Fordiesel69 259 #1 Posted August 30, 2021 With how long the WH tractors last, is there any future left for deck shells? It seems like an awful easy sale for toro to make money.. Any aftermarket companies able to reproduce yet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,588 #2 Posted August 30, 2021 @Fordiesel69, that would make sense to a horse owner , would think they still have the production info , but probably not worth it or interested in the work up , just my guess . preserving what you have , is the surest thing , have a dedicated , deck drop , inspection , scrape down , oil soak down , sun drying , blade sharpening , greasing , upgrading in all possible areas , for longer life , just my own opinion , would not want to rattle anyone , by not following the book . like to see it happen , pete Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrc 812 #3 Posted August 30, 2021 would love it if toro made new decks but, last time toro made decks they were more $$$ than a big box store lawn tractor with deck. sadly, the vast majority of people these days either buys a cheapo lawn tractor or pays a lawn service to cut their grass. preserve what you have! regards mike in mass. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,983 #4 Posted August 30, 2021 There are always good decks at the Big Show. Never hurts to have a spare.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 6,991 #5 Posted August 30, 2021 The question would be if the tools to make the decks still exist. If they do, suitable presses would need to be found, prints and production specs would need to be found or recreated, and material would need to be sourced. Tooling modifications would probably be needed to make the tools fit the available presses. The engineering, logistics, and scheduling are not free. It would probably cost $50k to $100k just to get ready to hit the first part in a press. If the tools don't still exist, it would be $100k to $200k to build a new set. Painting would need to be arranged, too. If you are lucky, the decks would fit through an existing paint system. If not, probably have to paint them by hand, as it would be less expensive to hand paint than to adapt a paint system. What would the market be for the new decks? Maybe a couple hundred per year? For how many years? Yup, they would be expensive. I spent my 40 year engineering carreer in the stamped steel wheel industry. About half of that was bringing new product into production. Also had several projects that I brought old product back into production - many of these were adapting old tools from long closed plants to run in the presses in my plant. Not mower decks, but a similar manufacturing process. I think there might be a business opportunity for a fabrication shop to build decks for owners of Wheel Horses (and other brands) who want a working deck for their tractor. Come up with a standardized deck design in common widths using currently available spindles and blades that would utilize application specific mounting hardware. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
76c12091520h 3,608 #6 Posted August 30, 2021 48" bare shells are still available. As stated above, there is a limited market: how many of you are willing to step up and pay $1200.00 for a bare shell? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 6,991 #7 Posted August 31, 2021 3 hours ago, 76c12091520h said: 48" bare shells are still available. As stated above, there is a limited market: how many of you are willing to step up and pay $1200.00 for a bare shell? I'll bet that those bare decks are unsold leftovers from an old production run. At that price, that last run might have been a small one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
