Hello, I am an avid four wheeler and I love getting muddy, climbing hills, and just riding the trails in my '77 FJ-40 Land Cruiser..... .But, there are lots of trails behind my house that I can't use because they are too narrow (ATV trails) so my friends and I have decided to build up some old lawn tractors to do a little 2WD off roading! I was tooling around the local junkyard today looking for a base for my project when I found an old tractor that had been painted blue, there was a small chip in the paint, and underneath it looked to be yellow (A Cub Cadet maybe?) The rear transaxle is HUGE! It is a 3 speed and is about the size of the gearbox in my truck.....Maybe a bit shorter. The case is cast iron, and the inspection plate (differential cover?) is 1/4" steel secured with 3/8" bolts. The clutch is attached by a linkage with a long rod that goes back to the transmission, and the axle case is larger on that side. I should've gotten the numbers off of the case, but I forgot. It has a large Kohler sideshaft engine (Which is seized) that has a pulley and belt that drives a driveshaft pulley mounted on the frame. I haven't seen the whole shaft system, but I think it is a solid steel rod. Any ideas on what kind of tractor this is? My plans for the tractor are this: Find a new engine (I have no idea what) maybe an 18 - 20 HP.....then weld the spider gears together in the rear to get posi-traction. Maybe throw in a heavier duty driveshaft. If I have the money I was thinking of trying to find either a VW air cooled gasoline motor or a 3 cyl diesel. Would this rear be able to withstand the torque of these engines? Is there any way I could get stronger axle shafts? (I'm afraid the positive traction may break the shafts) The axles hold a 5 bolt rim, so I'm going to find some 15X8 truck rims and try to adapt them somehow, mount some bald car tires, and put chains on them for good mud traction. Other mods would include a snorkle (For running in deep mud holes) and a K&N air filter....Any opinions, advice, etc....??? I need all the help I can get! Thanks, Matthew C. Hall
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