[Complete] MTD Rasentrac B10 Garden and Offroad Mower [2018 Build-Off Entry}

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post on ATLTF. Im from Germany, so my English is`nt the best.

This is my Project for the ATLTF Build Off 2018:

First i needed a Riding Mower:



Then i started fixing it, adjusted the Varidrive, changed the Engine Oil, cleaned the Carburetor,... and tried to test it.



On a small ride in the Backjard i realized that the MTD FNR Transaxle sounds horrible and i also had planned to change it with a Peerless.



So I took it apart, removed the Hood, Fender, FNR Transaxle,....



and i took off the 11HP Briggs Flathead and pressure washed the Frame.



Now I need some Parts...  That`s Package Nr.1



Inside the Package are some nice 6" and 8" Murray Rims with old crappy Turf Tires...



...and a Peerless 930 6 Speed Grease filled Transaxle with a hard to turn Input Shaft.



But i knew that Grease filled Transaxles not perfect for the Offroad Use, so i bought some other Parts
This Package came from the US  



And Inside this Package were a Peerless MST 206 Transaxle (6 Speed, Oil filled)



Now we have 3 Transaxles. I had rebuild the FNR Transaxle and Diff-Locked it and try to sell it, because i do`nt need it anymore.



The Briggs Flathead is on the Workbench, because it needs a bit of Work. Overhauling the Carburetor, Lapping the Valves,.....





maybe i will replace the Engine later with a 18HP Intek OHV Briggs.

Now we had the most parts together, so we can make the Important Pictures to qualify for the Build Off








I hope you like my Project . In a few weeks some Videos will be published on my YouTube-Channel. If you want to watch these Videos, you can subscribe to my Channel under the Username ,,Sebastian Albrecht"
I`m also on Facebook and Instagram. You can find me under the Username ,,Rasenmäherbastler"


My Plans for this Mower are:
- removing the FNR Transaxle and replace it with a Peerless MST 206
- combine the Varidrive with the Peerless Transaxle = 30 forward gears and 5 reverse gears
- Use it as a lawn Mower AND as a Offroad Mower to drive through the Forest, Mud,.....
- Engine Upgrade to a 15+HP Briggs Intek OHV (depending on my small wallet)
- Installing LED front and back Lights
- repaint it
- Back Tires 20x10x8 ATV Tires, Front Tires 145x70x6 ATV Tires
- rebuilding the MST 206, installing axle bearings, build a Ventilation
- and a few more Things, but i`m not 100% sure, if i do it




- Approved by Doug, 3/1/2018




Today I were Busy on my Mower Project
first i removed the seized Pulley from the Input Shaft with a lot of WD40 and Fire



After 1 Hour of removing the crappy Pulley, i got a new Package for the original 11HP Briggs



Now i can lap the Valves. This were my first time doing this, and i got a pretty nice Result



and after a lot of trouble getting the Valve Springs installed back (the Exhaust Valve Spring securing thing were designed very stupid) i reassembled the Engine.



that`s enough for Today. I now need to buy some Gear Oil 80W90 and the Axle   Bearings for the MST, so i can rebuild it.


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Good luck!

Welcome! Wow, from Germany! That's pretty sweet! Good luck with the build!

Awesome build plans. Vari drive with the 206, I did a similar build with my mower that I use to cut my grass and works great. I got 35 forward gears and 7 reverse gears on mine. You can never have enough gears and I use quite a few of them just to cut the grass. Good luck on the build, here's my build thread on my mower.

https://www.atltf.com/t5355-vari-drive-with-5-speed-transaxle

cool, I like how its stuffed in the car! Was someone trying to make it street legal with all the lights and signals?

