42” WH Mower Deck

[Brockport Bill 1,668]

31 minutes ago, KVustrud said:

I checked everything today very closely.  The deck is honestly in perfect condition, I cannot find anything wrong with it nor has it ever hit anything.....so I did some more reading.  I think with my expectations for 2" manicured Bermuda grass are just not a good fit for a WH tractor.  I need something with higher blade tip speed and a deck with more suction.  Anyone completely disagree with me before I jump ship?

sounds like to get to your standards you may want to go visit the local golf course and see what make and model commercial mower they use for their putting greens and purchase that model - - they may even sell their used equipment periodically and you could buy that?? My guess is to get to that level of appearance it may cost some serious $$ ??? Doesn't seem the every day homeowner tractor, or rider, or mower, is going to meet your expectations????? Commercial sounds like the answer in your case?

[Handy Don 12,237]

2 hours ago, Brockport Bill said:

sounds like to get to your standards you may want to go visit the local golf course and see what make and model commercial mower they use for their putting greens and purchase that model - - they may even sell their used equipment periodically and you could buy that?? My guess is to get to that level of appearance it may cost some serious $$ ??? Doesn't seem the every day homeowner tractor, or rider, or mower, is going to meet your expectations????? Commercial sounds like the answer in your case?

[oliver2-44 9,761]

Maybe you need some reel mowers with baggers to tow behind your Wheel Horse. 

[Bill D 1,926]

If you're really handy you could adapt a commercial deck to fit your 312.  I've done it and so has @kpinnc.  It may be possible to fit a fabricated deck from another brand of riding mower such as a Cub or Husqvarna.  I used a Bobcat deck, Kevin used an Exmark deck.

[KVustrud 92]

10 hours ago, Bill D said:

If you're really handy you could adapt a commercial deck to fit your 312.  I've done it and so has @kpinnc.  It may be possible to fit a fabricated deck from another brand of riding mower such as a Cub or Husqvarna.  I used a Bobcat deck, Kevin used an Exmark deck.

 

Interesting!  Have some pictures?

[KVustrud 92]

17 hours ago, Brockport Bill said:

sounds like to get to your standards you may want to go visit the local golf course and see what make and model commercial mower they use for their putting greens and purchase that model - - they may even sell their used equipment periodically and you could buy that?? My guess is to get to that level of appearance it may cost some serious $$ ??? Doesn't seem the every day homeowner tractor, or rider, or mower, is going to meet your expectations????? Commercial sounds like the answer in your case?

 

No no no lol!  That would be a reel mower, which I actually have and use to cut my front lawn every other day at 3/8".  I was pleased with the WH deck cut at first, but it's also hard to tell due to the grass being dormant.  Once I played around with it a little more I started to notice the unevenness, the lower blade speed, the lack of suction, etc. etc.  I'm sure for 90% of people it cuts fine on mixed grass or fields at 3".  I'm comparing this to other GT's I have had in the past.  The thing the WH has going for it though is that it is a floating deck in that it rides on the ground and does not hang from the tractor itself.  The reason the other tractors I've had won't work for me is because my yard is on a slight slope, so the decks that hang from the tractor always cut lower on the down-side.  They cut beautifully, but not evenly on a slope.  There's no fix to this unless you set the gauge wheels to ride on the ground.  Then you DO get an even cut but the decks are not meant for this and will wear out quickly.  With a floating deck, it will follow the contour of the ground and cannot scalp or lean towards one side.  

 

I've done my research and bought, sold, and used almost every brand of GT.  The WH deck (at least the 42") just doesn't cut like other brands (example, JD GT series like the 325, 225, 235, etc.).

 

I wonder about the suggestion above about retro-fitting a better cutting deck.  This sounds interesting! 

Edited November 2, 2023 by KVustrud

[Bill D 1,926]

3 hours ago, KVustrud said:

 

Interesting!  Have some pictures?

I used a Bobcat deck, @kpinncused an Exmark deck.  After doing this conversion I think the Exmark deck might be a better starting point. Using a deck like this will require use of a forward swept front end or 6" front wheels. 

 

There is a complete write up on it from '21 on here somewhere but I can't figure out how to attach it to this thread.  Technology isn't my strong point.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Bill D

[johnnymag3 2,520]

On 11/2/2023 at 10:18 AM, KVustrud said:

mower they use for their putting greens

Putting greens use a special mower.... and cut often, 1-2 times daily....less than 3/8ths of an inch

 

blade speed is what you need, also very sharp blades. I keep my lawn @ 2" and mow 1-2 times a week....48" WH Deck. mowing often gives me excellent results !!

 

   John

[Lee1977 6,672]

Just one other thing to look at. freshly mowed areas look great from a distance. At closer inspection not so great, tractor, and deck wheel have areas mashed down.

Give it a day and look at it again. It usually looks much better.   

[KVustrud 92]

Hard now because the Bermuda is dormant.  I think my plan is to keep the WH.  I cannot think of another GT that is this simple and stout thus not have to worry about the tractor lasting forever and being to cut grass, drag a tree, etc. without worries.

 

So, keep the WH, maybe try some washers/shims to get the blade level with the others for now, and then find a fabricated commercial deck from a Toro walk behind and over time work on fabbing it up to the WH.  I believe the ultimate machine is a WH with a newer style fabricated deck! 

[Handy Don 12,237]

3 minutes ago, KVustrud said:

I believe the ultimate machine is a WH with a newer style fabricated deck! 

👍

Let us follow your progress!

 

I use a 36” two-blade gear deck as my main mower. I’ve got the parts for a second one that, with some shell repairs, was going to be my backup but now you’ve prompted me to think of trying to convert it to a mulching deck by adding baffles and modifying a set of used blades to have extra cutting edge.