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The identification tab is lost on our mower and I wonder if somebody could point me in the right direction to identify it.
It has 5 gears, 11.5 hp B&S motor, 38" deck. Possibly from 2006

Let’s start with the simple things, provide us with all numbers off the engine. We will need a model, type and code numbers. With them we can determine units year of manufacture, unless the engine was changes. Second, what parts are you in need of, most parts on these units are interchangeable.

I have to come back about engine number, but it's a B&S 11.5 hp. I am looking for a new front axle and possibly replacing with a cast iron one. Running it in a bumpy terrain and the left side is bent.
Adding a couple of photos of the engine, but have not written down the number.

The twisted front axel. It would be really good to figure out the model number. I have searched "everywhere" but don't see this engine in any tractor from Poulan except for used tractors.

So is it is a cross member made from 2 pressings welded together with a single drag link from the steering gear & link rod between the wheels ?
Have a look at part number 532 41 81-68 which has superceeded to 531171101
part on E-replacement parts web page
Note it was used on over 150 craftsman branded mowers
No idea if it can be plug & play interchanged with the latter cast iron ones , but anything can be made to fit
If you go the Poulan web site and search for 532 41 81-68 in the manuals section it brings up 83 IPLs and 18 owners manuals that have that part in them
Your mower will be one of those , but if you think I am going to download all of them to find one that looks like your photos, that is not going to happen for a reply on a free forum.
Poulan search
And a little help.
The numbers in the model designation are the engine Hp followed by the deck size .
So your model will have the number 11538 if that is the original engine 11,5 =115 & 38" deck =38

Espene said:

The twisted front axel. It would be really good to figure out the model number. I have searched "everywhere" but don't see this engine in any tractor from Poulan except for used tractors.

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Are you really expecting to find a new 2006 mower? And in order to twist that axle someone really has to be abusive to the equipment.

StarTech said:

Are you really expecting to find a new 2006 mower? And in order to twist that axle someone really has to be abusive to the equipment.

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Hi, what I am looking for is the identification so I can buy the correct part. To me it seems like this one is very close to be a Craftsman lt 2000 (based), but still there are others that are very close and for the front axel also there exist 3-4 different choices it seems. When the season is over I will dismantle it to see if there is a parts number stamped on it - that would of course help.

Your mower was made by AYP ( now owned by Husqvarna )
the same factory made Husqvarna, Poulan, Red Max, Electrolux, Flymow, McCulloch , Craftsman, Rally , Roper etc etc etc
They were all basically small variations on a common theme
AFAIK there was
2 fabricated cross members made from rectangular tubing
1 fabricated cross member made from pressed tubing
1 fabricated cross member made from 2 pressings ( like yours )
1 cast iron cross member
However I am not an expert, these are just the ones I have come across
Usually Jacks Small Engines will list everything that a particular part was used on but in this case it did not so no joy with finding your mowers model number
Unless you owned the mower from new then there is no reason to believe the engine in it now is the original engine
However the numbers from the blower housing above the spark plug or the rocker cover would help which is what you were originally asked for

bertsmobile1 said:

Your mower was made by AYP ( now owned by Husqvarna )
the same factory made Husqvarna, Poulan, Red Max, Electrolux, Flymow, McCulloch , Craftsman, Rally , Roper etc etc etc
They were all basically small variations on a common theme
AFAIK there was
2 fabricated cross members made from rectangular tubing
1 fabricated cross member made from pressed tubing
1 fabricated cross member made from 2 pressings ( like yours )
1 cast iron cross member
However I am not an expert, these are just the ones I have come across
Usually Jacks Small Engines will list everything that a particular part was used on but in this case it did not so no joy with finding your mowers model number
Unless you owned the mower from new then there is no reason to believe the engine in it now is the original engine
However the numbers from the blower housing above the spark plug or the rocker cover would help which is what you were originally asked for

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Thanks for the effort!
I think the type says:
217707 0391 B1 050120ZA

excellent
I am independent so can not do a cross check against that number but some here can,
so a 2005 engine ties in with it being a 2006 mower.

Yesterday I had a long chat with support at Poulan Pro and I am getting closer to an identification. Not exact right, but this one is close: PO1538D
It has as far as I can see the wrong HP / Engine size, but aside from this it's close

Can I then conclude that this part (picture) will fit my mower?

Question:
Why are you looking to replace the 2-piece axle with a cast one-do you do a LOT of mowing, or mow where there are a lot of short stumps or rocks to run into?

It takes an awful lot to TWIST one of the steel axles.
That one in the photo looks as if someone ran it fast and hit a tree or other obstruction hard with the right front wheel. (Probably downhill, which would give it more momentum.)
For what its worth, a cast IRON axle can be broken by the same type of impact.
A cast STEEL one would bend.
I believe that these axles are probably cast iron, but it would be smart to find out for sure.

The cast front axles will interchange with many of the 2-piece steel axles-as long as the overall dimensions are similar, and the spindle lean angles are also similar.

HOWEVER, there are minor differences in the center BUSHING SET that supports the axle pivot bolt and in the bushings used to support the right and left spindles. The difference is the diameter of the 3 holes in the axle. If I remember correctly, the cast axle has pressed in bronze bushings top and bottom where the steel axle uses thin plastic bushings. I believe that there is a thin needle bearing set that can be used below the cast iron axle on the spindles. (This would only be possible with a flat, machined surface, which the cast axle has and the steel axles do not.)

There is also available a much sturdier set of front and rear axle braces that work with that cast axle-to replace the thin stamped L-shaped plates that are on your mower now.

