Broken frame

[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.

 

[Freddie21]

I have heard this is common on the Husqvarna mowers

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[Alan46]

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.

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!

 

[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!

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[Boomer49]

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!

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.

 

[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.