Craftsman GT3000 "MUTT" Part I

What I'm planning to do is dual out the right side dumped out in front of the tire, I think it would look and sound pretty good. I have some 1" conduit and some 1-1/4" pressure washer frame with some bends in it, along with an old mashed up tube gate that has like 1-1/2" tubing on it. I though about doing 2 into 1, I have the material but I think it would sound cooler if I stay with duals. I might do something completely different than any of this, I never really know until I get going with it, lol. I gotta finish cutting out 24 3" pieces of 2x4 box steel before I get the welder back tho. One of dad's friends is doing something on his trailer.

Also I put up a new video on my youtube channel of a short ride on MUTT, be sure to check it out and subscribe!

Don't cheap out on the pictures of the exhaust process! Hahaha! An X-pipe would be cool too, then you'd still get the slight power boost from the pulsations pulling the exhaust gases out of the other pipe. Also you could still go into duals after the pipes cross.

Maybe someday I'll get to the exhaust, if I ever stop breaking things. I think I killed my input bearing (or at least i hope that's it) crawling yesterday. The 820 now has a serious whine, whenever it's under pressure, like driving up a hill or when I first let off the clutch or I'm on the gas pedal. It does it in reverse too. The transaxle doesn't seem to get hot, either. Yesterday I was doing a lot of crawling over fallen trees and a lot of bouncing between forward and reverse and I accidentally jammed it into gear a few times, and it seems to have developed shortly after that. Maybe it's run out of oil, I'll be checking that soon, but I doubt it.



grr

Did some stuff on this trash boat over the weekend.
-Found my right Exec was flat, turns out I murdered the valve stem. Switched the tire over to an extra tubeless rim I had, It's awesome to have extra stuff lol. Does have a tiny leak on the bead despite my best efforts to keep it clean. Oh well. It only takes like 2psi to keep these things stiff.
-Adjusted the brakes, now at least I have a parking brake (i got the stuck rim off too, managed to wiggle the key out)
-Screwed around with steering linkages a bit
What I have to do now:
-Change oil, it got diluted with gas from all the stupid angles I've been at. Stuff's dang near flammable
-Get a woodruff key and file a keyway into the rear pulley, I snapped the little set screw I put in it 6 months ago again
-Take a washer out of my spring holder for the clutch, it's a little too close to the belt for comfort!
-Make some protection for valve stems, a piece of angle iron welded in front of them maybe
-In the near future (next few monthsish) Doc-Lock the 820, the keyways on these axles are pretty boogered up
-Debating swapping the turf tires back onto the front, these little Snow Hogs just don't look right.
-If Abner ever gets done with the welder I'll make the exhaust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for having no pictures and lots of text, hard to get pics when you're grounded from technology and the internet and anthing with an engine(ssshhhh, i'm not here!)
I got two helmets! One the typical dirt bike helmet that's gray and black, and another with the rounded shape and flip down visor (i think its blue and white) For free too! I'm doing away with the snow hogs, just too small for this imo and SUCK for crawling. Going back to the bouncy turf tires. Also, I have my mind pretty much set on an exhaust, separate pipes run under the right floorboard going to 1-1/2" pipe for the last foot or so dumping straight out at a like 35* angle (think of floorboards at 90*). Gonna look like a 500 nitro express pointed out from under the running board haha! I also got a brand new tsc ignition switch I'll throw in when I feel like it lol.

In other news, I'm thinking on building a 3.5 Briggs push mower engine(for MOWING, believe it or not!). Might use a 168f (honda gx160 clone) carb on it. Thought it would be cool to do something that I could use for doing something my parents would approve of lol.

Just an update I've been meaning to do for a while:
Hosed her down, Armstrong turfs on. Forgot how much I liked them.


With the stock lawn tractor battery, I have room for waterproof storage!

Pic of both helmets

Painted the dash, it was starting to look ugly to me

The tractor key switch is installed, need to get a relay so i can use it for a kill switch(using the tethered kill now)
I'm planning on doing something with the charging system; using both outputs, removing the diode, and using a voltage regulator/rectifier. Should improve my charging system immensely.

Man, I didn't even know there was a tractor under there until you washed it!! Hahaha, looks good Rich.

What? That wasn't a dirt clod with wheels?

RichieRichOverdive wrote:

I'm planning on doing something with the charging system; using both outputs, removing the diode, and using a voltage regulator/rectifier. Should improve my charging system immensely.

That is twice I have seen this comment this week. Does it really help? I have just capped off my "lights circuit" on my last 2 tractors. My current build-off tractor will require more electrical power with extras I plan on installing.

Would you simply just take the two wires (minus diode) into the rectifier/regulator to combine into one output?

mightyraze wrote:

What? That wasn't a dirt clod with wheels?

