not 100% on yet it's still far from where we want it to be. It will most certainly will spend some time stripped down to the frame and it doesn't even have the same engine in it that is going to be used.

If anyone wants to subscribe to our YouTube channel, BJ Garage, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNOGGYQ5MoUoKdIXfe9GDg

We will be posting updates to the build here but will be making a video series as well.

Thanks to everyone for following along. We are really looking forward to this build!

Glad to hear your going to use it as a work horse too. Should be a hoot when you use it. Might actually look forward to doing the work,LOL, well maybe. Good luck on the build.

prancstaman wrote:

Glad to hear your going to use it as a work horse too. Should be a hoot when you use it. Might actually look forward to doing the work,LOL, well maybe. Good luck on the build.

Thank you! We are definitely looking forward to doing the work! We are always using our lawn mowing tractor as a work horse and it's a pain with the blades on. The Murray I think we are making a bit too fast and aggressive for yard work when we are done with it. So I think the idea of building the Craftsman for work and play works out nicely. With the winch on it, it also leaves us the option to add a plow maybe later down the road.

Good luck!

Hello everyone. Quick update with our Craftsman "EZ" build.

Here is how it currently sits at the moment.






We stole the 20.5 oppy from it for our Murray build.....and quickly killed it forever (long story, check out our Murray Select Build for more info).

We toyed around with some turf saver tread cutting. Probably will at least try to cut the treads and use them for a while.






Other than stealing the engine and trying some tread cutting, the Craftsman has been standing on its ass in the garage. The Murray Build is almost at the point that we can enjoy it, continually improve it, and move on to this build.

In the next few weeks we are planning on ripping out the 18hp Kohler Command v-twin from another one of our tractors to use in the Craftsman. We will clean up the frame and try to fix the steering to start.

More to come in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned. Thanks for following along!

Hello everyone! It has been a crazy few months for us, so we have not had a lot of time to work on the Craftsman.

We have though been getting everything ready to start working on it and can finally say we have what we think is everything we need to start working on this soon-to-be BEAST! Believe it or not it actually was a lot of hard work to even get everything we needed.

The engine, a Kohler Command 18hp v-Twin, needed to be pulled from my Husqvarna YTH180 which was stored at another property. We finally were able to get this to where our "shop" is and then finally pull the engine.








We also needed to obtain a right angle gearbox from a snow blower 2 stage auger that we plan on using as a steering box......Thankfully we had a friend that was tossing an old snow blower that had the part we needed, picked it up, and finally got around to removing it.



Now that we finally have these crucial parts in our shop, we can finally start building this thing. The first thing we are going to work on is the steering and steering box. The plan is to use the auger box as a steering box, similar to what redlinemotorsports has done in his rig.

Once that has been completed, we will focus on the engine swap and getting it up and running smoothly. The motor did run pretty good when we pulled it, but it had been sitting for a while and needs a little TLC.

Here is how the Craftsman sits at the moment. We will hopefully post back soon with the next update.



Here is the IMGur album link with pics from this installment/update: https://imgur.com/a/tvRmp

Hello everyone! Last weekend we removed all the extra junk from the Craftsman. All the old deck mounts, adjustments, levers, etc....you know to make extra room and all that. We also managed to get the steering setup using the snow blower auger box fabricated. It came out great! Maybe can still use a little tweaking, but we are happy with it.


Here is what we started off with....just mocking it up.


This is the final product installed.


We even took it for a "test drive"!

Overall we are very pleased with how it came out. Even though we were working with an 11:1 ratio, because its mounted higher than the factory steering junk and the pitman arm is longer, we actually managed to get 2 turns lock to lock. It's the same if not very close to the factory steering as far as ratio. Of course there is no feed back and its buttery smooth.

Check out our album with more pics from this installment of the build:https://imgur.com/a/6ew0b


More to come this holiday weekend. Looking to get the engine installed and maybe a few other things done on the build! have a good and safe 4th of july holiday!

Like the steering setup, no feedback is definitally a plus. I cut a set of turf savers years ago, just to do it. Got the idea from watching the monster truck shows on the Speed channel. How I did it was I took a strait razor and broke it in half and brazed it to a piece of 1/2 inch flat steel stock. Since I brazed it to the steel, it lost it's hardness in the metal which is fine because you can sharpen it with a fine tooth file and keep it sharp too. So when you cut the rubber, you don't push strait, you slide it side to side while pushing, to cut the rubber tread pieces off. The tool had a J shape to it where the curved part was in your palm.

