MTD off-road build (Mobile Terrain Dominator) "1"

Alright, now that the rat rod build is mostly complete, it's time I directed all my attention to the MTD. So far it's a fairly stock machine- Briggs 12.5hp flathead, slightly modified vari-bad-drive, utility rack, front bumber, heavy duty draw bar, etc. But I have other plans for the 'ol girl. So far my crazy ideas are:

- solidify "cookie sheet" frame
- brace plastic grille with angle iron
- complete front axle overhaul
- steering upgrades
- possibly swap in a Peerless 600 series trans (retaining the vari-drive)
- new paint job (most likely red)
- maybe Ag tires for the back (though I'm having trouble finding some)
- larger turfs on the front
- anything else will be done on a "play it by ear" basis
I hope to start this weekend and I should have some pictures posted after that. So, thanks for looking and stay tuned!

I say swap in the 600. I bought a pair of Carlisle chevron (Ag) tyres for £45 a piece a while ago. Really tough sidewalls, I run them between 0 and 3/4 PSI. They grip great in mud but they are sometimes too aggressive for general off roading.

Yeah, I'm looking at a rusted old Sears LT 10 for parts, I'm pretty sure they put 600's in those. I don't know if anyone else has put one in an MTD, but I'm hoping I can do it!

Yeah there were a few mowers that had the 600 series Peerless.

I personally wouldn't go AGs for all terrain use, mainly mud. I like knobbies myself

Yeah I'd tend to agree, Knobbies are probably the best for Dominating Terrain.

You have a point CQ. Meh, I'll worry about tires later I guess. Hahah!

I'm fairly sure Stretch44875 runs Ags on the back of his Craftsman. Seems to do pretty well in most areas of off-roading.

I know red runs ags on his MTD. I think they look a little goofy, ride stiff, and perform poorly. If funds would've allowed, I would have got Carlisle trail wolfs or the current factory Polaris tread (also Carlisle but forget the model). Also, the lower the ply rating the softer it will ride. Nice to have with no rear suspension.

Red doesnt use the ags anymore, he switched to a spaced,low-knob tire a while back. Stretch uses ags, and after going with him to Haspin they did very well in all terrains. Personally, I dont like knobbies as they pack easy unless you have the wheel speed to clean them. But it all depends on what terrain youll hit the most. If you do a lot of deep mud, a deep spaced lug would be best. Anything else its really in the air. For rocks a low pressure knobby would be best.

Yeah my opinion is that ags are pretty good for mud especially with a locked diff. Around our property we don't really have many rocks etc so that's the tyres I chose.

Ok boys, progress this weekend!! And also, just for a point of reference, here are some pictures of the MTD before this weekend.





First thing I decided to address was the front axle. It's actually not built too bad, but could be a bit better. Sooooo........





I'm hoping that will be hard to bend, next I wanted 3/4" spindles so I could but bigger wheels on the front.


3/4" grade 5 bolts

And now...!



Personally I couldn't be happier! Let me know what you guys think!!

I love the look! But you sure those grade 5 bolts will hold up? What kind of tires you think you'll be getting?

Thanks, me too! Hahaha! Yeah I think they should be ok, I really put 'er through 'er paces after pictures to see if it would hold up, and so far so good!. I'm not sure about tires yet, I think I should weld up some frame braces before she really starts digging.

Yeah thats probably a good idea

Gr5 will be fine. I used them on my spindles on my RV1 Redux and had no problems.

Yeah I figured they'd be fine. Plus they didn't have any grade 8, 3/4" bolts at TSC, hahaha.

I would maybe add in some gussets for those spindles, just to make sure they won't break.

Naw, the old spindles where like half inch, so so think these will be fine. Although I did weld some nuts in the spot where the spindle bends already.

Ah right, should hold up fine then. If you're looking for new front tyres to replace those turfs, I'd suggest looking at Carlisle Snow Hogs or something similar.

Yeah I think they'll hold up.Also, I've made a deal on a set of ATV wheels, I'll be picking them up this Thursday. I'll put up some pictures once I get them.

Cool, The tread on ATV tyres are pretty good for general offroading.

Yeah I'm pretty excited, although I NEED to get that Sears parts tractor cuz I don't know if the MTD trans will hold up with the new tires.

Yeah. You could put out a wanted ad on craigslist, ebay or whatever.

True, but I'm probably just gonna go and try to get that old Sears I'm looking at as it's fairly local.