welding mower deck

pcp20us · Aug 16, 2016

Ha fergie freaks.

welding up a mower deck with my new dc welder.

I tested some lap welds with the 2mm gal and found the 2.5 rods to be the best..... but welding the edges seem to be a differnet case.

I am repairing a mower deck. its about 2 mm thick and have 2 mm gal that i am patching it with. See photos. I have used 1.6 mm rods at varying amps from 20 to 50 amps. When welding patch to deck, i find it a fine line between blowing holes or not get good penetration in to the deck.

Any thoughts welcome before i blow more holes

markct · Aug 16, 2016

Wow not a good job to start for
learning, that's a tough job with mig
and while doable with stick takes a very
steady and skilled welder. Basically low
amperage and small rod and a short arc.
And lots of luck or find someone with a
mig

DrLoch · Aug 16, 2016

Also, the fumes from welding galvanized metals is toxic. Just be careful.

"Typical “metal fume fever” begins about 4 hours after exposure, and full recovery occurs within 48 hours. The symptoms include fever, chills, thirst, headache and nausea. All of these symptoms, pain and suffering, as well as lost work (and play) time, can be avoided entirely by simply not inhaling the zinc oxide fumes."

maxwell99 · Aug 16, 2016

Roger that,
I bought an old galvanized frame boat trailer, was going to cut it up and make a two wheel trailer,

I had fans blowing directly onto my cutting area and welding area, to blow the fumes away, also wore a good quality fume mask,
But I still think I breathed some of those gases, I still do not have the strength I had before that job,

Based on my experience I would not mess with it, just not worth it health wise,

They build the machine, frame, etc, then dip it in the galvanize coating like painting the frame,
So they do not breath the fumes given off, while welding cutting the coating
One toxic gas was fosgene gas given off,
Jmtc Just my two cents

Tony in Mass. · Aug 16, 2016

Thin stuff... the realm of..... torches....
Forgot what you call it down under- not brazed... brassed? bronzed? That would take such low heat compare to arc.
Besides the noxious fumes, the zinc should be ground off to bare steel sheet, it's only a millionth thick, like paint, want to remove it or the weld will be too contaminated- too much of a gap there too...
got a drill? Rivet, bolt, screw the tin closer, then as mentioned, little rod, low heat, hack at it till it sticks, a bunch of tack welds is as good as a long bead in a situation like this. Then put a glob of weld on the nut, thread etc, to lock them in too. But a lot better luck if the tin is tight to the deck....
An impressive start... Master-Blaster would be proud of you my son....

Steve@Advance · Aug 16, 2016

You've got a mess started there!

First, get rid of the galvanized steel, it doesn't appear to be thick enough, and the galvanizing is contaminating the welds. Some 10 ga. (or you would probably call it 3mm) steel plate would weld much easier.

Are those holes in the deck from rust? If so, you don't really have much to work with... That all needs to be cut out, not covered up. Also match the seams very closely, trying to fill a gap is difficult. If you do need to fill a gap, try holding a thick piece of aluminum or brass underneath to support the weld and dissipate the heat.

Honestly, the job you are attempting is a difficult task even for a seasoned welder. Any chance you could find a better deck? Even if you had to modify the mounts, that would be easier than trying to replace the rusted metal.

pcp20us · Aug 16, 2016

Cheers boys....

Thanks for heads up on toxic gal....Yep i have been clamping it to close the gap up before tacking.. yeah i might try brazing it, that could be the go..

Charles in Aus. · Aug 16, 2016

That looks suspiciously like the mower deck on a John Deere STX 48. A POS if ever there was one . I have forgotten how many times I have had to repair stress cracks , broken hangers , spring mounts , spindles and breaks caused by minor hits on roots :shock:
Yes , like Steve says piff the gal right away and use thicker steel plate cut neatly . I use a copper plate under thin stuff when welding , it conducts heat away and helps stop blow through . Clamp it tightly in position and only weld in short bursts in one place . Change to another area and weld while the first cools down , then repeat .

pcp20us · Aug 16, 2016

Yes well i am well seasoned..... just not in welding, but i am thinking n another plan of attack, i think 3 mm welded in 3 patches that are easier to mould to the shape.

RICH NY · Aug 16, 2016

First mistake, your using Zinc coated metal and it doesn't appear to be grinded. Lost my fellow Welding Teacher to Parkinson's Disease breathing that Zinc/Lead crap. Use regular Gauge sheet metal. Just Paying it Forward!

pcp20us · Aug 16, 2016

(quoted from post at 09:48:16 08/17/16)
That looks suspiciously like the mower deck on a John Deere STX 48. A POS if ever there was one . .

Pretty close, its off a stx 38....what is POS?? I am thinking something rude.