Thanks for the feedback prancstaman!

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July holiday. Joe and I were able to make a good amount of progress during the holiday weekend on the "EZ" build or as we are now looking to call it the "Craftsvarna".

We started off with finalizing our steering setup. We decided that we were not 100% happy with it just yet. We noticed some play that was caused by the chassis flexing near where we bolted our steering box. We believe because the steering box is mounted with it's pitman arm pivot point higher than factory and because the pitman arm is longer than from the factory, that there is more leverage than the original setup that was causing the chassis to flex near our mounting points.

Our remedy for this was to weld in some additional supports and bolt our steering box to one of them.



This turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. It solidified the chassis, steering box and took most of the play out of it. We still do have a teeny bit of play, some in the ball and cup joints on the drag link and a little on the steering box itself. But i believe except for adding some heim joints possibly to tighten things up, this is the nature of the beast.

We tried unsuccessfully to get the engine pulley off the Kohler and had to call it quits before we broke things too bad. The Husqvarna this engine came out of has one of those electric PTO deck pulleys and it's rusted on the output shaft of the engine real good. We are going to try to use a 5 ton hydraulic puller tool we picked up from Harbor Freight and if that won't do the job we'll have to carefully cut it off I suppose.

We did decide to at least install the engine and tackle the re-wiring job. We had some trouble figuring out the darn 4 post solenoid but finally got it right. We were able to fire up the Kohler but only let it run for a few seconds.







We will more than likely have to modify the battery tray to fit with the new steering setup but I don't think it will be too much of an issue.

We also started to mock up our front bumper, which we think is going to look awesome on this thing!



We still have a bunch to do, but are getting closer and closer.

Check out this installments IMGUR album for more pics and details on our progress: https://imgur.com/a/WWecX

Hello Everyone!

We have been continuing to wrench away at our Craftsvarna! We have made some good progress and I believe are in a great place and on schedule to have everything completed by the ATLTF 2015 build off dead line.

Since the last update we have done the following:

• Completed the re-wiring including hour meter, amp meter, new key switch and kill switch. All that is left here is a tether kill switch and wiring up the headlights.
  
• Completed the steering system including some of the tweaks mentioned previously. We took care of grinding the frame away a bit to allow for full steering angle on right turns.
  
• Completed some needed engine maintenance. We cleaned the carb with some seafoam, changed the oil, adjusted the carb...basically got it running nice.
  
• Completed the modifications required to mount the battery tray and install battery while clearing the steering box.....solution for this was surprisingly simple.....just needed to flip the battery tray upside down for installation. SCORE!
  
• Completed the pulley swap on the transaxle to a 5 inch pulley.
  
• Completed the pulley swap on the engine to a 5 inch pulley.
  
• Found and installed belt we had "in stock" that fit, though a little tight....
  
• Installed stock muffler to keep the noise down for some initial test rides!
  

All in all, we are very happy with how the build is turning out. We have been limited to back yard testing for now, but are planning a trail ride later this week to do some trail testing. We love the 1 to 1 pulley ratio we did on this build. With the dual 5 inch pulleys, we have absolutely no belt slip in any gear. There is instant torque available in every gear. In 6th gear we were able to hit about 14- 15 mph, while also being able to start off in 6th and idle around the entire property in it with no problems.

While we are hoping to be able to achieve closer to 18- 20 mph, we are happy with what we are seeing so far. We believe with the 22 inch tires we are planning on running and bringing the governed max RPMS a bit more we should be able to reach our goal. We also have a 4 inch pulley we can swap on the transaxle if we really wanted, but we are trying to avoid that as we like the torque ratio we have right now.

We are happy with the steering system, though it definitely takes some getting used to. There is a little play in the axle and ball and cup joints that we are looking to remedy, but other than that, we are happy with it.

Next up, after some trail test romps of course, we have the following list of things to do, to name a few, before the build is complete:

• Perform transaxle maintenance - replace leaking axle and brake shaft seals. replace old gear oil. service brakes.
  
• Lock the transaxle using the "fearlessfront" method.
  
• Fabricate dual side outlet exhaust.
  
• Customize seat mount to bring seat a little lower.
  
