Repair rusted deck?

[markjs 2]

I got this deck recently- it came with a tractor I bought. It has some pretty serious rust underneath- it's badly pitted to the point of being eaten through in several areas. My question is can it be repaired, perhaps patched with new sheet metal? The spindles are very good and the topside is decent. I don't have much experience with sheet metal. Can someone give me some advice? Thanks.

[JamesBe1 82]

Sorry to say Mark, that looks pretty darn bad. I doubt that there is any chance of salvaging the baffle. My opinion would be to cut it out and replace it with new metal. You're going to either have to learn to weld a new piece in or have a friend do it for you.

I went through something similar recently with one of my decks. Luckily a friend (Hodge71) came to the rescue and welded some torn baffles under my deck. I don't have much experience with sheet metal either, but as soon as I can afford it, I am going to pick up a welder and start making lots of mistakes ; )

[markjs 2]

Lol I hear that about the mistakes. I don't have a welder but I can stick weld half decent on thicker material- I've just never done any sheet metal. And I'm not so concerned about the baffles- I think I could live without those but the shell of the deck itself is eaten through in several spots; that's just the pic I had handy. Sooo...

[JamesBe1 82]

Mistakes are the best way to learn. Even better when they are somebody else's mistakes but not necessarily as effective. I have been working with electricity for a good portion of my life, and arcing and sparking are something ingrained in me as a no-no. I'm gonna have to get over that if I want to ever weld with electricity.

Regarding the pitting and eaten metal, I am refurbing a deck now that is severely pitted, but no holes. It took me a while to sandblast the belt cover, but now that it is clean, I have been looking for something with some strength to fill in the pits. I mixed up some jbweld and smeared it across the pitted area and wiped away the excess as best I could. After it dried, I sanded it a bit to remove what wasn't filling in the pits. Still, there was some shrinkage, and I think I may give it another layer. I'm just experimenting to see what works.

I also order a can of lab-metal. I haven't tried it yet, but if I can get it to the consistency of a paste, then I may try that. Film at 11:00

Was considering solder, but I don't' think it will take the abuse that a deck sees.

[markjs 2]

You're probably right about the solder... The JB is an idea I hadn't considered. I'll have to think about it. Since my issue is in the deck itself I wonder if it'd be strong enough to repair what is more or less structural metal? I don't have any large holes but a number of smaller ones. I don't know if I (or someone who knows what they're doing) could just weld in a large piece of sheet metal on the bottom or not- looks wouldn't matter there but you wouldn't be able to get all the space out between the shell and the patch since the shell is press formed. Idk; anyone that's done this before please chime in here. :eusa-think:

[can whlvr 993]

ive done alot of patching on decks over the years,ive tried epoxy,patches,fiberglassed the top and bottom,cut the whole top off of one deck and replaced,if you could find a decent shell you would be able to swap parts from yours,its alot easier to weld with a mig for lighter duties like these shells

[mike paulson 0]

the problem with fiber glass or epoxy repairs on something like a mower deck is the metal flex and vibration which in many case will cause the repair to peel or separate. mig welding in new sheet metal is the best option but the problem with that is forming the metal to the curves of you existing deck. thats alway been the great dilemma of repairing a rusted out deck..im in the same situation with my 1976 b-80 which i have owned since new, and have been on the lookout for a new deck without holes but with no luck so far...

[JamesBe1 82]

Worth considering is the fact that in the areas where rust has actually penetrated through, the surrounding metal is usually very, very thin. It might not be worth the effort to fill in the holes when the surrounding area will likely rust through in a few months.

[Fordiesel69 263]

Can new shells still be obtained thru toro?

I know they are expensive, but would outlast any new tractor purchase.

[JamesBe1 82]

Can new shells still be obtained thru toro?

I know they are expensive, but would outlast any new tractor purchase.

Depends on the deck. A lot of the older ones are NLA.

I wonder what became of the dies when they closed down the 'classic' manufacturing line. Maybe they still manufacture decks for them?

[can whlvr 993]

yes new shells are available,i looked at a 42 side on parts tree for 1997,the shell is 775.00,but would last many years if taken care of

[D Block 2]

I just picked up my 310-8 a few weeks back. I pulled the deck to remove/sharpen the blades and give the underside a spray down. I noticed rust on the front upper part of the deck. Near where the front right mount is. I hit to with the grinder and before I knew it there was nothing left. I grabbed a piece of 1/8" stock I had kicking around and cut/formed a patch from the inside. A few tack welds later and a couple holes for the mount and I was back in business. It's tough to burn thru these decks, they're pretty beefy. As long as you're not concerned with looks, buy a welder and get cracking!

[welderman85 53]

i bought a c-85 with the 36" rear discharge deck (i think 36" is right) it was a rusted mess but i hate to see red metal go to scrap. i bought some 10 gauge steel and started welding i cut out and patched it like a you do body work. it worked great all you need is a way to clean the rust off. some steel and a welder you can make it last for ever. depending on how big the holes are you could clean it the best you can then paint with good anti-rust paint.the deck on my 314 has had a few holes for years i just tryed to fix it so it didnt get any worse untill you can do it right.