Tony in Mass. · Aug 16, 2016

Don't let this lot take the mickey out of you Captain Walker! Remind them of your previous movie career biting the faces off punk rock bikers!
BTW, I see that is was today in 1980 the baby ate the dingo.... I hope you didn't have anything to do with that one???? well, ya can't help being born a hungry feral kid eh???
Some of these people don't know how bloody little there is to work with when you are living in the wopwops. The proper sheet metal for the job is a tank of petrol up the track... at what amounts to $6 an old gallon? and it won't be cheap when you get there.... and a set of torches is ..... like a priceless goal in a Mel Gibson movie- in the flesh....

Charles in Aus. · Aug 16, 2016

It is a STX 38 , I am exaggerating again !
Yes it is a POS , roughly translated a '' piece of excrement''
Engine and transmission is fine the deck is another matter entirely . I have never had so much trouble as with this one . Everything breaks all the time . I have lost count of the number of belts I have changed , the spindles cost an arm and a leg and no matter what you do it just keeps snapping of just about everywhere .Even the bolts holding one of the blades sheared off on me and I swear I only hit a single pine cone .
As a comparison I owned an Ariens Hydro drive for almost 12 years and it was old when I got it, it did the exact same job , the only trouble it ever gave me was from the starter on the Briggs and Stratton IC engine .

Charles in Aus. · Aug 16, 2016

A further thought , I would be inclined to fit the plates on the underside . Tack them into position then weld on from the top . This way you will have a smoother surface facing the corrosive grass clippings and probably have an easier time welding .

Duner Wi · Aug 17, 2016

I have added 270 gallon fuel oil barrel material to the underside. Cut, hammer, slice and clamp tight into place and weld away. I did one about 15 years ago and the other close to 10. both are lasting. Decks are from the mid eighties.
Little body putty on the out side will hide the holes. If your are going to use galvanized grind the edges where you weld and clamp tight the spot you are welding. Bunch of spot welds to start and then fill in the gaps.

pcp20us · Aug 18, 2016

Cheers guys.

Well it taught me about working and shaping metal and having a good fit before welding. Not the easierest project to start with, but hay it not on show, it needs to be functional.

I have covered the underside with waterproof bitum putty to cover up the exposed parts... so should be interesting to see how it goes.

I still much prefer timber..

pcp20us · Aug 21, 2016

welding done.... looks like a professional did it:roll:

then bloody axle lets go.... no drive or brakes and you start going backwards with a trailer on....
hope i dont have to split the axle to fix this... could be a job for some torches :evil: ha tony

Tony in Mass. · Aug 21, 2016

I have a tell for ya to listen id to. Of a van mini. And a silencer. And 16 year of rust id id pipes. A torch was the hero of this tell- if this torch didn't fall from the sky, I also would be buggered. This torch thing brought me into the 20th century... oh. That was the last one... well, sad part is I bought an Asian mainland set to replace a yank tank set 20 odd years old. Bad idea. Good thing I didn't throw out the pre-Y2K a-pox-eclipse set! So chose your torches well my son... as the wrong ones will leak all your gases in a part of the world... you can't afford to lose gases... ??? That sound right???
As for the mower... crikey mate... Oh Captain Walker... you might be/ already are- soooo buggered! Might need a new mower, that is the heart of the whole machine. Get a camel to keep the place trimmed down??? There must be a few JD lawn tractor websites out there??? Dunno mate. Best of British!!

pcp20us · Aug 25, 2016

Just to mix it up...

JD in the fergie forum

Split the tansaxle, C clip had fallen off and some chewed gears...and bits of metal floating around

JD want $2200 fo a new box, They dont even service them, they say its a none servicable part. yet tuff trq who make em sell parts...albiet from the good old USofA r JD sell em at twice the price..

Found a local bloke thats been rebuild transaxles for 20 years....

He gave me the low done, Parts $200 and now i get to rebuild it..

Charles in Aus. · Aug 25, 2016

They really are a Pos :x

pcp20us · Aug 26, 2016

(quoted from post at 14:59:13 08/26/16)
They really are a Pos :x

What, You mean positive. :evil:

This think has done pretty well, hilly 4 acres to mow and pulling trailer loads of stuff since 1997, and i recon the oil has never been changed.... and you can actually change the oil, but i recon the manual says there not servicable even for an oil change.... says something about JD servicing..

Tony thats even out of you, or 'Ill open a up a can of captain walker onya

Charles in Aus. · Aug 26, 2016

Mine is from the same year , 1997 . I have changed the transmission oil twice in that time , hopefully I won't have the trouble you have experienced . The motor is fine , it's a Kohler Command and has worked without trouble so far . The deck however is about good for a boat anchor and nothing else .
I'm glad that you can have the transmission rebuilt , something that probably wouldn't be possible down here , Queenslanders do seem to have more practical tradesmen than us Southerners .
The price of JD spares and servicing in Australia is astronomical , so much so that it is hard to justify buying their brand in the first place .

pcp20us · Aug 26, 2016

Doing the rebuild myself but there where some brass hydro plates that needed machining flat with a special tool as talking thousands of an inch...

What is a POS is when you loose a bloody little sping and plunger bit...Thank God for local fella with parts....

welding mower deck

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