Hey everyone, I'm new. I pulled this old mower out of the garage and thought I'd mes around with it. The thought of pulling the deck, locking the diff, and slapping on larger tires seemed like a good plan. Then it occurred to me that there must be others who have already done this. I searched youtube, then followed some vids to this forum and here I am. I see you all are doing exactly what I want to do, haha.

Anyway, this mower is old, 80's maybe. It's a Montgomery Wards model which I've learned was made by MTD. It has a 14hp horizontally opposed twin briggs. It has a 7-speed transaxle and the gas tank in under the seat. Since the tank is where it is, it has a fuel pump and the engine is currently not getting fuel. So either the pump needs rebuilt or it's not getting vacuum. Regardless, I'll get it running so I'm not worried.

Plans are to weld the diff, weld the front axle solid and maybe add ATV spindles/hubs, bigger tires(ATV?), weld up some braces in the frame, skidplate the bottom, bumpers, and add a 2k lb winch I have to the front. I also am thinking of moving the front axle forward and widening it a few inches if I build a completely new one using ATV parts. I'd also like to do something to get the slop out of the steering system.

Well that about covers it. I'll get some pics soon and read/learn from all the builds on here in the meantime.

Welcome to the site man!

Sounds like you've got that perfect tractor for modding. Older stuff seems to be made of better steel and holds up better. I think half the fun is in modding and the other half is riding.

Hope to see it soon!

Thatll be a plus with the horizontal shaft motor- i had the idea of making a 4x4 with a horizontal shaft twin, a wheelhorse trans in front and a 90's GT6000 chassis - too many other projects to even think about building that one anytime soon tho....

It's a vertical shaft engine, but the 2 cylinders are horizontally opposed, like a porsche or subaru engine. As a side note I was eyeing a 13hp horizontal shaft motor at harbor freight, maybe a gocart someday.

So I messed with the mower a bit this evening and got it to fire, with the aid of the trusty starting fluid. The pump has vacuum so I'll be getting a rebuild kit for it tomorrow, assuming they have it. While I had it pulled out in the open I took some pics. It has a slight toe problem and the steering has seen it's share of bubble gum welds. What's sad is, I think I was the one who did the welding, maybe 10 or more years ago, haha. Anyway, on to the pics.

Looks like an mtd chassis. Should be alright for modding and beating.

Fearlessfront : Yeah its an MTD- looks similar to my dads 88 MTD .

Jamus: Ah yes- opposed twin - i have 4 of those type, verticle shafts - also have two horizontal shaft ones- a briggs n onan . Things are extremely powerful - had an 18HP on my murray- if it hadnt been so unstable im sure i couldve hit near 50mph with it.

If it has the vari drive, you might want to ditch that - ive never tried one in the mud or climbing, but youd be better off using a manual trans and single belt.

I know my mild mod MTD hauls, but thats on flat surfaces - still has its vari drive , just pulley changes.

It has 7 separate speeds and one belt so is that a manual or this veri-drive you speak of? I've never driven this thing. My dad used it to mow the rocky/rough parts behind the barn. So it hasn't even run since he passed away 7 years ago. The mower I actually use to cut grass with is an automatic and I can see how that wouldn't be great offroad. I should have taken a picture of the transaxle, but I did see one identical to it used in a build on here, when I went through them all, haha.

Heres a pic of the vari pulley on my mild mod : http://atltf.go-board.com/project-builds-f4/mild-mod-mtd-t37-60.htm

- its the one closest to the dash - mine uses two belts .

Some MTDs i think came with just one belt - a pic would definitly help. If it does have one belt, changing pulleys would give a lil more power.

Usually MTDs like the mild mod use the vari pulley for the actual trans ( its like a snowmobile clutch setup) - the transaxle is just a forward/ neutral/ reverse only.

I think you are right Dangeroustoys, my transaxle looks just like the one in your build.


So how exactly does it work? The different gears just move an idler pulley in and out effectively changing the transaxle pulley diameter? That's what I'm gathering from your picture. Will this setup be ok for trail riding or should I start looking for another transaxle?

Did some reading and some looking. You were exactly right, veridrive, 2 belts, variable diameter pulley system.

Vari-drive isn't too bad... I donno if you've watched my vids on youtube, but the guy that rides with me, on the green tractor, has vari-drive; and it's acutally the least of the problems with that tractor!

Yup, watch all your vids I think, haha. He does seem to do very well with it. I'll give it a shot first, soon as I get it running. Found the pump rebuild kit and got home to find I forgot to pick up fuel line. The old lines are so bad that you can't get clamps to hold a seal. So I just left the rebuild of the pump for another day. After watching all the vids and builds on here, I'm getting anxious for some tractor riding though. It looks like too much fun.

Itd be a starting setup- you can easily change to another manual trans in the future- ive never used an MTD on trail rides or mud- my MTD up north was a mower - altho i have noticed the original 18 year old drive belts are slipping while going up the hilly yard at the folks house- sometime when i go up ill change em. At the moment i have like 7 MTDs actually various years and models.

The mild mod is my first MTD modding - came about when i noticed how fast my stock mowing 97 mastercut was - so when i bot this 91 for $25 - it became a mod, to mess around with and tinker on. Sometime im planning on a vari pulley and manual trans drive setup on my old 96 MTD.

Overall the transaxle isnt really a stout unit , itll take some abuse tho- adding those zerks in mine i think helped keep it together so far .

SHE RUNS!!! Got the pump rebuilt and new fuel lines on, even fired on old gas. I took it for a victory lap through the yard, level ground. The shift on the fly thing is kinda cool. It' slow though, even in the highest gear. So how could I gain a little wheel speed with this design? I am guessing the transaxle pulley can't be swapped, so maybe a larger engine pulley? Also, if I swapped in a manual transaxle and kept the veridrive, I would have more gear choices. They'd be even slower though wouldnt they?

You can put a larger engine pulley on ( depends how fast you want to go tho - any serious speed youll want to change alot of stuff on the tractor- for safety) - im using a 6" engine pulley and stock rear pulley ( for the moment- i had to 'adjust ' my mod pulley) - i have like a 4" trans pulley that i need to put on- when i get a chance. Its actually quicker with just the engine pulley as it is- but i want mine a 'lil bit' quicker. Definitly add some zerk grease fittings to the MTD trans tho.

Problem with a smaller rear pulley is the way the belt runs- im thinking ill need to tweek my shift lever to make it work properly tho.

Id say ( being untested im not actually sure) the use of the vari drive and manual trans should effectively make it tons faster in higher gears /changed pulleys.