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Broken frame

#1

Alan46

Alan46

Hi there, newbie here, we have a 2015 Husqvarna YTH 24- 48 I just found out why I’m getting scalping on the left side.the rear wheel The frame is broken not just cracked. Picture enclosed, has anyone seen this before and is there a fix besides welding?
!IMG_5360.jpeg


#2

B

bertsmobile1

Open the pictures in any photo editing device that you like .
Resize the photo to 12" along the longest side then se the resolution to 72 DPI & file type to JPG
What most forget to do is now SAVE the image
It will now upload


#3

Alan46

Alan46

bertsmobile1 said:
Open the pictures in any photo editing device that you like .
Resize the photo to 12" along the longest side then se the resolution to 72 DPI & file type to JPG
What most forget to do is now SAVE the image
It will now upload
Click to expand...


#4

Alan46

Alan46

Thank you!


#5

7394

7394

Alan46 said:
is there a fix besides welding?
Click to expand...
Yes, place the 2 pieces back together & fit up another plate to size, place over the break, 1/2 on each side, clamp in place, drill a couple holes in each side & Bolt together.. Good grade bolts & locking nuts or Loc-Tite should be used.. 4 bolts would be plenty imo,.

The bolts should be snug thru the holes.


#6

Alan46

Alan46

7394 said:
Yes, place the 2 pieces back together & fit up another plate to size, place over the break, 1/2 on each side, clamp in place, drill a couple holes in each side & Bolt together.. Good grade bolts & locking nuts or Loc-Tite should be used.. 4 bolts would be plenty imo,.

The bolts should be snug thru the holes.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much 7394,

I will try to get on it this week. It looks like there’s a fuel line on the back side of the frame, shouldn’t be an issue.

What thickness should the plate be?


#7

7394

7394

At least the thickness of the broken frame. Lil thicker would be better.


#8

D

dana a

Whether you weld it or plate it you are going to have to take some stuff off in order to get to the break. In my opinion I don't think a one inch strip of metal on each side of the break would be enough. You would have to use some small bolts and I don't think they could handle the pounding of mowing. If it was mine I'd weld it but if I was going to plate it I would have 3-4 inches on each side and 3 or 4 bolts on each side


#9

Alan46

Alan46

dana a said:
Whether you weld it or plate it you are going to have to take some stuff off in order to get to the break. In my opinion I don't think a one inch strip of metal on each side of the break would be enough. You would have to use some small bolts and I don't think they could handle the pounding of mowing. If it was mine I'd weld it but if I was going to plate it I would have 3-4 inches on each side and 3 or 4 bolts on each side
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information!


#10

B

bertsmobile1

General rule of thumb is the patch plate needs to be 4 times as long as the frame rail is wide ( tall if you like )
Remember the frame rail is a C section and the top & bottom flanges add substantial amount of stiffness to the rail
If I was to do the same job I would get some C channel of the same size then slit it lengthways so when the 1/2's were put together it will fit tight inside the frame railthen bolt it through the top bottom rails as well as the mainwidth
If I could not do that then it would be a minimum 1/4" thick patch plate


#11

Alan46

Alan46

I actually have a piece of 1/4 flat stock. My frame is 3” C channel so as per your instructions I will cut a 12” piece, once I take it apart I will know the width to cut it with my angle grinder with a diamond tipped blad!

Does that sound correct to you?


#12

sgkent

sgkent

Alan46 said:
I actually have a piece of 1/4 flat stock. My frame is 3” C channel so as per your instructions I will cut a 12” piece, once I take it apart I will know the width to cut it with my angle grinder with a diamond tipped blad!

Does that sound correct to you?
Click to expand...
be sure to check the other side in the same place to see if a crack has started there.


#13

Alan46

Alan46

sgkent said:
be sure to check the other side in the same place to see if a crack has started there.
Click to expand...
10-4


#14

B

bertsmobile1

That is the sort of thing I would be doing


#15

7394

7394

Yes, me too.


#16

G

gasjr4wd

What's the big deal with not wanting to weld it? Check with a few neighbors to see if they have a welder. Even a cheap little wire feed flux core would work fine for that. Honest, it's not that big a deal...


#17

C

CaptFerd

Lot of problems with their frames.


#18

X

xj61975

I had a similar incident on a Craftsman GT6000 about 4 years ago and the crack was about mid-wheelbase and went all the way up the web. Basically broke the mower's back. I stripped it down to expose the frame, clamped a strongback alongside to reailign the two pieces, ground the crack out to get a full penetration weld (weld one side, grind back side down to the new weld, then weld that side). This frame had a very narrow bottom flange which is where the crack began and progressed rapidly due to high stress and fatigue. I then added a cover plate (3/16" x 1" as I recall) nearly full length on the bottom of both rails. This repair was a lot of work will outlast the drivetrain. New frames may be available but the design flaw remains.


#19

StarTech

StarTech

Yes it quite a bit work when done right but will last for years normally. Never been a fan of just bolts for this type on repair.


