Mower Deck Damage. Input Please!

[Trail]

The area of both front mower deck wheels is damaged. Looks cracked. I noticed it when I was taking it off, and not sure when it happened.

1) Can this be welded?

2) How unusual would it be that this happened to both sides?

The only thing I can think of is some driveway leveling work I did where I ended up hitting the deck a bit before I took it off. However it didn’t seem like anything happened that woulda caused this.

I had the wheels facing the correct way when it was on the tractor.

Thanks in advance!

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[skeets]

That my friend is very common, when you run with the wheels on the ground and not suspending the deck as it was designed to be run,, How do I know? Well my lovely bride is not happy unless she can see the worms arses so she would run the deck all the way down ( sometimes its not a good idea to explain EVERYTHING to them). And what happens the wheels hang up on roots rocks ruts and if you are turning it puts a bunch of stress on those welds. And thats what happens.
Now YES they can rewelded, if you have a friend that welds or a shop close by load it in the back of the truck and take it over. But let me warn you that deck is HEAVY. I dont weld but Lil Bro does, so thats how I know how heavy it is,,lol

 

[rjcorazza]

I broke one on my zd326 deck a few years ago. I am not a welder, but that was probably the prettiest welding job I have ever done.


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[Yooper]

That has been cracked for some time. Yes, it can be welded. Fairly simple job actually.

 

[D2Cat]

I agree with Yooper, all that rust on the split indicates it's been that way for a while. Clean it up a bit, pull it back in place and weld it.

 

[SDT]

The area of both front mower deck wheels is damaged. Looks cracked. I noticed it when I was taking it off, and not sure when it happened.

1) Can this be welded?

2) How unusual would it be that this happened to both sides?

The only thing I can think of is some driveway leveling work I did where I ended up hitting the deck a bit before I took it off. However it didn’t seem like anything happened that woulda caused this.

I had the wheels facing the correct way when it was on the tractor.

Thanks in advance!

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Yes, they can and will need to be welded.

That damage indicates abuse.

Is it a suspended or terrain following deck. Cannot tell with certainty from the photos.

SDT

 

[Trail]

Thanks for all the responses.

It is a mid mower deck, so suspended.

So this pretty much answers my question and I plan to clean it up and have it welded.

Just to clarify though, I keep the deck down when I mow, and up when not in use. Do some people leave it part way up? I’ve never heard of that being suggested.


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[North Idaho Wolfman]

Are the wheels hitting the ground all the time?
By the looks of them, they are, that's a whole lot of gouges in them.

I do believe on that model they should be higher than the deck stop and will only engage the ground when it hits a high spot.

 

[Missouribound]

Just one more bit of advice. Fix it before you use it again.
Those wheels are one rock away from being strays.
And raise the wheels. Let the tractor determine the cutting height, not the deck wheels.

 

[rademamj]

Just my opinion, but the photos show more care and maintenance is needed for your equipment. Was this a recent purchase? It appears to have been broken for possibly several years.

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[Trail]

So I have the wheels at the height that corresponds to the cutting height I have it set at per the manual. So, doing this could be cause of damage?

Also, I should not let the deck all the way down, and should have it raised a bit? Of so, how much do I decide to raise it?

Just to add...a few weeks ago a significant amount of rain put huge gouges in the driveway. I started to fix it with deck on, but hit ground with it so much I decided to take off mower deck. I believe that’s where damage may have occurred.




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[Trail]

Six years old. I took off the mower deck a couple months ago, then put it back on. I believe I would have notice this damage, and therefore think it happened since then.

Just my opinion, but the photos show more care and maintenance is needed for your equipment. Was this a recent purchase? It appears to have been broken for possibly several years.

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[rademamj]

I just got done doing some online searchs, and this type of deck wheel damage is more common than I expected. I will have to be more careful myself. And best of success with the welding repair.

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[rjcorazza]

So I have the wheels at the height that corresponds to the cutting height I have it set at per the manual. So, doing this could be cause of damage?

Also, I should not let the deck all the way down, and should have it raised a bit? Of so, how much do I decide to raise it?

Just to add...a few weeks ago a significant amount of rain put huge gouges in the driveway. I started to fix it with deck on, but hit ground with it so much I decided to take off mower deck. I believe that’s where damage may have occurred.




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It appears that your deck wheels should be 1/4 - 1/2” off the ground with the deck in the cutting position. Have you measured the deck wheel height rather than reading the cutting height dial, then using designated deck wheel hole A-G ? The manual seems overly complicated in the procedure.
This past very wet season has resulted in my 72” deck wheels frequently gouging turf. They are correctly adjusted, but it has been a real eye opener on how often they actually hit the ground. Hitting ridges in a gravel driveway would be a substantial impact for those wheels / brackets.


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[SDT]

Thanks for all the responses.

It is a mid mower deck, so suspended.

So this pretty much answers my question and I plan to clean it up and have it welded.

Just to clarify though, I keep the deck down when I mow, and up when not in use. Do some people leave it part way up? I’ve never heard of that being suggested.


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If your deck is used with your BX (from your profile), the deck is suspended but not all Kubota MMM decks are.

A suspended deck is not intended to be supported by the anti scalp rollers but rather by the tractor.

Adjust your suspension control accordingly.

SDT

 

[Tchess450]

Time to buy a welder, and learn a new skill.

 

[captmikem]

Time to buy a welder, and learn a new skill.

That is an excellent suggestion. I purchased a Lincoln wire feed for about 350 a few years back and it has made many good easy to do welds.

That said, I used to be lazy and would leave my MMM on my bx2660 at times when I was doing other work, I hit rock or stumps with one of the wheels and bent it a few times. finally wised up and remove it more often, and have welded it a few times, but with my annual maint, a bit of paint and care my MMM look nearly new. Except the wheels... the zerks do not stay in them, and they wear the bearing out in a short while.. something I have learned to live with.

M

 

[85Hokie]

I have looked at those pictures 4 or 5 fives times, and despite the topic of dragging the ground when they are not supposed to, those BOTH broke on the weld joints.

I would take the deck to someone that welds well - and know how to prep the steel and have other metal added to it. Little paint and IT will be better than new.

 

[torch]

Yes they can be welded. I would add reinforcing straps of, say, 1" x 1/8" flat bar formed around the whole thing and overlapping the weld repair by a good inch.

 

[Trail]

Thanks again for the responses. I plan to take the deck to a welding shop in the area.

At this point I hope I damaged if leaving the deck on while doing other work, like driveway work, which I know I shouldn’t do. As opposed to the mowing.

I’ll try to verify I’m at the right mower height, but I’m hoping to leave that as is.


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