[Complete] MrShaft696 Stretched CraftsmanPlicity [2018 Build-Off Entry]

MatthewD wrote:

Wow, that dash looks fantastic! Worth all the effort. Looks pretty good with the bed on it.

Thanks man its coming together...

I put in a new coil today, I ordered a chinese one from amazon and it ran for about 10 seconds and quit and no spark so I should have just gone with the kohler...bummer

I am gonna try and order up some metal, in the meantime I think I am gonna paint the bed orange & do black bedliner on the inside. The tractor frame will be all black and the running boards are gonna stay orange.

I am going to have a removable seat in the bed as well so two people can ride on it. At this point I think I will have something running and driving in two weeks or so. Then start taking care of all the little details.

I'm liking the mock up of the bed and the progress a lot.  If that dump trailer doesn't owe you anything I would use it.  Looks great for putting bulky items in.  I like the color scheme you have planned for it. 

Screws 50 cal ammo cans.  You could mount a much larger tool box on each side of this rig or maybe a big fuel tank.  (it's starting to look like a dump truck here)

Crazy_Carl wrote:

I'm liking the mock up of the bed and the progress a lot.  If that dump trailer doesn't owe you anything I would use it.  Looks great for putting bulky items in.  I like the color scheme you have planned for it. 

Screws 50 cal ammo cans.  You could mount a much larger tool box on each side of this rig or maybe a big fuel tank.  (it's starting to look like a dump truck here)

haha it looks like a massive turning radius to me....

started bedliner on the inside of the bed......

This is coming together nicely, makes such a difference seeing the bed in place, excellent job on the dash.....

I had a hard time getting some steel plate, anyway I found some 1/4" diamond plate on CL.  So I am going to use them down the sides of the tractor... Have to do some more cutting on it, but seat and bed will mount to it.

I decided that I dont want to drill that many holes in it so I am going to weld up all the brackets on the tractor frame & take out all the bolts & just put them where I need.

I also used the shifter gate thing from a simplicity so that I can lock the tractor in neutral without guessing....

also first test drive!!!! runs and drives great, with nothing on the frame it will peel out in forward and reverse without doing any kind of wheelie, gives me ideas on how i want to build stuff in the future. Anyway here is a vid of my wife going in a circle or two with it......

That turning radius doesn't seem too bad for what it is.  It's not suppose to replace your red rocket, this is a dump truck

Crazy_Carl wrote:

That turning radius doesn't seem too bad for what it is.  It's not suppose to replace your red rocket, this is a dump truck

haha turning was not that bad at all, some of the craftsmans I have turn tighter to the left than the right, but I was pleased with the results. Something like a 32" stretch over stock.

Coming along nicely. Are you going to put fenders on the dump bed?

Still turns way sharper than my in-laws MTD.... man i hate that tractor.

prancstaman wrote:

Coming along nicely. Are you going to put fenders on the dump bed?

If I can get ahold of something cheap enough, maybe I could get a small trailer fender and cut it in half. Kind of like how a dragster fender looks like, just to keep mud etc from splashing forward.

I welded all the sheet metal I prepared yesterday so I could take the bolts out and mark them on this panel.....had to drill a big ol hole to clear that shifter pivot arm... & had to drill a ton of other holes to bolt the plate up, working with this is by far the hardest because of the weight and thickness.  It is gonna keep the wheels planted and good traction... Still finishing the other side panel.... Hoping things start going allot quicker once these are in place.

It took out allot of the body flex I was getting, the tractor was wobbling back and forth (pivoting on the front axle) because of the extended length.

this is a pathetic photoshop of what I think I am going to do with what I have, I am going to continue the running boards & make it a little higher so it is easier to get on the seat & get up into the bed. I have some angle iron and expanded metal that will work for it.

Getting the other side panel done... now it feels like I have the weight to keep the wheels planted.

Cool idea with the side steps!  Utilizing expanded metal allows you to store items on them with bungie cords.

Is that 1/4 diamond plate on the side?  That's plenty strong enough.  Looks really cool though and should give you plenty of weight for rear traction.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Cool idea with the side steps!  Utilizing expanded metal allows you to store items on them with bungie cords.

Is that 1/4 diamond plate on the side?  That's plenty strong enough.  Looks really cool though and should give you plenty of weight for rear traction.

yeah its freakin 1/4", thicker than I wanted, but now you cant just pick up the tractor with 1 finger, more of a squat thrust.  I was gonna mount dumbells for traction over the rear axle but I don't need to now.

I got it on CL from a local guy and it was in my price range.  Waiting to pick up some angle iron this week.

Loving the look of the checker plate on there! The running board extension should look really cool as well.

Drilled a bunch more holes, starting to figure out where everything should be....

I am running a 146" belt & I had to add two idler pulleys to keep it from flapping around while running. Since its a hydro its basically engaged all the time. For some reason the axle I have does not have a typical brake and brake pad, I have no idea why.

Most hydros don’t need them because of the high internal resistance

I think the hydro really simplified your machine here.  No need to worry about a clutch or brake really, you just need to keep the hydro cool.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

I think the hydro really simplified your machine here.  No need to worry about a clutch or brake really, you just need to keep the hydro cool.

yeah I kind of knew that early on, and that extending gear shifting would be annoying...


bolted up my front running boards & welded them to a piece of flat stock where I am going to stand on them....

What’s it like driving it with the fwd/rev lever for the hydro between your legs?

Crazy_Carl wrote:

What’s it like driving it with the fwd/rev lever for the hydro between your legs?

haha I didn't think much of it, all the older simplicity hydros I have had are like that & that is what the shifter is from. So it works great. It does make it a little harder to get onto the tractor, because the handle is there, but I like it.

finally got some metal to start doing all the little stuff, metal supply place in the city, paid 45 bucks for 40ft of 1 1/2"x 1 1/2" .12 wall angle. Start my seat mount & bed mounts etc. soon.

made some brackets and got my seat front mount done...