RichieRichOverdive wrote:

I'm planning on doing something with the charging system; using both outputs, removing the diode, and using a voltage regulator/rectifier. Should improve my charging system immensely.

That is twice I have seen this comment this week.  Does it really help?  I have just capped off my "lights circuit" on my last 2 tractors.  My current build-off tractor will require more electrical power with extras I plan on installing.

Would you simply just take the two wires (minus diode) into the rectifier/regulator to combine into one output?

I'm pretty sure, I've to look into it more. You're on facebook, message Fatboy Dans Skunkworks. He did it.

I added a piece to my bumper so I wouldn't cave in the front of the frame with stumps again(mocked up below)



Some boogers that actually hold this thing together decently



Painted, primed, and on. Fluorescent green was the only thing I had that was obnoxious enough. I'm out of black



AllisKid, you're gonna love this. I went from here



to here in one complete roll. I wasn't even on it, and it wasn't even running. Was trying to get the thing off the wood pile, she started going and i stepped aside, rolled back over onto her wheels lol, I got on and turned the key, a second later i was driving off. Lol the shyte I do to this thing.

Hahaha!!! No one rolls tractors like Rich!! Bumper looks good as well, haha.

AllisKidD21 wrote:

Hahaha!!! No one rolls tractors like Rich!! Bumper looks good as well, haha.

Lol you know it. No one manages to get away with it like i do either And thanks, it's done pretty well pushing stuff and ramming stumps and wood piles n shet today, even if the paint rubs off

That's one sturdy craftsman. I think the green is good contrast to the dark green.

mightyraze wrote:

That's one sturdy craftsman.  I think the green is good contrast to the dark green.

It didn't turn out bad like I thought it would. I broke my seat mount and painted it John Deere green and it didn't look bad either. lol I have so many different colors on this tractor, maybe someday I'll paint it so it looks decent

black frame OD green body might look good?

TheBeal wrote:

black frame OD green body might look good?

Ehhh nah, thatd be a bit too bland for me. I'm thinking about doing something that stands out, like yellow and blue or orange and black or red and white. Might just end up gray or something idk

Gotta have some Persian Orange on there brotha!! Allis FTW.

AllisKidD21 wrote:

Gotta have some Persian Orange on there brotha!! Allis FTW.

Lol theres no telling what I'll get when I'm buying paint. Prolly whatever looks cool

Put a different coil on today, other one would miss if the humidity was over 70%   She feels a bit peppier now.

Old coil partly removed




Old coil removed



New coil on



All back together



I also put a lock collar on the end of the steering shaft so it won't pull up to where I wont have steering. Didn't get a pic of that

I think the rollover hasn't done any good to the battery, she was pretty dead this morning. Had to use the pull start after the first start.

I wonder if you have damaged a cell? Or even maybe a busted/loosened ground? I was having trouble with Lil' Red and it's battery is only about a year old. Turned out to be a loose ground. I've started jumpering grounds from battery-to-frame-to-engine.

mightyraze wrote:

I wonder if you have damaged a cell?  Or even maybe a busted/loosened ground?  I was having trouble with Lil' Red and it's battery is only about a year old.  Turned out to be a loose ground. I've started jumpering grounds from battery-to-frame-to-engine.

I don't think it's the ground. I did have it on the charger a few hours yesterday and I did get it to start. Kinda sluggish but it started. This is a 10 year old 230cca battery though, kinda small for the oppy. Lol

Oh my goodness! I think you got your $$$ worth out of that battery. Did I read you rolled that poor craftsman again?

mightyraze wrote:

Oh my goodness!  I think you got your $$$ worth out of that battery.  Did I read you rolled that poor craftsman again?

Maybe you did, maybe you didn't....you're not gonna call PETA are ya for me beating on my MUTT?

Alright yeah I rolled her again trying to turn around on a hill. Backing up and my right rear wheel hit a little dip and she flopped right over. Whoops. Tethered kill switch has proven useful yet again. Pushed her back up on her side and this oppy amazed me yet again by starting on the 2nd crank. Didn't even bend the hood cowl that much this time. The engine lift mount bent and the plastic thing under the hood pulled out though. I need to stop lol Battery seems to be doing alright. I did have to coast start when I first started her up this morning, put up a YouTube video of that. I guess the charging system is doing alright

Some pics of damages

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

TheBeal wrote:

black frame OD green body might look good?

Ehhh nah, thatd be a bit too bland for me. I'm thinking about doing something that stands out, like yellow and blue or orange and black or red and white. Might just end up gray or something idk

Purple with yellow tiger stripes?

Awe man, I was going to say leopard print.

The yard man hood looks decent. How does it fit the dash?

I will second CraftsmanQuad19's remark.