Export thread

I have a mini-zoom, 1540 zrt that I have been real happy with. It was purchased in 2009. Recently it started bucking and jerking, it was unsafe to ride it. I checked the belts, put new dampers on it - same results. Finally I was allowed to talk to a factory rep (don't get me started on them not allowing us to call in normally) and he said, I hope this isn;t it but check the frame! It ends up on many of their zrt's (not sure how many models) they have a known problem of the frames breaking right in front of the flange holding the hydros. Sure enough one side was completely broken, the other cracked. Ariens knows all about this problem, they SELL frame repair kits for many models.
My mower problem was the broken frame allowed the hydro to move a little bit, causing the jerking.

sorry to hear that the frame is broken. imop it comes from manufacturing trying to make products cheap.

NorthBama said:

sorry to hear that the frame is broken. imop it comes from manufacturing trying to make products cheap.

Click to expand...

Yes. but it sucks that they know they have frame problems and don't fix them for free. Just surprised Ariens/Gravely can get away with this. it's actually very dangerous, when I started mine up oin the garage after replacing a damper I did run into a bucket and dented it, lucky it was there or it would have been the wall I went thru, it was uncontrollable until I could get it turned off.

I know this is an old post, but I have the exact sam e problem. I was wondering if it's worth fixing? I have the zoom 54 XL. It has the xt 2800 drives and Kawasaki fr691. It has 250 hours on it. Do you think it is just fixing the frame or would the hydro be damage as well?

Wonder what original poster did?
Right now it's just a lawn ornament.

Have a welder look at it. You'll probably have to strip it down to the frame but there are not that many parts in a zero turn.

If you do the grunt work of stripping it down and putting it back together, it shouldn't be too expensive. Certainly a lot less than a new zero turn.

If the frame isn't repairable (doubtful), you can then sell your Kawasaki engine and hydros to put toward a new one.

I would be careful welding on the frame of a homeowner grade ztr. I have seen lots of weld repairs that fairly quickly crack right next to the welds. I usually try to reinforce the repair with some sister plates and i braze rather than weld. After stress cracking and breaking the metal is brittle and welding makes it worse.

A sister plate is a US name for a patch plate I gather ?
As mentioned before, weld the crack all the way round with the frame strongly clamped to prevent warping
Now grind the welds back flush
Over the top of the weld, put in a patch plate of steel at least 1/2 the thickness of the frame steel and do a full fillet weld around each plate
If you can not put a plate on one side, then don't grind back the weld on that side.
IF done properly it will be twice as strong as the original frame.
heck the same position n the other side of the mower for a similar crack.

You might have gotten a mower with a frame problem from new or you could have a balance problem causing excessive vibrations leading to the cracking.
Cracks don't just happen they are caused.

bertsmobile1 said:

A sister plate is a US name for a patch plate I gather ?
As mentioned before, weld the crack all the way round with the frame strongly clamped to prevent warping
Now grind the welds back flush
Over the top of the weld, put in a patch plate of steel at least 1/2 the thickness of the frame steel and do a full fillet weld around each plate
If you can not put a plate on one side, then don't grind back the weld on that side.
IF done properly it will be twice as strong as the original frame.
heck the same position n the other side of the mower for a similar crack.

You might have gotten a mower with a frame problem from new or you could have a balance problem causing excessive vibrations leading to the cracking.
Cracks don't just happen they are caused.

Click to expand...

Yes Bert, a sister plate, (I hear this term more in carpentry on stiffening floor joists. Or where I came from, it was termed "Fish-plating". Same result & process.
Done properly, it can become much stronger than the frame ever was.

Gees we are on the same sheet, almost
A fish plate down here is specifically for one that is held in with rivets, bolts or nails like a joist hanger.

In any case I hope DZT gets it sorted before the mowing season kicks off .

Vital spark of heavenly flame !
Quit, oh quit this mortal frame:
Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying, ---
Oh the pain, the bliss of dying !

-- Alexander Pope (1688–1744)

I've got my 4th mow in already here in the deep south of USA.

When I wrenched on Big Trucks & Excavators. We would often fish plate a truck frame if we lengthened it or found a crack.
On Big Rigs never supposed to Weld vertically down the frame rail. That would be crossing the grain of the steel, & causing possible brittle areas next to the welds.
But I see it done often enough.

My former boss used to say, “ gusset it .”