I bought an old 6x4 a few years ago and loved my gator right up until recently. It was originally used hard on a farm but has had light use and been stored inside since I've had it. The floorboard has been rusted out for some time but I noticed a couple weeks ago it seemed loose jointed and found the frame cracked all the way across, where the suspension attaches. Upon closer inspection I could hardly believe that with a name like John Deere, They would have used such a chintzy thing as a stamped tin frame no thicker than a car hood. I thought of plating the whole underside with 1/8 steel but that still would not offer much rigidity to prevent flexing. I decided to put a 3" angle iron frame under the whole thing. I did weld a 1/8 plate about 18" long over the break itself.
I started by building a wood mock up just to match the angles etc, then layed out, cut and welded the galvanized 3" angle iron (retired highway sign posts) , welded on and drilled angle iron mounts to match the existing holes in the frame, where the front axle mounts on. We put gator up on jackstands, jacked the front of the frame up in place and bolted it loosely. Then I jacked the rear of the frame up, drilled holes through the new and old frame at the same time, just ahead of the rear axle and bolted it together. I intended to weld and drill angle iron for center frame mounts but in the haste to see how it worked, forgot and will have to add them later. A scrap boat trailer tire tread section (no wire belts) provided rubber body mounts. I had thought about cutting and bending the angle iron to go all the way back under the original rear part of the frame , but thought this way, without bends might be more rigid. I can always remove and change it later if I want to.
I also originally intended to cut off the pointy end which sticks out past the front, weld a heavy plate to the front of the gator front axle mounting frame and bolt it to the underframe, but decided to maybe weld a tow hook or, put trailer ball there for someone that can't back a trailer well.
The whole project took less than 21/2 days and a good part of the first day was spent figuring it out, For those of you that worry I lost 3" of ground clearance, I don't care, I'll just find a path with no bumps higher than 5 inches.
Below are the photos of the broken frame, rotted out floorboard, frame being layed out and the wood prototype and angle iron frame welded together.
One thing I learned from this experience was if I went to buy another one, it would be some other make with a real frame in it.