#20

G

Gord Baker

Alan46 said:
Hi there, newbie here, we have a 2015 Husqvarna YTH 24- 48 I just found out why I’m getting scalping on the left side.the rear wheel The frame is broken not just cracked. Picture enclosed, has anyone seen this before and is there a fix besides welding?
!View attachment 64442
Click to expand...
See if you can fit a 6" long 1/8x 1x1 piece of angle iron on it. Drill holes in the angle first, then Drill Frame and bolt, 1 hole at a time.


#21

W

wellssc2002

I have a 2014 Craftsman that looks exactly like yours except red & black. I had lost the reverse because the pedal had sunk. Turns out the frame was broken completely through on both sides right in front of the rear wheels. The frame flexed/sagged making the pedal appear sunken. Looking online revealed this is a problem others have experienced in these models (I suspect the steel is too thin for yards with rougher terrain). I lined up the frame and welded it together. Then bridged the crack by bolting on 1/4" x 1 & 1/2" x 18" plates, and finally welding them in place. It was a fun "fix it" instead of a frustrating "fix it." Best of luck.


#22

F

Freddie21

I have heard this is common on the Husqvarna mowers


#23

B

bertsmobile1

They went to thinner and probably cheaper imported steel and then they started cracking en mass
Prior to that MTD's were the most prone to cracking


#24

B

Boomer49

Being a bit older I learned the KISS principle a long time ago. This may be a bit of an insult to the "I've got this covered" crowd but did you contact the company to see if a replacement is available and what it would cost? Then compare that to the effort to do the repair. Either way you have to dismantle parts of the machine to get at the problem. That could also help figure out how much more use you can get before replacing the whole mower.


#25

Alan46

Alan46

Boomer49 said:
Being a bit older I learned the KISS principle a long time ago. This may be a bit of an insult to the "I've got this covered" crowd but did you contact the company to see if a replacement is available and what it would cost? Then compare that to the effort to do the repair. Either way you have to dismantle parts of the machine to get at the problem. That could also help figure out how much more use you can get before replacing the whole mower.
Click to expand...

Hey Boomer49,

I have thought about contacting the company but the mower is a 2014 mode. I didn’t think it would do any good.
Im a boomer46 😂 ( I got you beat ). I will call the company later and let you know what was said!☮️✌🏻


#26

J

jdwalsh

I have very rough lawn to mow in my rural 5 acres, so my Craftsman rider's frame eventually cracked ahead of the rear wheels on the left side. I V'd the crack, MIG welded it and then MIG'd a reinforcement plate over that. Required taking off the entire seat/fender assy. If you don't have a friend w/ a welder, a lot of High School and Technical Colleges would be happy to do it for you (probably for free), as long as you remove everything prior to welding. Good luck!


#27

B

BC BobJ

I think if you just welded frame the same stress that caused original crack would re appear on sides of weld (heat affected zone). You could look up "fish plate" to get an idea how other frame types are repaired whether you weld or bolt. Hope it works out.

My Craftsman sure looks like your Husky, going to check my frame right now :(


#28

M

moangrass

A guy on another forum had a Husky mower but his frame buckled. He ended up completely disassembling the tractor and had two steel plates cut to fit the sides of the existing frame. Then he drilled all the holes and rebuilt the tractor into a ground engagement machine that was stronger than the original. Obviously this was a major job and is not a half hour fix. It is an interesting read...if you are interested post below and I can post a link.

IIRC, he was told his tractor was built for ground engagement, i.e. it was a garden tractor, not a lawn mowing only tractor. It was a GT48DXLS.

Repairing the frame so that it will last is not a trivial task. It broke because of poor design, and simply welding it might not be enough to prevent a repeat.


#29

B

Boomer49

Alan46 said:
Hey Boomer49,

I have thought about contacting the company but the mower is a 2014 mode. I didn’t think it would do any good.
Im a boomer46 😂 ( I got you beat ). I will call the company later and let you know what was said!☮️✌🏻
Click to expand...
That option if available might get you a few more years than a jury-rig. I have a 2013 Toro 4235 that I've been very happy with. It sat for a week in about 16" of water from hurricane Ian. It was a pain removing the water from the engine, new starter, battery, brake control module and carburetor, but it was built when mostly quality parts were used. Hopefully with proper care it's the last new mower I'll have to buy. Good luck with yours.


#30

7394

7394

Welding it is best, but it can crack next to the weld. Needs to be fish plated after initial weld. Then weld fish plates.


#31

7394

7394

(y)


#32

Alan46

Alan46

IMG_5867.jpegIMG_0098.jpegIMG_0096.jpegWell it’s only been a year but the frame finally separated so I had to get off my lazy ass😂 and fix it. I used 3/16 plate inside and out! Changed the drive belt also. The mower only has 235 hours on it and is 10 years old, that’s the only problem we have had with i.
thanks again for all the great advice!👍🏻☮️✌🏻


#33

7394

7394

Cool, we call that "fish plating" the frame, on truck frames etc.

Railroad uses same technique to join train track rails together.


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