new to the forum; 46 in husqvarna with front axle issue - help

T

TommyT--

Forum Newbie
My 46 inch Husqvarna YTH21K46 is having front end issues. The right wheel is showing wearing on the outer tread. The left front wheel now is hitting the deck when making a left turn! I have never had an issue or run into anything - just mow... I have owned this new since 2011.

I have seen posts where people say to replace the drag links with adjustable links, but no discussion of how to determine proper placement. How do I even begin diagnosing?
Thanks in advance for your advice and your time.
Tom
 
Jack up the front of the mower till tires are off the ground. Move the tires up and down and look for play in the piece that attaches to the axle that runs across the front of the mower. Look at the bar that connects the wheels that steers them. Is it bent in any way? This is the starting point for troubleshooting. Model number from under the seat would help too.
 
Thanks,
I will do that this weekend. I was planning on doing similar to take a close look at the moving parts for damage.
 
I think that I may have found at least a part of the problem. The mower model is YTH21K46. I jacked up the front end, but found no issues with the tires - no play. I removed the drag links and compared them side by side and could detect no bends. They are a mirrored pair with the bends in the same places. I did however notice that the front axle had a lot of play for and aft in the cradle. I backed off the center bolt - just to clear the rear gap and added a spacer; a 1/8 inch thick plain washer and re positioned the bolt. After re attaching the drag links, I tried to measure the tow-in or out. Unsure of the proper place to measure, I noted the distance from the rims to the frame as best I could and got ~ 3/8 inch of tow-in.
The pictures are the before and after. The mower tracks true and the tire no longer hits the deck while turning. Maybe I'll need to spring for adjustable links sometime, but for now I'm back to mowing...
Before adjusting: Before adjusting axle Sep.jpg
After adding spacer:After adjusting axle (2).jpg

I hope this may help someone else.
 
TommyT-- said:
I think that I may have found at least a part of the problem. The mower model is YTH21K46. I jacked up the front end, but found no issues with the tires - no play. I removed the drag links and compared them side by side and could detect no bends. They are a mirrored pair with the bends in the same places. I did however notice that the front axle had a lot of play for and aft in the cradle. I backed off the center bolt - just to clear the rear gap and added a spacer; a 1/8 inch thick plain washer and re positioned the bolt. After re attaching the drag links, I tried to measure the tow-in or out. Unsure of the proper place to measure, I noted the distance from the rims to the frame as best I could and got ~ 3/8 inch of tow-in.
The pictures are the before and after. The mower tracks true and the tire no longer hits the deck while turning. Maybe I'll need to spring for adjustable links sometime, but for now I'm back to mowing...
Before adjusting: View attachment 40265
After adding spacer:View attachment 40266

I hope this may help someone else.
Click to expand...
I moved my deck back 1/8" and brought my wheels around to ruffly 1/8 in tow it hits less now but still hits.. Can you suggest anything that maybe I have over looked
 
I know this is an old thread, but since it's back in play again I thought I'd throw this out there:

When we would set the toe on various class race cars, we'd measure from the center of the tire at the front and back of the tire. Put the end of the tape measure at the center of the front of the left tire, then measure the distance to the center of the front of the right tire. Move the tape to the rear of the tire and do the same measurement. The difference is the amount of toe in or out.

Hard to describe, easy to do.
 
We need the product label information off of the label under the seat. There may be bushings on the center front yoke that need to be replaced as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top