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holler1

Repairing 36" RD Deck

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holler1

I bought my first Wheel Horse a few weeks ago - a 308-8. It runs well and mows pretty well but the mower deck (36" RD 05-36MR04 or at least in that family, no model number on it) is rusty, has several patches and is missing the front roller and mount. There is a hole where the mount should be. It mows OK as long as I keep the height adjuster in the 3rd slot or higher. It scarfs otherwise. I have not been able to find an 05-36MR04 deck or compatible shell for sale within reasonable distance. I did try for one on ebay but lost the auction - it was 300 miles away anyway. So I decided to try to repair the old deck and thought I would post some pictures as I go. Maybe it will be useful to someone else, or someone will have tips for me.  I removed the deck from the tractor and took off the mounting hardware and belts. The pulleys and bearings seem OK, except for the idler pulley which is stuck. The deck has large holes on the top front and the front where the roller was mounted. Also the vertical pieces that separate the cutter sections are gone. The first two pictures show what the deck looked like when I got it cleaned up a little. There is a third bad section on the left rear (thin metal patch in the picture). The metal seems pretty solid where the pulley mounts and idler are. However, the metal is weak around the holes where the support hardware is mounted.

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holler1

Rather than just apply external patches as the previous owner did, I want to strengthen the deck so I can re-mount a front roller if possible. However, I am not a welder, so I want to bolt on the new sections. I just bought a small welder and plan to try to do a little welding to strengthen the fix if possible, but I'm going to bolt on the sections in case my welding doesn't work. I cleaned off as much rust as possible with a wire wheel, and applied POR15 rustproofing to most of the bed. I'm adding a large patch of 16 gauge steel underneath the upper front and a long narrow 16 gauge section across the front on the inside. Here are a few pictures of those fixes. I haven't finished putting bolts into the new sections yet. I would like to weld together the two front sections at the seam, and maybe weld the new and old sections at the top front if possible before mounting the new roller. I'll also try to weld on new separators between the cutter sections. I have a new set of blades, a new idler pulley and a roller (but will have to fabricate a roller mount).

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Anglo Traction

I'll be Watching Holler1! :thumbs: . Got one myself to do.  I'm luckier with the Shell being real solid, but the trailing Wheel height adjuster parts are mashed.

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JamesBe1

Very interesting Holler.  I have a few that need mending too.  I think you should try to find a way to seal the gap between the deck and the patch metal with something to keep moisture out.  Probably some kind of potting compound or lab metal?

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holler1

Very interesting Holler.  I have a few that need mending too.  I think you should try to find a way to seal the gap between the deck and the patch metal with something to keep moisture out.  Probably some kind of potting compound or lab metal?

JamesBe1,

Thanks very much. I'm going to do what you suggest. I'm going to remove the metal patches and treat the backs with POR15, then I think I'll put a flexible sealer in between the patches and the old deck, I'm thinking maybe RTV or a silicone caulk. Then I may add some automotive patch material on the outside depressions to make it smoother for painting. I also plan to change the bolts to come from below and put the nuts outside- then cut off the excess bolts outside. Here are couple of pictures of what I did yesterday. The new front pieces are 16 gauge weld steel, the rear left piece is thinner galvanized steel, the vertical black separator pieces are about 22 gauge steel already painted with POR15.  I made  three very rough welds on the two new front pieces (my first ever) - my apologies to real welders. I don't think I am capable of welding new and old metal together at this point. I haven't figured out how to attach the front roller yet. post-11018-0-23715100-1375102697_thumb.jpost-11018-0-71008000-1375102700_thumb.jpost-11018-0-26677700-1375102703_thumb.j

Edited by holler1

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posifour11

I'm just starting the welding thing too. Like anything, practice makes perfect. I'm getting better and so will you.

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JamesBe1

You're way ahead of me in terms of welding, that's for sure.

 

I ran across this stuff called Lab-Metal the other month.  I used to to fill in some pitting on a deck that I am trying to find the time to restore.  It seems like great stuff.  Much better than automotive filler.  Might be worth looking into.

 

Good luck and post some more pics of your progress.  It gives hope to the rest of us!

