Custom Craftsman Rock-Crawler build

FearlessFront wrote:

bigbleuboy wrote:

any updates fearless? been watching your you tube and im so interested in what's happening now!!!

I should be doing an update today, even if it is a small one. I've been working on the bumpers for now. Theres some other stuff I gotta change around that I'm not looking foward to..

awesome!! we'll both have bumper updates today. lol

damn was planning on watching it today, sad face stupid time diffrence!

Time for a small update. I would have done this last weekend, but photobucket wouldn't let me sign in for some reason... Computers hate me.

As you can see, something was missing...



So I started a front bumper...



Mounting brackets...





Angle cut the ends...



I think this is th strongest part of the whole tractor now.



It looks crooked in that last pic, but the hoods not bolted all the way down. I stopped there on the bumper, I do plan on adding to it, but not quite sure what I want it to look like. (off topic, that red tractor in the backround is my grass cutter)

So I started to make an exaust.



Almost done! This thin shit is hard to weld.



Thats all for now, I haven't run it with the exaust like that yet. So I don't know if I'll need to lengthen it. It's about 14-16 inches long total. I need some ideas on the bumper, I'd like to do something cool and then another skidplate that runs from the bumper to the front axle.

Hopefully more tomorrow!

well this blows my bumper out of the water! lol. nice job on it.
in the first pic i see a stack of tires in the background. the two meaty lookin ones on top, they for the craftsman?

wow great job on the other forum theyd thro you out for having sharp edges i like it!!!!

indianaboy93: I like overkill! Those tires in the back WERE going to go onto the craftsman, but they weigh like 30lbs each. They might end up on the front of pauls green machine. That thing needs some weight in the front!

arild365: This whole tractor is going to get ground, sanded and painted when it's done. so no more sharp edges!

Chunk: I did spend alot of time on it! Lots of grinding! I'm glad I got that new grinder, you can see it laying in the dirt in one of those pics.... I take good care of my tools...

Very cool! What if you have some brackets /hoop lean forward in the middle of the bumper?

dangeroustoys56 wrote:

Very cool! What if you have some brackets /hoop lean forward in the middle of the bumper?

Thats kinda what I was thinking. I've got a piece of tube steel I could use, I just need to find someone to bed it for me. I don't have much luck with bending tube. I've heard you can pack wet sand in it, heat it up and bend it without kinking it, but it'll be too long to do that with.

Call a couple muffler shops around and see if they have a mandrel bender to bend it up for you.

looking good. i haven't done anything to my mower, its all stoped right now, my grandpa still hasn't gotten around to the piece i need for the trans axle
I also have a job now so, once i start making some money, i may start being able to do things to it.
And boy do i have crap ton of projects going on,
my riding mower, 6hp briggs needs new gas tank, 7hp briggs needs a belt, 3.5hp needs a new block, i need to get a new engine for the go kart, get brakes for the go kart, and possibly a new rear engine seal for my ryobi weedeater. finish putting the 5hp engine together. I hope i can get all this done before summer is over , cause starting september, im going to be in school for another 2 years, college. and i probably wont have time to do squat. well i probably will still have my weekends off.
ok well, keep on trucking with your rock crawler, looking pretty good, far more ahead than i am.

I have a question, could you make a sort of sub-frame on a stamped frame body for more durability?

Yepper- lawntractor racers use steel square tubing to strengthen stock chassis's - check out Chunk's Alko build- he made a whole new frame from angle and just bolted the body pieces to it.

lol where you been man!

we need updates!!!!! even little things!

New Video up!

Put a trailer hitch on the impala. that way you can still haul the tractors.

well its about time. lol jk, well i was really wondering whats been going on, well, can't wait till you get her done. Well the only thing i have done for a while now is, work, cut some grass, bought a new electric pressure washer, graduated high school, and ordered a new ryobi 4 cycle trimmer. and going to take some test at this collage im applying to. Im going to try to keep bugging my grandpa for the piece or try to have one made somewhere else if he can't get time to make it. I have the carb. overhaul kit for my 11hp mudder mower engine, next i need to get is the engine gasket set. weld up the exhaust, and weld the frame that i cut a couple months ago.lol. install the volt meter and finish hooking up the push button for the starter.

Yeah if it is super charged it will haul tractors fine.LOL

MSTEELE: If I could put one on there without making it too obvious, I would do it. I would just need to buy a trailer.

motorhead45102: Sounds like you've been busy too! I hate it when I don't get time to work on my stuff. I feel like a slave to everyone else.

welder1991: It has alot more balls then my truck did!

What truck did you have?

Nice to see a new update. Its annoying when you have to go back and change things. Worked out well though, cant wait to see it finished.

The new Impala is definatly sweet! Shame you cant get a tractor in the trunk though!

The impala would be able to haul a trailer easily- y might need to make a custom hitch that doesnt look ugly.

My 6 cylender f150 hauls a fully loaded trailer with the box full fine- i made the 1,200 mile trip down south once ( talking mountains here) with no issues - was loaded to the hilt!

Only issue now is the lights - the harness plug/trailer wiring is all corroded on my truck - need to replace that before i can use the trailer again- dont want a ticket...

Just do like this guy did in the meantime:

aww whats wrong with a ticket? lol jk, well i never had a ticket but i only have been driving for almost a full year, full year would be in august or september idk i forget. but that is one way to haul a tractor home without a trailor, i would be able to do it alittle better cause i have a station wagon which has more room up top, but im going to see if i can't hook a hitch to my car cause, when i want to go mudding somewhere i have to go else where from where i live cause everyone where i live gets all bent out of shape seeing a person riding a modded tractor with performance muffler, and big wheels and so on. like last time i took my mudder out on a test run before i started to really work on her, i looked up and saw few people step out of their homes and stare at me like they were going to try to kill me for riding a mower in the woods.