mikeeyre74 289 #1 Posted July 19, 2017 I've been looking for a replacement deck for my tractor for a few months now to replace the 42" rear discharge that came with it... I finally located one. A 42" side discharge, that's a much newer design. The RD is a 70's or 80's model and the newer SD I just got is a 1993 model. Overall, this SD is just massive in its construction when compared to the RD. I know it's not apples to apples, but the metal is thicker in several places. It just weighs more. Theres a really nice 1/2" bent metal reinforcement rod all around the leading edge that was just a great idea. There's rigid baffles underneat to strengthen things up.. it just seems funny to me that things got more robust as time went on in his instance when you're usually used to things getting crappier and more "throw away" as the years go by. Just an observation... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slammer302 2,154 #2 Posted July 19, 2017 I like the newer reinforced decks better my self. As they got better the price on them did go up also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricF 589 #3 Posted July 20, 2017 (edited) I think a lot of it had to do with Toro protecting their reputation for cut quality. Through the 70s and 80s, mower decks from all the major manufacturers tended to get more robust and improved to deliver better cut quality; Toro intended to stay at the top of the heap in terms of durability and smooth cut due to their reputation in the groundskeeping business. Wheel Horse was also popular as a groundskeeping tractor, so it was a pretty good match and Toro kept the Wheel Horse line in top-notch quality all through the 90s. Remember, people tended their own lawns more through most of those times, and were happy to buy top-grade equipment when they could afford it. All that changed when the economy went on a roller-coaster starting in the 90s and people started using lawn services more and more -- either for status, or because they worked too many hours to tend to the lawn, or the lawn services convinced them it was cheaper than doing it themselves. That's pretty much when box-store lawn tractors took over and deck quality for most brands slid back. Toro pushed the bigger Wheel Horse decks fully into the commercial-grade segment. if I recall, some of them were adapted into use on Toro's commercial mowing machine line that went beyond Wheel Horse. Edited July 20, 2017 by EricF Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shallowwatersailor 3,213 #4 Posted July 20, 2017 I seem to recall from other posts on RS that the 42" SIDE DISCHARGE tended to warp as owners seem to use it as a step onto and off the tractor. Maybe the 1/2" reinforcing rod was in response to this complaint. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeyre74 289 #5 Posted July 20, 2017 I can't fathom stepping on my deck to get up into the seat... 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
