B7610 Fender Loose?

[DennisArrow]

On my "new" to me B7610 when I grasp the handle on the fender and the bar across the hood in front of the steering wheel, I feel the handle and fender "move" perhaps a quarter of an inch. It has about that much "play".........Is this common?......I tried tightening the single bolt on the inside of the fender to the frame and found there is a rubber grommet there..........So.......is the fender supposed to "move" just a bit as you are hoisting yourself up onto the machine?????.......thanks......God bless..............Dennis

 

[easygo]

They have some give. I don't know if it's supposed to move, but it does on my tractor too. I treat mine more like a "hand hold" while mowing.

 

[longshot47]

I sense no 'parts-loose' movement on my machine. Sufficient body weight might flex the fender assembly slightly, but thats physics.

 

[zmansmac]

When I got my B7500 9 years ago I had the same sensation about the hand holds on the fenders. And I was about 35 pounds heavier then so the movement felt worse. After looking the situation over and realizing that nothing was loose I chalked it up to poor design/materials, like the difference between the sheet metal in old cars versus newer ones. After looking over the situation I fabbed a couple of simple angle braces out of thick aluminum stock and used existing holes to secure them. Now when I'm in the seat and lean over either side there is absolutely no movement of the fenders. I never took any pictures otherwise I'd include it now but if your interested I'll take the time to do that.

JohnZ
B7500

 

[DennisArrow]

Thanks for the offer JOHNZ..........I think not only I; but perhaps others would be more than happy to see how you did that..........THANKS.........God bless........Dennis

 

[zmansmac]

Sorry this took a couple of days to post pics; my well pump went out and that was first priority. Here are 2 pictures of my fender brace. The first one shows the overall brace with both connection points. My handles have studs, 3/8" I believe, and I used the rearmost stud for the top of the brace connection point. The bottom of the brace connects as far down on the side of the fender for maximum support. I used 2 3/8" bolts with washers and nuts to secure this end. And I had to drill these holes in the fender. Just be careful of any wiring in the area (on the inboard side of the fender). The braces are mirror images for each side. The 2nd picture shows a close up of the brace connection to the handle stud. I'm showing this to indicate that there is very little room for the horizontal portion of the brace because of the design of the fender. The braces are made from 1 inch wide, 3/16" thick flat steel stock. The hardest part was getting the angles right. Your applications may differ slightly. But in cases like this I make a model first. And for projects like this I will use flattened steel plumber's tape, but any thin metal stock will do. It's amazing how much strength this brace adds to the fenders. I can put my full, over 200 pounds, of weight on the handle and the fender does not move. Best of all, only a drill and a way to make a couple of simple bends is all that is needed. If any of you decide to make this mod I'd be interested to know if it works equally as well for you.

JohnZ
B7500

 

[My Hoe]

Nice--I'm not familiar with your model, but with the orange paint, I'd has assumed it was stock!

 

[DennisArrow]

Thanks John..........Looks great and really just what I was looking for. Now to find the time and energy to put that on my list and get it done. I will be in touch down the road for more about this.......THANKS again............God bless........Dennis