• Fabricate integrated leg "brush guards", "oh ***** handles", and rear rack using conduit tubing.
  
• Install winch and winch controls.
  
• Paint and stickers
  
• Misc tweaks, changes and improvements.
  
• Rear tire upgrades
  
• Cut front turf saver treads
  

As you can see there is a lot left to do, but I believe we have plenty of time to get it all done by November.

Please check out the video of our first official test ride of the Craftsvarna!


Also, here is this weeks IMGur album with pictures from this installment/update: https://imgur.com/a/32i78


6th gear WOT wheelie action!


The Craftsvarna with our Murray Select Mudder!

Also, if anyone has been following our other off road build, the Murray Select Mudder, we made an update video on our YouTube channel that covers both builds. Though it's about 1 week behind on the Craftsvarna progress. Check it out!



Thanks!

Hello everyone. Sorry we have not had any updates in a while. It's been rather busy these days. Have no fear though, we have been hard at work on the build! I'm going to try to make this update straight to the point in the essence of time.

Since our last update the following has been done:

• completed the true dual side pipe exhaust
  
• added more width to our gas pedal
  
• replaced the broken gas pedal throttle cable
  
• serviced the transaxle including a fluid change w/ Lucas, new seals and added axle bearings
  
• LOCKED the transaxle using a slightly modified "fearlessfront" locking method.
  
• cut the rear turf saver tires
  

We have a few things that we are going to be working on next.

• carb cleaning and/or rebuilt...its really acting up these days.
  
• fabrication of the front bumper as well as side rails and integrated rear cargo rack.
  
• replace the bent and getting worse front axle with a strengthened replacement.
  
• begin frame strengthening and supports to take out the flex in the chassis
  
• misc fixing and tuning
  
• we are also considering designing mufflers as this beast is really too damn loud. lol
  

Here is the IMGUR album for this installment of the build: https://imgur.com/a/83jTB

and a quick preview of the locker in action!

Good evening Judges and fellow ATLTF members alike!

It's me, Brad, the "B" of B.J. Garage.

As many of you may have experienced in your lifetime and as the rest of you WILL experience in your lifetime, life has gotten in the way of us being able to complete the "Craftsvarna" build to the degree as we had hoped.

My wife and I and my wife recently purchased and moved into our first home. Joe (the "J" of B.J. Garage) and his fiancé have been planning a wedding. To make a long story short, we have had a lot going on to say the least!

While we didn't get to where we wanted to be by now on this build, we still have accomplished a great deal. We now have a good running and capable workhorse and off road toy, where we had a stock engine-less mower before.

There have been some additions to the build since the last update. I'll list them quick and post a few pictures as well.

-LED brake light
-Custom designed side pipe mufflers
-cleaned and rebuilt the carb and got it running mint


As for what is left, what didn't get done that we were hoping to have done by now?
-frame reinforcements to remove flex
-full paint job and custom decals
-front and rear bumpers
-winch
-atv rack

Here are some of the latest pics of the build and how the "Craftsvarna" sits today:







So with all that being said. If the judges feel this qualifies as being complete, then we are grateful and excited for our entry. If we are disqualified as a result of how we fell short of our initial goals then that is OK and we understand as well.

Thank you everyone!

Hi Brad and Joe. I totally understand life getting in the way, believe me. Now... Here's Rule #6:

6)Must be "complete" by deadline date. For our purposes, "complete" means- Starts, runs and drives under its own power. Remote throttle must be installed and operable without operator touching engine. Remote kill switch must be installed and operable without operator touching engine. Remote start must be installed and operable without operator touching engine- this applies to electric start only, pull-starting IS acceptable. Braking system must be installed and functional. Steering system must be installed and functional. The purpose of this rule is not only to define completeness for the contest, but to help ensure safety. Paint and related aesthetic touches are not mandatory to qualify as "complete" but may affect scoring. For clarification, "Remote" specifically means "The ability to operate without touching engine".

If you meet these criteria, I am perfectly willing to qualify your build as "finished". You did quite a fair amount of work. Hit me up (FB PM is probably best) and we'll discuss. Cheers!

Okay, fellas- having reviewed your build, spoken to (one of you) by pm, and received the money (BAHAHHAHA), I'm satisfied that your build still meets the "finished" requirements, and will be qualifying you for voting. Good luck!