mower deck for a 312 or 308

[matt monte 132]

here is the deal. my older WH's are more reliable  than my 264-6 but i find i get a nicer cut with the 96 264-6. Lawn looks like yankee stadium after a cut. When i use the 312-8 with the rusted rear discharge 37 inch deck i get clumbs of grass and in general lawn looks like **** when done. i always have to either make another pass or get out the leaf blower. So my question, is it the blade? Can i get mulching blades? Ive been searching MP for a decent, fairly rust free deck locally. no real luck yet. I have a 312, a 308 that im in process of full resto, the work horse, the 264 and a b80 that will be next up for a resto. id love to sell 264 mainly cause i feel there is always something wrong, and with a 48in deck, takes up alot of room. However not gonna consider unloading until i can figure out a deck that produces a quality cut, in the 1st pass. not look

ing for miracles, just trying to save a little time. I dont build trailer queens. i plan on pushing 308 into use for lawn cutting and using my 312 as my mule. plowing driveway,etc. 

[kpinnc 11,843]

The best cut you'll find for a 310 or 312 is the 37 side discharge. The 6 inch front wheels on those machines are there specifically for use with the 37 inch deck. A tractor with 8 inch front wheels will make contact with the 37 inch deck.

 

The other option is a 42 side discharge. A properly maintained 42 side discharge gives a decent cut, just not as nice as the 37.

 

The 37 side discharge has two blades that are longer than the three blades on a 42, so the tip speed is higher for the same RPM, and the deck design of the 37 is high lift as well. 

 

If your 36 rear discharge clumps, then any rear discharge will give the same results. Rear discharge decks have a beautiful cut, but only if you cut regularly when there is very little growth from the previous cut. Side discharge distributes clippings better. 

 

Not my pic, but the one below is a 37 SD.

Edited July 13, 2022 by kpinnc

[midpack 862]

I have a 48" sd that leaves a beautiful cut, one pass. I have a couple rd decks (36 and 42) and they definitely have more trouble with taller thick grass. I use the 42" rd with a tow behind sweeper and that combination does a really good job

[clueless 2,974]

6 hours ago, kpinnc said:

The best cut you'll find for a 310 or 312 is the 37 side discharge. The 6 inch front wheels on those machines are there specifically for use with the 37 inch deck. A tractor with 8 inch front wheels will make contact with the 37 inch deck.

 

The other option is a 42 side discharge. A properly maintained 42 side discharge gives a decent cut, just not as nice as the 37.

 

The 37 side discharge has two blades that are longer than the three blades on a 42, so the tip speed is higher for the same RPM, and the deck design of the 37 is high lift as well. 

 

If your 36 rear discharge clumps, then any rear discharge will give the same results. Rear discharge decks have a beautiful cut, but only if you cut regularly when there is very little growth from the previous cut. Side discharge distributes clippings better. 

 

Not my pic, but the one below is a 37 SD.

I've been cutting grass with these tractors since 1984 I've cut with 36" and 42" side discharge and rear discharge decks and the 37" side discharge deck, never had a 48". Everything being equal I think the 37" SD does have the best cut for my lawn but once you start talking about 20 to 40 year old used decks nothing is equal. Deck can be wrapped, be rusted out have stress cracks, 37" decks are notorious for those, wrong or bad blades and belts and most of the time not adjusted and leveled properly the way WH's designed them. Also your 37" RD is either a 42" or a 36" RD either way mulching blades are a wast of money.

[mrc 809]

hello matt,  i'm sure you know that any attachment that uses the pto (like mowing) consumes horsepower.   therefore,  i would use the 308 as my mule/plow tractor and use the 312 for mowing.  however, the choice is yours.

regards mike

[squonk 40,974]

Lets see a pic of the deck and blades that are giving you the bad cut

[kpinnc 11,843]

6 hours ago, clueless said:

Everything being equal I think the 37" SD does have the best cut for my lawn but once you start talking about 20 to 40 year old used decks nothing is equal. Deck can be wrapped, be rusted out have stress cracks, 37" decks are notorious for those, wrong or bad blades and belts and most of the time not adjusted and leveled properly

 

That is a good point. Proper setup and leveling of a deck- IF it isn't warped, is important.

[matt monte 132]

thank you everyone for your input. its alot to take in. Other than sharpen blades, ive done nothing to this basically free deck. i bought mule drive off someone, he threw in this rusted out deck. Assuming rear tires are not stock cause when i used to back this into my shed, which doesnt have a steep ramp, tires used to bind up into rear of deck. only cause deck is shot i made some "custom" cuts to remedy this issue. now that i think of it i have no idea how much slack should be in belt to mule drive. im aware im expecting landscaper quality results out of 25yr old equipment that was cobbled together. Now i narrowed my hunt for a deck at least. So use the 312 to mow and keep 308 for snow plow use and yard trailer stuff? Ok  

[matt monte 132]

clearly when i find a decent sd deck i will take the time to rip her down, clean, repaint and replace blades and belt to have a good starting point. i have no idea the proper way to level and set up as per WH specs. ill search the site for intel on this. btw i cut the lawn every 5 days, thought that was good enough. i at least pull deck off once a month to hose off grass so shed doesnt smell

[Handy Don 12,088]

1 hour ago, matt monte said:

 

  

This might be a "decent" deck.

Those are stock wheels (though it looks like the grease zerks haven't been used since their factory installation) and don't look bad. The blades look ok (should be tested for balance and straightness, of course).

The whole deck looks a bit crooked to me, as though it ran into something on the left front. I don't see a lot of rustthrough but the matted grass may be hiding some sins! The deck is definitely NOT leveled properly (the front anti-scalp wheel should NOT be touching the ground with the deck lowered on a flat surface.

As for the backing up, usually it's best to lift the deck when navigating any ramps or obstructions.

Download the deck manual from this site to guide your investigation. Search using the model number on the deck's info sticker.

If the deck is (or can be) straightened and adjusted and the spindles are good, it may be worth restoring.