[Rryanstrickland]

Me again....

Give me you brutal honest opinion. Is this 312 mower deck too far gone to repair? I thought about trying to basically cut out the whole top part of the deck and weld in new sheet metal. But I'm not sure how to make the spindles back in their original height position, because the original locations are recessed from the factory stamping. And as you can see there has already been lots of welding years ago. Any brutal thoughts/opinions?

(Message edited by aaytay on August 15, 2009)

 

[mkos1980]

For the amount of time and cost of parts, I would scrap that in a heartbeat. But thats me.

 

[lgates110]

There's got to be a better one out there somewhere!

I'd hunt for a better one! ~~ Lowell

 

[Rryanstrickland]

thanks guys. Thing is...these things are hard to come by down here in the south. It seems everybody here on the forum is from up north. I've seen the pictures of JD junk yards up there. I can promise there's nothing like that down here. I'll start hunting for one close by...

 

[jr8stoffa]

Take the good parts off of it, throw it out in the yard and plant some green flowers in the 3 holes where the spindles go and go hunting for another deck shell. That would get you 3 birds with one stone, or mower deck in this case.
1. your being green and recycling ( the mower deck)
2. You will have to go deere hunting and buy something
3. You will have the new flower garden done that has been on the honey to do list.

 

[drgwat]

I recently scrapped a couple of decks like yours for $.0675 per pound. And you're right about this JD/GT stuff being hard to find down here. Just keep watching Craigslist and the auction sites though. Things do pop up locally when you're least expecting it. That's how I found my 332, being sold by a guy just one street away. Drove it home.

Oh, and when you post photos, hit the enter or return key after each one so that they line up vertically rather than horizontally. Makes reading posts much easier. You can do this by editing your post also... the little note pad icon at far right of your post.

 

[Mrcaptainbob]

Similar happened to the deck from an old off-brand I had. It was a 48" deck and costly to replace. I fabbed up a new one. Transferred all the 'stuff' from the old to the new and it's been in business now for almost 15 years. It.s not that difficult.
A flat plate (the spindles mount on that) with a portion cut to match the air 'horn'. Raise that piece up to match the old deck, weld in a triangular wedge to seal it off, weld a skirt all the way around, accounting for that raised horn area, transfer the parts from the old to the new, paint it right to look good, and start mowing. What's nice about making your own is being able to slightly up the gauge.

 

[lodogg2221]

Whats wrong with getting the deck reinforcing plates and welding them in, then adding sheet metal around those?
Seems like that wouldnt take much time at all, though I dont know how expensive those plates are...

 

[jdjake49]

Ryan,

Could I fix it? Absolutely!! Would I fix it ?? NO!!

You can not weld rust!! For as many pit holes that I see, even MIG welding would be tough. Plates need to weld to something and will warp the original frame making the spindles to be out of level.

The original metal is thin to start with, so you just chase more holes as you weld. BTDT. I have attempted to fix a few decks in better shape and was not happy with the results.

But that is just my opinion,

George of Buford

 

[ajcan]

Ryan

I see you live in Columbia.I live in Covington Georgia about three hours east of you on I-20.
I have a mower repair lot up the road from me.
He has a 317 and a square fender 112.
I am about to buy the 112 to part out.
I will check and see what kind of deck it has and see if the it will fit with swapping your draft arms over.
He has other decks as well.
I will take my camera next time I go by there and let you know what he has.

I agree with just about everyone else.
I would scrap it.
There are others out there even down south if you know where to look.

AJ

 

[Rryanstrickland]

Ha! Thanks guys. Yeah...the truth hurts. This tractor and deck has sat under a bunch of big oak trees for the last 12 years or so...rotting. Well I'll start searching for something "local".

AJ, thanks man, sounds good. Email or PM me if he has something that will work!!!

If anyone else knows of a JD GT "junk yard" close by, to SC, let me know!

Oh, and sorry about the pictures! It is a little aggravating!

thanks again!!

 

[MN112H]

If you were a little closer I'd sell you my spare. Or trade for some suitcase weights. If you know someone thats going between MN and SC let me know.

Tony

 

[ajcan]

Ryan

I went by there today.
He had 4 or 5 of "the edge" style mower decks.
I know those won't work.The 317 did not have a deck.
The only other one that might work is the 112 I am going to buy and part out.
Does anyone know if swapping out the mower deck arms will make this work on Ryan's 312?
Here are a few pictures.
AJ

 

[greenmotorman101]

Ryan
I have to agree that it could be fixed but is probably too far gone to be economically fixed. Unless your time is worth nothing and you have an unlimited supply of it.
Before you throw it away though I would torch off all the attachment points and the front corner roller points for sure. cut out big chunks and then grind back to the original size if you need them in the future. The deck that AJ is working to get does not have the front corner rollers and you could easily weld them on if you want.
Max

 

[ab318]

Ryan,
This patch cover the total radius of the blade, that seem to be a good solution for you:

http://www.sunsdahltooling.com:80/lawn_garden_tractor.htm
But they said 12 ga. mild steel.
Is it strong enough?
My 46 deck is close to 1/8" thick, probably 11 ga.

Andre

 

[jacsam]

Lowell, the 112 deck will not work on the 312.
Top pic is a sf deck, second one is what he needs. Check the difference in the drive pulleys.

Bill.

 

[ajcan]

Oh well Ryan.Now we know it won't work.
I will keep my eyes open for you.

Bill

Thanks for the pictures.

Andre

He has a LOT more rust through than just around the spindles.

AJ

 

[ab318]

AJ,
Look carefully, this patch is big enough to reach the kind of rear deflector.
It's enough to cover most of the worst part.
Andre

 

[littlejd]

Ryan
FWI that deck is very fixable, it will take time and tools.
My recommendation would be to find someone that has a junk deck and use for the replacement pieces. Have them cut out the pieces you need oversize so you have plenty to work with.

Run a straight edge from front to back and side to side and take measurements of the depth that the spindles are. THIS IS CRITICAL make a jig to hold the pieces your welding back in at the proper location.Spot weld it here and there to prevent warping it then finish up welding. If you only have a couple hours a day to work on it I would guesstimate about a week to repair.

The pieces Andre pointed out would be a great start to fixing that deck.

Whatever you do don't toss it because you'll need it for something eventually if you don't fix it

 

[steveh]

Just about anything can be repaired given enough time and money. The question is how much of both are you willing to invest? Personally, I would not spend any of either repairing that shell.