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holler1

I want to fabricate a mount for the front roller on this 36 RD deck. Does anyone know how far below the bottom front of the deck the roller bottom is supposed to sit? From looking at pictures, it looks like a couple of inches.

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holler1

You're way ahead of me in terms of welding, that's for sure.

 

I ran across this stuff called Lab-Metal the other month.  I used to to fill in some pitting on a deck that I am trying to find the time to restore.  It seems like great stuff.  Much better than automotive filler.  Might be worth looking into.

 

Good luck and post some more pics of your progress.  It gives hope to the rest of us!

I've been wanting to learn to weld for for some time, and this job was a good excuse. I got an 80 amp inverter stick welder from Harbor Freight a week or so ago. It should be OK for sheetmetal work.  I had a lot of trouble holding the stick close enough but not so close it sticks. Getting a little better. Learning a new skill at my age (three score ++) goes a little slow.

 

Lab-Metal sounds like a good product. I wanted to get the deck done this week if possible, so I went ahead and used some Bondo fiberglass reinforced body filler left over from a job on my pickup truck. The fiberglass filler is pretty strong and adheres well, although it's a little difficult to get smooth. I'll post some more pictures in a day or two. 

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Tankman

So far so good. I'm (or was) a decent welder. At 60+++++++ my only problem is vision.

 

I have a few patched decks, good enough. I do bolt patches on and weld 'em once in place.

 

I just used some of the rubberized (bitumen) rattle can spray on a project. Stuff is flexible rubber, black. Seems to do an excellent job. We'll see.

 

Using a drill bit, flat bottom, you might drill a few holes in the original deck. Drill only thru the deck then you'll see the new sheetmetal below. A good place to tack weld without usin' bolts.

 

Your project lookin' OK so far.

 

Years ago, forget the model of the rear discharge deck. I fab'd one complete except for the spindle housings, using all 316 stainless steel. I was a prototype sheetmetal layout man. Deck is still in use someplace so I'm told.

 

Be sure to post more pics. Enjoy watchin' your project. Good luck.  :ychain:

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holler1

Tankman,

Thanks for the ideas and info. I'll bet that stainless deck outlasts us all. I want to try the drilling a hole in the deck to the other plate and welding method. Probably will try it after I do a little more welding.

 

Thanks also to everyone who posted ideas. I like the forum and probably will participate. I'm not a Wheel Horse collector (yet). I wanted a reliable tractor/mower, was reading up on the brand and found a local 308 fairly cheap. I only have 1.5 acres to mow, so can't really use a large tractor or justify a new machine. I've mostly used a self propelled (walking) Toro mulcher up til now; it just takes a little long.

 

Just to wrap up this thread for now, I'm going to put up a few more pictures. I'm a little behind on mowing, so I'm planning to add the front roller bracket sometime this fall. I finished up with filling and painting last night. I didn't use fill on the front hole but it is patched pretty well with metal. I wanted to leave the fill off because I want to mount a roller bracket metal to metal sometime later. Here are the pictures. The first one shows the fiberglass filler patches and areas where I added POR15 (a good product to prevent rust), the second and third show a primer coat; the next is the GM bright red paint. I'm not the best sander in the world - not enough patience. The next is the bottom with metal patches and POR15. The large patch has POR15 on all sides, the smaller patch is galvanized metal with POR15 on the bottom. The blades are new. The last picture is the deck installed. I adjusted the front to sit about 3/4" higher than the rear to compensate for not having the front roller. I tried it out today and it works pretty well with not a lot of scarfing. Any questions, please post.

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leeave96

Wow! That's an amazing repair job!!!

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MrTrimmier

Think I'm going to take mine to a fab shop and get a new deck made up. Great fix idea!

Mike

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Tankman

Excellent repairs!

 

With a rear discharge. I purchased a sweeper, forget the brand (Jackson I think), did a great job cleanin' up at the same time mowin'.

 

The Mrs. loved driving the Horse and, most of the time lawns were cut 'n clean when I got home from wo....wo.......work!  :)

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Digger 66

Outstanding repair to the 0.P.

Thumbsup & a hearty "cheers" to 'ya.

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