Case 4XX frame strength between seat and steering column

Yes, you can post them here but thanks for asking. We post photos from advertisements all the time. No one is making any money off of those photos including this site.

There have been known issues with the frames from the early 70's that have resulted in the type of repair you describe. I would chalk it up more to mis-use of the tractor than a design flaw. Get the serial number of the tractor and you can pin down the year using the chart in the FAQ's section.

Here's how I would look at it.


If you are buying this tractor as a restoration project, then the angle iron could be removed, the frame could be repaired properly and then refinished.


If this is to be a work tractor, then the angle iron won't affect your use of the tractor.

It all comes down to what you have to pay for the tractor no matter why you are buying it.

I will try to get the pin from the tractor today. I have a picture but since attachments are turned off on the forum I'll have to work on posting it later on tonight, I don't have an account currently set up with a picture hosting site. Here are other things that I have noticed from the picture. It also looks to have some type of repair on the front edge of the deck. The lack of an air filter concerns me since I don't know if this was run without it. The exhaust is pieced together and the welds on the pipe here and on the deck further make me think the previous owner had a welder and probably welded the angle onto the frame. The front steering bar looks to be slightly bent at each end. The tires look to be original, none of them are flat in the pictures but dry rot may be a concern. I did think the sheet metal looked fairly straight on it. It does not currently run and owner has no other info on it. With the engine not running I guess you would have to plan for the worst case. From what I have read the K321 has the ACR feature so checking the compression with my compression gauge isn't an option. I will follow up later with more info and hopefully a picture.

If you go to the Help and Feedback section at the top of the main page, you will find tutorials on posting photos in your thread. You don't need a hosting site to do that.

Decks run into immovable objects and get bent, torn and broken welds. Repairs are common on decks that have seen many years of service. A missing air filter is definitely a red flag and a compression test should be made. If you read the Kohler manuals in our Tech Library, you will discover how to disable the ACR for this test. The tie rod between the front wheels should be straight. End of story. Dry rot has to be pretty bad before replacing tires is necessary. Fronts and rears can have tubes added to extend their useful life for many years. When the tube begins to show, then one should think about new rubber.

Based on your report, this is nothing more than a parts tractor at the moment and it should be sold for parts tractor price. I'm thinking $200.00 tops for it. If he's well above that number, then my suggestion is to forget about that one and keep looking unless you have your heart set on a Sunset tractor and they are hard to find in your area.