The axle brace plates are flat, much thicker gauge steel, and are taller. They use bolts to go through both of them to clamp them together where the short legs of the "Ls" are. Those through bolts above and below the axle itself make for a rigid assembly, which bolts onto the chassis instead of having 2 separate pieces that can each lean outwards.

THIS brace pair MAY or MAY NOT work with a particular steel axle, as some of the steel axles have protruding flanges and have different profiles that make them taller in cross section than the cast ones are-at the points where the through bolts that connect the braces are. If an axle with a taller cross section is used with those braces, it would decrease the available up and down swing angle movement of the axle.

However, if the ONLY difference is the amount that the flanges themselves protrude, those flanges COULD be ground down (notched) at those specific points to regain some of the swing angle. If one werre to be grinding,its a good idea to add more stitch weld to the steel axle if any section of welding is removed-to regain the original stiffness. (I did the entire perimeter of one.of mine.)

One more thing.
I believe that there may be different LENGTH axles out there, and if so, those would either require different length drag links to connect the spindles to each other, or different spindles with differently placed holes for the same drag link to attach to. If a different length axle from the original is used and an incompatible drag link used with it, the wheels would either point inwards or outwards instead of straight ahead.

Thanks for all the information. I did buy a new one in "pressed steel" and it seems to be the right one. (it did arrive yesterday)

Find someone that has a mower salvage. Those axles are quite common.


That is a common front axle on several mowers, craftsman, MTD, etc.
Just go back with the OEM type axle. They last as long as the mower if not abused. You will get into fittament issues including steering if you try to go with a cast solid unit.

You will most likely have to replace the plastic bushing in the outer ends of the axle.

I've got some running in use mower tractors (3 or 4) that look like that. Appears yours has the center floor FNR shifter?
I'll send you some model numbers from them to work with.
If I forget send me a reminder email.

Take your old axle with you when you go looking at a salvage. some of the Murray tractors axles look like that but are slightly different in width, etc.

Here is one I have that looks similar to your tractor. this machine has a welded seam axle and I've seen the seams at the spindle bushing not welded good and I removed the axle and re-tack welded both the supper and lower seams at the bushing area. The axle steel is a very hard steel, not easy to form or bend. Yours must have had a major disaster to get twisted..
Craftsman 917.270930
Their is also a 270940 and a 950 tractor that looks similar but their front axle may be slightly different than the 930
You might find a owners manual doing a on-line seach. I think maybe I found the owners manual which has a parts list at searpartsdirect.
You might look at this axle on flea bay as part number Craftsman 154427 at this link.


Craftsman LT1000 Front Axle Spindles 154427 418168 169840 169839 Poulan Pro AYP | eBa

If this is not the correct axle, post up some pictures of your axle. I have several mowers that look like yours and I might get you a model number for reference if I could see good clear pictures of your front AXLE and the spindles. You will have to be careful and make sure the wheel spindle fits you front wheels. some of the front wheel spindles are different sizes for the wheel rim bushing.

As shadetree says,

Those axle bushings aren't welded very well to the axle housing.

A more detailed look at what happens follows.
The steel liner/outer bushings are single tubes which are welded ONLY on their extreme ends to the top and bottom surfaces of the axle and those steel tubes are making minimal contact with the stamped steel of the axle itself to begin with, so when the welding is poor, eventually one end of the tube WILL begin to separate from the axle stamping. When THAT happens, the tube bushing can move around inside the axle end, and begin to force the 2 pieces of the axle stamping apart. Which allows the spindle upright to wobble more and more, the further apart the stampings are forced.

What's not immediately obvious is that there are also 2 SHORT. THIN PLASTIC INNER BUSHINGS (with a flange on one end) between the steel spindle upright and the tube bushing (one used on top and one on the bottom) which keep those 2 parts from making contact.
They are about 3/4" tall, so there is a long section between where they end that the spindle upright is not in contact with anything, leaving an open space.
The FLANGE of the plastic bushing is between the 2 metal washers and the "C" clip (on top), and the 2 between the "cup" which is welded at the bottom of the spindle upright.

The 2 washers (top and bottom) are what keeps the plastic bushings from being ground directly against the top and bottom surface of the axle stamping.
Anyway, those plastic inner bushings are a "wear" part, and if/when they wear thin, (from lack of lubrication) the spindle can then wobble inside those spindle-axle tubes, which put concentrated force on the extreme ends of the tube, which make the tubes even more susceptible to breaking loose from their welds and beginning the prying-apart process.

I don't know how many if ANY of the stamped steel axles have grease fittings from the factory. (The cast ones often have them.)
IF YOURS DOES NOT HAVE THEM.
Drill for a grease fitting-into the area left between the top and bottom plastic bushings, this will then be able to feed grease to and past them to keep lubrication on them as well as on the top and bottom of the spindle uprights. If there is always grease in that recess, it greatly extends the life of the plastic bushings. and helps keep SOME play out of the steering-which will get loose quickly enough without adding their contribution.

P.S. The axle CENTER BUSHINGS are also wear parts, and if a new SET of 2 CENTER bushings, (a steel inner one that is also a spacer and the plastic outer one.) DID NOT come with the axle you just bought, be sure that the ones you use (the old ones or newly bought) are snug fit-and grease the steel oine before installing and putting the bolt through. When installed, the steel inner bushing/spacer does not move while the axle pivots around it, and without grease there will be steel on steel wear.
There are 2 theories on greasing the plastic center inner bushing.
1. Having grease on the plastic center inner bushing (inside and out) will slow both infiltration of grit and subsequent wear.
2. Having grease on the plastic center inner bushing will attract grit and speed wear.