Lock front end for mudding?

do y'all weld/lock/bolt the front end solid for mudding?

Locking the front end will give you more stable & predictable handling. I've ran my tractor both ways and IMO solid-mount is the way to go.

i had a mower with a unlocked and wobbly front end it did fairly good but it end up cracking the frame from the rapid movement of front end so i wasen't sure if i wanted to lock the gilson front end or not. Now i know its the way to go

Locked front end is great for mud and trails and things like that, But i dont run locked front cause i doo a lot of rock crawling, trail riding and off roading and since my rear end isnt locked, i need the articulation it the front so i can keep all fours on the ground.

arlid brings up a good point, if you've got an open diff a solid front will hurt traction in off-camber situations

im not much of a crawling guy but more of a mud pit and creek guy.... problems would arise if i have the front unlocked... 1 front end wobbles 2 tires will crunch/rub into fender each time i hit a bump 3 unstable at higher speeds... do you guys think i will have much trouble with traction for what i am doing? the rears are 26s while the fronts are 18s diff is not welded i only cleaned the inside and put grease in

The problem you will run into with a locked front and open diff... when the tractor crosses a bank, hill, or hole it will want to raise 1 tire, and if that's a rear tire it will just spin.

theres always the shift your weight to one side or the rock it back and forth trick otherwise... let it roll back down and try again

yah but with the shift the weight this you could automaticly get traction and the hole tractor flips up on top of you and it doesnt feel good what you could do is drill some holes for pins that slide in that lock the front axle that are easily removable and just lock it when you need too.

arild365 wrote:

yah but with the shift the weight this you could automaticly get traction and the hole tractor flips up on top of you and it doesnt feel good what you could do is drill some holes for pins that slide in that lock the front axle that are easily removable and just lock it when you need too.

On my craftsman, the front deck hanger bolts keep the front axle from articulating. So all that is necessary is some hitch pins and hairpin codder pins.

Usually the rule of thumb is for speed the front axle needs to be locked - for offroad it should articulate .

On my ex mod MTD i locked the front axle solid simply by cutting the center pivot rings out, raising it to the top of the chassis and drilling two new holes thru the axle ( i didnt want to cut up the chassis- the axle was already beat up) .

Depends if you want it permenent or removeable.

Thanks for makng this thread. I was just wondering this and found my answer plus a little more. Thanks

Im going to have to run my front end locked because I cant get a front axle that will fit my tractor, I can get the box tubing to fit but where the center bolt goes through it is extended out an inch so I would have to cut it off and rely on a Chinese welder or lock it solid and rely on grade 8 bolts. The bolts seem stronger and not permanent.

W1ldyOvvnZ wrote:

Im going to have to run my front end locked because I cant get a front axle that will fit my tractor, I can get the box tubing to fit but where the center bolt goes through it is extended out an inch so I would have to cut it off and rely on a Chinese welder or lock it solid and rely on grade 8 bolts. The bolts seem stronger and not permanent.

If you go bolts, you can always go back later and redo it once you get access to a better welder.

dagr8tim wrote:

W1ldyOvvnZ wrote:

Im going to have to run my front end locked because I cant get a front axle that will fit my tractor, I can get the box tubing to fit but where the center bolt goes through it is extended out an inch so I would have to cut it off and rely on a Chinese welder or lock it solid and rely on grade 8 bolts. The bolts seem stronger and not permanent.

If you go bolts, you can always go back later and redo it once you get access to a better welder.

Yeah, I have access to a better welder now but I don't think I could get it to the place I would weld it at. They have about 15 of welders I think the cheapest welder is a Millermatic 252(And it isn't a cheap welder either).