@mrshaft696 Yes i think, but the Lights and the crap does`nt work and the wiring was really bad, so i decided to remove all the sh*t and rewire it, because i`m thinking about a Push Button Start and some other cool things like a rev counter. Because the previous Owner were driven so much with his mower the FNR Transaxle is so loud. To get the Lawn Mower it was pretty difficult. in Germany Garden Equipment and Lawn Tractors, Transaxles, Briggs Engines,..... are pretty Expensive, so i searched for a cheaper one, and the only one i can found were on the Way to the place were my dad did his Vacation, so he put the Mower with all the other stuff in his Car. I`m Lucky, that we have such a big Car.

Today I also worked on my Project, because on the Weekend i have`nt time to work on this build

First I drained the old Gear Oil, because i flipped the Frame Upside down to work more comfortable to fit the Transaxle in the Frame.



the old mounting holes line up with the inner holes of the Transaxle, but i think i make some mounts, to connect the Transaxle sturdier to the Frame. i just had to remove the Bracket, that holds the tentioner for the rear belt and a few Springs.







On the Bracket i need to make a cutout, and weld some steel in, to gave it the strength back.

Now i welded the rear end of the frame that were secured with screws to the pan frame, to gave it some more strength, and rewelded some more connections to make it sturdier.

Sorry, these welds look really crappy, but I`m only a welding beginner, and because the electricial system in our House is over 40 years old, i can only weld on the lowest setting. If i will gave more Amps the Fuse will come out.







That`s enough for Today. Next I need to plan the Shifter Mechanism, and the rear Pulley Setup, because I want to use Varidrive Step 1 to have 6 Gears for mowing Lawn, so the Mower is slow enough and when I set the Vardrive in a higher Step the Transaxle will spin faster and i can drive faster through the forest and the mud.

Good work! I think you'll be the only guy on here that mows with his tractor after he's done building it.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Good work!  I think you'll be the only guy on here that mows with his tractor after he's done building it.

I mow with Sodzilla.

BTW, you're doing a good job on your build.  The vari-drive is perfect for a build that mows and off-roads.

Welds look good enough to me. Looking good.

Today I had time to work in my Build

I tried to open the Peerless MST 206, but the Gasket seals pretty good, so i needed 45 Minutes to open the Transaxle
But Inside everything looks pretty nice, but dirty from the unknown old Gear Oil, but it smells like the Peerless Grease, so i think, it`s the original Oil.





to put new Oil in a dirty Transaxle is`nt good, so i spent the next 2,5 hours to clean the Transaxle Case and the Gears, and everything. For cleaning i use a bucket with heating oil and a brush with hard bristles.












Then I checked, which Parts need to be replaced and reassembled everything without the broken Parts.





Here you can see my 1994 MTD Pan Frame from the bottom. Is the Pan Frame Design sturdy enough or will it twist and bent over the time?



The 1994 11HP Flathead Briggs wants to run, but the frame is`nt ready, so the Engine can relax, because later he needs to run often and a lot



This Is the back Frame Support rear Belt tentioner that needs to be modified. The new Peerless Transaxle is a lot bigger than the FNR Transaxle, and it hits the Bracket, so i need to cut some Material away and modify it until it fits.



Now I need to buy the Axle Bearings, Gear Oil, Axle Seals, and a few other Seals and the Needle Bearings for the Input Shaft, because the old ones are pretty worn out and the Shaft wobbles, and that`s not good.

On the Search for some Spare Parts, i ca`nt found some explosion drawings ot other parts. Are they a lot different built over time? My Transaxle is a Peerless MST 206 502 c and the seller says it`s out of a Murray Widebody Mower. Can I Order some Parts for a Peerless MST 206 545 c ? Or will they wo`nt fit?

Thanks

Your pan frame looks a little on the skimpy side there. Especially around the pivot for the front axle. Redline and AllisKidD21 both have done a lot of frame strengthening with bed frame angle iron to their mtds. This is why you see guys starting from scratch and building their own frames right from the start instead of going through all the trial and error it takes to beef up a pan frame.

Can’t remember what red used, but I know AK’s MTD is a pan frame. He beefed his up a bunch. You germans know how to engineer lol, just find spots that look easy to strengthen using angle and plate steel. Maybe use the deck that came with it as plate steel. Cut it up and make braces and reinforcements wherever you can.

