Actual metalworking question

The mower deck on my old Deere rider had a rusted through hole. I just pop riveted some similar sheet metal over it and it's been fine for years. Then I fabricated a new double stack deck drive idler pulley when the original one's integral bearings exploded. No place in the area carries the correct blades so I just get ones that are slightly too long and whack them to size with a cutoff wheel in the angle grinder. Much more rewarding keeping a 40 year old mower running than buying a new one.

Good points. And with the Deere when you get it - change the oil and grease everything and change all filters. That will get you out on a head start. You can bet the person didn't maintain it up to the end. Driving with a grimy oil can do a number on you.

Don't forget to get the 'oil' for transmission and 'grease' for the mower 'transmission'.

Martin - I have a series 1.

My rusty spots are right where the blade bearings mount , pop rivets ain't gonna cut it here . I'll be researching the serial number when I get it home , see just when it was made as that makes a difference in which motor it has . Later ones were better . I'm pretty optomistic , the guy's father in law had the mower and supposedly used it lightly - but it's been sitting for an unknown length of time . I too find it an enjoyable challenge to keep old equipment running . And I'd bet this unit is better made than the new stuff by a wide margin .

...

I also like to keep the old stuff running. A lot of my farm equipment is old enough to collect social security

Karl

I have a Harley that old ...

Maybe you could fit a flush patch and then bolt it in place with a larger overlay, until you get around to welding all the the flush patches. Before cutting out the rust I'd scribe some reference lines on the deck and measure the existing hole pattern from them so it can be reconstructed. Or make a hole pattern template from scrap sheet metal.

I turn shouldered plugs that fit the existing holes snugly and have a tap drill or transfer punch guide hole in the center. Two plugs is enough to locate the template, then I clamp it and move the plugs to mark more holes. That's how I raised the back of this office chair with diamond-plate side brackets to make it an armless recliner that fits under the keyboard shelf.

jsw

Greetings Snag, I repaired a John Deere mower deck for a customer and used the double up method you described above. This deck was for a riding mower. It was about 40 inches wide. What I did was to first have the customer clean all the grass and dirt from both the top and underside and bring the deck to my shop. I then ground through the paint and corrosion. I then ground out the holes until I was seeing no more rust and the metal was pretty close to original thickness at the hole edge. I then welded patches over the holes. Finally I welded the edges of the hole to the patch. This totally enclosed the area covered by the patch so that water couldn't get in and cause further corrosion. Some of the patches were on the topside and a couple I welded to the underside. The patch locations were dictated by which place was easiest. The customer told me he was going to paint over my welding and grinding but I don't know if he did. The repairs were done over 6 years ago, I never heard from the customer again, and I guarantee all my welds, though not the HAZs, forever. Eric

If you didn't already know, John Deere charges for pretty much everything. Even the really, really old manuals and such. "Green paint" is expensive stuff :) Sometimes you can get lucky searching the net and find stuff that hasn't been taken down yet or is on a server they can't touch...

That being said, they do publish their parts manuals. See:

Put "317" in the model search and see if it helps you any.

I would weld or bolt patches over the bad areas myself. That and keep an eye on Craigs list for anything else I was interested in that might fit it.

This warns about the original engine:

"The early versions of the suffered from poor lubrication of the connecting rod journals when operated on hill sides. An improved KT17 Series II engine was used starting at engine specification number

24300 in 1982."

You might try to find a good mower deck from a mover with a blown engine. I have a Ariens mower deck that is in good condition that you could have. I think you could adapt it easily. The shipping is a killer. But you might find something close to you.

Dan

There's a guy about 25 miles from me that has a large inventory of used parts - the problem as I understand it is to get him to let go ... This deck is repairable , I have the material , the tools , and the time . The biggest expense I've found so far is going to be tires , them puppies is expensive . But the very first order of business is to make sure the motor runs . It turns over smoothly and has compression , both good signs . I gotta figure out how to get the starter off and get it working as a first step , then I can see if it'll run . If it runs , I'll test the transmission - LR wheel is off due to a trashed bearing and axle/hub splines. Once I know it runs and the trans isn't trashed , I'll start throwing money at it . First approximation of costs looks like around $300-$400 to get the problems all fixed and new tires all round . No paint yet , but maybe later when it's mechanically sound again . Lots of "barnyard repairs" on this machine , the guy was apparently a function over form fellow . But nothing that can't be fixed with time and a little material .