If you have a permanent locked diff it would increase the turning circle wouldn't it? That would make mowing in tight spaces more difficult.
Possibly RN but I don't notice any turning problems as the back wheels aren't very wide the mower fits through a two and a half foot
doorway ,it's wheels are mostly on dirt so one back wheel will skid when turning, at lot of Quad bikes are the same at the back
with a straight rear axle.
I was trying to think of an easy way to get brakes on the front wheels Max, maybe use the stub axles and wheels and that way the caliper mounts would all be there ready to go.
It sounds like a good idea, Norm, to get better brakes on a mower. One problem with using the quad bike front wheels is that they are usually wider and larger in size, which could affect the height of the mower. However, it shouldn't be too difficult to drill the mower wheels to fit the quad bike hubs. You could also weld a flat round plate onto the wheel to drill, since the original rims don't have the right stud pattern.
If I were doing this, I would just use the quad bike front stub axles, cut them off the quad bike, and weld them to the mower's front steering knuckles.
Drum brakes would be good enough with cable brakes as I see a lot thrown away.
You may get away with using the small quad bike wheels if you can weld the stub axle a little higher up on the mowers steering knuckle.
Cheers
Max.