Something else, with the age and use on that mower, the frame may already be fatigued and cracked. Those are the spots that are most stressed and need attention. Should be pretty easy to find. Cracks and paint chipping/warping are spots to look at, as well as around both axle mounts (front, rear)

Thank You @CraftsmanQuad19 and @Crazy_Carl for your help. I will mow lawn with it and sometimes offroading it, but not really extreme. Driving through the Forest and sometimes through some mud. In his life before i got it, he mows lawn, and sits for a long time into a barn.

Today I Customized the rear belt tentioner bracket to fit into the Pan Frame with the Peerless Transaxle.



This should fit good enough.









Then i welded the front axle support, to strenghten up the Pan Frame. Because i need the space under  the mower, and the Mower Deck Mechanism, i ca`nt weld in some angle iron I only welded the backside, because when i weld the front, i ca`nt get the Steering axle out.



Next I developed a foot throttle that looks similar to the clutch. It`s made out of a Push Mower handle and some box steel and nuts and bolts. It`s Spring loaded that the Pedal comes back when I release the pressure with my feet, and also returns the throttle cable.










I want to run a dual throttle setup, so i need to develope a mechanism that works with the governor, and can easily installed on a other Briggs Engine. For mowing Lawn It`s really annoying to put your feet all the time on the foot throttle, and when your mower were stuck and you need to push it out of the Mud hole, you can set a high idle, and drive the mower out of the area without a driver.



When i had rebuilt my Transaxle, i can develope the new shifter mechanism. Because it comes out on the left side, i need to make a more elaborate shifter or otherwise my reverse is in the front and 6th gear on the rear

First of all great job on everything. I saw how you notched out your tensioner and I'm like "okay fits really well around your transaxle", but then I saw your custom gas pedal and wow I was really impressed. Your pedal looks more elaborate to build. Double W Cross Ranch found a good video one time of a dual throttle setup. I think he had a bicycle brake cable that was attached to the governor with a lot of slack in it, so the normal throttle could still move back and forth, but when you pressed the pedal down it would take the slack out of the cable and operate like a normal foot throttle.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

First of all great job on everything.  I saw how you notched out your tensioner and I'm like "okay fits really well around your transaxle", but then I saw your custom gas pedal and wow I was really impressed.  Your pedal looks more elaborate to build.  Double W Cross Ranch found a good video one time of a dual throttle setup.  I think he had a bicycle brake cable that was attached to the governor with a lot of slack in it, so the normal throttle could still move back and forth, but when you pressed the pedal down it would take the slack out of the cable and operate like a normal foot throttle.

I`ve seen a lot of videos on Youtube about a dual throttle setup. One had attached the Foot throttle to the governor arm, but i do`nt want to overrev the Engine. It should last long because Briggs Engines, Lawn mowers,.... that`s all very expensive in Germany. Also used. I think i make a holder that  holds two throttle cables on the white throttle block  on the Engine, and the cables are loose. (FearlessFront on YouTube did the same on the Diesel Sears)

Today`s work

I fixed the slack in the front axle.



only the frame with the front axle and the steering and the gas tank is left





I welded up the holes that the previous owner had drilled for switches that wo`nt work because i do´nt need it. I want to put the Ignition Key and the Push Button Start to the top of the control panel.





Hope you like my Build.

Looking nice! Lot of attention to the little details so far it seems, and that foot throttle look super slick! Always cool to have a gas pedal on a tractor that looks stock, haha. Great job!

You are doing a great job.  Nice update.

Looking good, a nice clean job. I forgot MTDs had those huge zipties holding the gas tank on lol.

The zip ties are factory? Wow, I thought those were metal from the factory and somebody had to replace them somewhere along the line, but I guess that's not the case.

Yep, my inlaw's MTD has a zip tie tank from factory.

Yeah that's how mine was as well, haha.