Mustang67ford 234 #1 Posted January 14, 2022 Working on my 42" deck. Once I got it all cleaned up, I noticed there are a lot of unused holes in top of the deck. I know 4 of them will be for the side belt guards and the 5 across the back for the deflector, but there are still many more. There are several up front that are square for carriage bolts. If not used, shoukd they be plugged? As for the side guards, are the bolts just hex heads up thru from the bottom? Does it make sense to use stainless steel and regular nuts with lock washers? Thinking of ease of removal in the future. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,035 #2 Posted January 14, 2022 @Mustang67ford don't really think you have to plug them up , unless you want to, how does the the bottom of that look ? , thats where the wear / corrosion is . typically neglected , should be regularly , inspected , cleaned out , blades lightly sharpened , lubricant spray down , leave upside down to get sun hot , and suck in lubricant , kill off rust and grunge , my 3 decks are , open gear lube soaking now , till spring , no rust or rot . have used stainless and regular steel bolts , oil lubrication makes them live. those top belt guard screws , are Philips or small hex head , with flat washers , those carriage bolt holes in front are new to me , lots of decks were not specific to any one model , thus the added holes , to fit later models , pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 10,682 #3 Posted January 15, 2022 You can plug them if you want, but I'd leave at least one in each of the 3 reinforcement "stars" to allow drainage. If the outer ones don't have a hole, I'd add one about 1/4 inch. You don't want standing water in there if you spray it off, or even condensation combined with grass clippings. Just my opinion. Also the deck looks great! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mustang67ford 234 #4 Posted January 15, 2022 15 hours ago, kpinnc said: You can plug them if you want, but I'd leave at least one in each of the 3 reinforcement "stars" to allow drainage. If the outer ones don't have a hole, I'd add one about 1/4 inch. You don't want standing water in there if you spray it off, or even condensation combined with grass clippings. Just my opinion. Also the deck looks great! Thanks, getting there. Got the new blades installed. Almost done with the deck referb. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
