1993 Craftsman LT4000 heavy mud build.

mrshaft696 wrote:

Can you take a pic of how the starter is mounted on that mower when you get some time, Id like to get a better understanding since I bought one like it without one.

Mightyraze said it basically , i will post a pic next time i have the engine shroud off. But the starters are a pain to get off but it is possible to take them off /put on without removing the flywheel. If your engine does not have a starter and is not mechanically sound,i would just look for a mtd style mower and pull a good engine off of one of those because those mowers are not worth much and are easy to get cheaply and most likely have oppys on them.

Prancstaman , Yes the fans are off of horizontal oppys, i took it off now because it would cool the engine down way too much in this 3 degree weather lol

Well did more stuff on it today. Needs one more belt keeper , fuel line , gas pedal cable,drag link, and lots of weld clean up and painting.

ran out of flux core so i had to stick weld it and some( as in all) of the welds look like a woodpecker went over them .
Made a tie rod after i put some angle on the spindles for better steering.




Messy homemade stuff onfor steering but it is pretty strong so i am fine with it for now.

Got some more joints off of a golf cart so when i get a better 1/2" drill bit i can make a drag link and drive it finally.

Better clear out them bird's nests, dude!

Seriously though, great job there.  You have front breaks?  That'd be useful...for some burnouts!!!

Steering knuckles look nice and heavy.

biggasmowers wrote:

mrshaft696 wrote:

Can you take a pic of how the starter is mounted on that mower when you get some time, Id like to get a better understanding since I bought one like it without one.

Mightyraze said it basically , i will post a pic next time i have the engine shroud off. But the starters are a pain to get off but it is possible to take them off /put on without removing the flywheel. If your engine does not have a starter and is not mechanically sound,i would just look for a mtd style mower and pull a good engine off of one of those because those mowers are not worth much and are easy to get cheaply and most likely have oppys on them.

Prancstaman ,  Yes the fans are off of horizontal oppys, i took it off now because it would cool the engine down way too much in this 3 degree weather lol

Thanks mine is just missing the part so I was trying to figure out where/how it mounted. Also I noticed that if I save my pics in a different program like paint or photoshop before I upload them, they don't go sideways.

Double W Cross Ranch wrote:

Better clear out them bird's nests, dude!

Seriously though, great job there.  You have front breaks?  That'd be useful...for some burnouts!!!

Yep , that was the intention ! the birds musta sat a long time on this mower lol they left their mark all wherever i welded for some reason.( i did take the pic before i knocked off slag on the front hub so it does look a bit better, but not much


Alliskid21, Thanks ! i didnt want to bend them while driving so i used some quarter inch angle instead of plate.


mrshaft69, i never notice when my pics are sideways , i will try to post them the right way next time.( the starter mounts under the flywheel edge on the cylinder that is higher up on the engine block, there should be a place where blower shroud is missing and that where the starter fits.

Took it for its first test drive ! Sad to say that in its unrefined condition it rides and handles better than my murray. goes about 14 mph at a high idle( just taking it easy) so i might hit 26 or so mph wide open . Also starts very well and cranks effortlessly .
Here are some starter pics for ya @mrshaft696.


Tried to make them right side up but once i upload them they flip....

Looks good man. And I hate oppy starters, then again the one on this vanguard is a bit to get off to lol

Thanks! yeah those buggers are a design flaw, oh and the carbs , other than that they are very good and durable engines i think. i mean, i only have four of 'em.

I think I had 7 Briggs and a Kohler at one time, lol

Thanks for the shot, mower looks good, nice and low & big tires.

biggasmowers wrote:

Took it for its first test drive ! Sad to say that in its unrefined condition it rides and handles better than my murray. goes about 14 mph at a high idle( just taking it easy) so i might hit 26 or so mph wide open . Also starts very well and cranks effortlessly .

Looks good, as tough looking as that front axle is and the steering tower.  That thing should be SOLID!

Yeah the weak link will be the steering rack and pinion, i just stole it off of a murray pan frame. but it does not do that bad for being a stock design

Took it on a drive and found some snow! either it needs a locked rear or a flexible front . I think it handled my abuse rather well , did not break anything for once but found a few things that need attention.

Great! Did you film it?

Sure did! i will post it when i am somewhere with better wifi.

First mud romp! The more i drive this machine the more i love it .Videos will be posted on Monday, i think i have around 2 hrs of footage to go through.

Our dogs look similar.

Great job, can't wait to see the footage.  Do you have good editing software?

I use windows video editor, pretty good for free i think. The footage is less shaky than the murray video cause i bungeed the mount to the frame and welded some more bracing on the pole.

What breed are your dogs? My lil girl is a german shepard .

He's a german shepard/blue heeler.

Looks good biggassmowers! fun looking ride!

Thanks! yeah i played in mud, dirt, sand, ice, water and snow all in one romp!

The double trifecta!

Wouldn't mind some sand to play in, but I know it's abrasive as hell on your parts, especially wear surfaces. Can't wait for the vids!

Yeah the vids will be posted when i am at college, our wifi at home can't handle uploading a 45 second video .

Put on a bumper and hooked up the stock headlghts .

Does your tires hit the bumper or does it stick out far enough?  Looks good.  Good to see some other Craftsman's in the forums and not just a bunch of Murrays. (this from someone with 2 Murray's