I just got this mower with the 46" deck. The front wheels are splayed out quite a bit and I'm wondering what position they should be in before I buy a couple steering rods. This unit appears to be almost a zero turn, since I can almost get the inside wheel to be almost 90 deg! Does that sound correct?
Front wheel alignment for 2014 Craftsman T2400
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Yes it is normal.
That NZTR steering can be a royal pain to repair, plus you will usually need a Hydraulic press to bend the new parts. Some parts can be just 1/16" off and can cause as much 1" toe out/in.
Highly suggest getting someone that has experience in the repair of this system.
You said this is normal but suggest I get someone to repair it?
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Yes it is normal for one wheel to turn near 90 degrees at the full turn left or right. But the straight ahead toe out or toe in is not normal and with wear this toe will change if you
are going forward or reverse. I have seen the steering to go from toe out forward to toe in when reversing. It will wear the tires quickly when the straight ahead toe is not right as you are sliding the tires instead freely rolling. You can see this scuffing of the tires on solid surfaces like a paved driveway.
This NZTR steering is very sensitive to wear and just replacing parts will not always fix the problem either. Plus I have the tie rods ball joints to fail a lot. Nearly every mower that has NZTR steering needs the use of a hydraulic press to bend the new linkages or at least it did on the 10 mowers that I had to straighten out the steering. Some mowers needed the complete steering system replaced and still need bending of some components. Just depends on how long it been out of alignment. It takes someone with the experience to straighten these out; not a job for the DIYer. And not every run of the mill repair shop can do it either. I have spent nearly a day on a few getting them straighten out as you have to fully assembly the steering system to check the alignment; if not right take it back apart, make adjustments, and try again.
Matter of fact I got a most of the steering components sitting on the shelf in the shop and I still may have to order some of the parts. And I cringe every time one these comes into the shop with front end alignment problems.
And top this off these NZTR mowers actually been seen sitting the sales lots new with the front end out alignment from the factory.
Yes it is normal for one wheel to turn near 90 degrees at the full turn left or right. But the straight ahead toe out or toe in is not normal and with wear this toe will change if you
are going forward or reverse. I have seen the steering to go from toe out forward to toe in when reversing. It will wear the tires quickly when the straight ahead toe is not right as you are sliding the tires instead freely rolling. You can see this scuffing of the tires on solid surfaces like a paved driveway.
This NZTR steering is very sensitive to wear and just replacing parts will not always fix the problem either. Plus I have the tie rods ball joints to fail a lot. Nearly every mower that has NZTR steering needs the use of a hydraulic press to bend the new linkages or at least it did on the 10 mowers that I had to straighten out the steering. Some mowers needed the complete steering system replaced and still need bending of some components. Just depends on how long it been out of alignment. It takes someone with the experience to straighten these out; not a job for the DIYer. And not every run of the mill repair shop can do it either. I have spent nearly a day on a few getting them straighten out as you have to fully assembly the steering system to check the alignment; if not right take it back apart, make adjustments, and try again.
Matter of fact I got a most of the steering components sitting on the shelf in the shop and I still may have to order some of the parts. And I cringe every time one these comes into the shop with front end alignment problems.
And top this off these NZTR mowers actually been seen sitting the sales lots new with the front end out alignment from the factory.
Thank you for the for your explanation! I’ve replaced both tie rods and noticed a lot of play in the other linkages. Have you figured out a way to get some lube into those ball joints? There used to be a spray grease that would work but I don’t know if that’s available anymore.
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I haven't tried any those sprays as the parts are already failed when they come in. But here is a search link that has a few choices. But most appear to just a spray oil type.
Spray grease Search - DuckDuckGo
Working for Chevron, we used to sell cans of solvent based grease for like bull gears and hard to reach joints and gears. It’s probably outlawed these days! Lol
All the ball joints on my mower are old and worn so it’s probably best to just replace them.
Craftsman Garage
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My T3000 does the same thing. The tires actually have a bit of camber and the wheels do not exactly go straight
If nothing else is available, spray can chain lube goes on as a thin liquid to penetrate into the side plates, rollers and pins. The carrier solvent then evaporates to leave lube the consistency of tacky grease that doesn't sling out of the chain. Should work on suspension components if you can get it into the wear points.
No need...it was a pretty easy replacement and repair. The new parts were bent and shaped correctly to bring the wheels back to near perfect alignment - for a rider!