Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
My new Craftsman garden tractor needs an alignment bad!!!
Problem solved, tractor aligned.
First, I needed a way to measure the toe. I installed a pair of 48" steel rods to the outside of the front wheels, making sure that they touch the front and rear of the rim. With the wheels perfectly aligned, they should be parallel and have the same distance between them next to the wheels and at their end. Initially, my suspicions were confirmed: 37.25 inches at the wheel, 35 inches 40" further. 2.25 inches in 40" is 3.2 degrees. I thought I should make my alignment easily adjustable, so bending the rods was out. The steering shaft with a gear at its bottom and the steering plate gear are held on a steel plate that is screwed to the frame. That plate ensures a correct gap between the two gears and is held in place to the frame by 4 screws. A bit of geometry convinced me that if that plate could move forward by only 1/4", it would provide me with plenty of toe adjustment range. So I dismantled the steering shaft, the two links at the spindles and took out the 4 screws that hold the plate to the frame. I widened the 4 holes in the plate horizontally towards the back (the plate needs to move forward) by about 1/4". I put everything back together and left the 4 screws loose by about 1 turn. I then verified that I had a large play in the toe by playing with the two steel rods that were attached to the wheels. I made sure the distance between the rods read 37.25 inches both at the wheel and at their end and that whatever play there was in the system was creating a toe in. I then tightened the 4 screws. That way, while in motion the backward force would keep the toe at the end of its play and the wheels parallel. |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
New mowing deck for old Craftsman tractor needed | Lawns | |||
Garden/Lawn tractors grip, tire pressure and alignment | Lawns | |||
The final fix on the new Craftsman lawn tractor (sorry guys I didn't hurt myself this time) | Lawns |