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My new Craftsman garden tractor needs an alignment bad!!!
On Sep 26, 4:26 pm, wrote:
wrote: Problem solved,tractoraligned. 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,mysuspicions 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 makemyalignmenteasily 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. Something I don't understand. If this is new, and you think it isn't right, why do you void what little warranty these things have by making "repairs" yourself? Why do you not go back to the dealer you bought it from and have them fix it right. It may not even need "fixed" and it may be that the toe in is correct for thattractor. I sure wouldn't be bending anything. Tinkerers. I will shed some light on this for you: The dealer/repair shop will say it's normal. And the reason why they will say that has nothing to do with the problem at hand, and everything to do with conservation of energy on their part. There is no toe adjustment on the tractor. Hence, they cannot fix the excessive toe, and I would not trust them to even try. They will offer my money back. I don't want money, I want a tractor. Which is consistent with me buying it. If they void the warranty on my engine, deck or transmission because I fixed the alignment, my lawyer will explain to them how warranties work and why it is a very bad ideeyer for them to pursue that attitude. As you can read above, my tractor now has an adjustable front wheel alignment, and is properly aligned as a result. I did not bend anything, just enlarged four holes and made the tractor better. Considering 3.25 degrees as an acceptable angle between two wheels is a slap in the face of physics. If one's car had that much toe in, one would probably go (at 5 mpg) through a set of tires in less than 100 miles, assuming one wouldn't get a frame bender before. |
#2
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My new Craftsman garden tractor needs an alignment bad!!!
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#3
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My new Craftsman garden tractor needs an alignment bad!!!
I would imagine now that it's fixed, it will go around those pine sticks all on its own. Ah, yeah, the pine sticks. Well, it's the damnest thing. I was putting my tools away after the job was done, and I heard the sound of an engine starting and a loud screeching sound. All that was left of the tractor were two skid marks on the pavement. It then started getting really overcast, but there was not a cloud in the sky minutes before. Then I heard a horrible sound that had been going on for a few seconds but I guess my brain blocked it until my eyes saw the large cloud of reddish dust. I ran towards the field but could not see a foot ahead of me. Then the sound stopped. I swear it lasted less than a minute. After the dust had dissipated, there lied in front of me a pine stick- less landscape. No tractor in sight. Came back to the garage. There it was in exactly the same spot, engine stopped, with the tick-tick-tick sound typical of a hot engine cooling down. I may have been its way to thank me, but a trust was broken that will take a lot of time to heal. |
#4
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My new Craftsman garden tractor needs an alignment bad!!!
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