Mower deck repair

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Anyone have good advice on welding/patching mowerdecks without them cracking? I’ve had varying levels of success over the years, with some cracking aftera few weeks of being repaired, other repairs outlasting the mower.This last one cracked before it even left the bench. Seems like rapid cooling may becausing hardening and brittleness? I gas welded thislast one , in the past I’ve used mig , 1/16“ stick and even brazing.Stick welded repairs seem to have been the least apt to crack. Cracking usually appears outside of the weld(haz?).Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:A photo would be helpful 🙂. Dave

Originally Posted by jpump5

Anyone have good advice on welding/patching mowerdecks without them cracking? I’ve had varying levels of success over the years, with some cracking aftera few weeks of being repaired, other repairs outlasting the mower.This last one cracked before it even left the bench. Seems like rapid cooling may becausing hardening and brittleness? I gas welded thislast one , in the past I’ve used mig , 1/16“ stick and even brazing.Stick welded repairs seem to have been the least apt to crack. Cracking usually appears outside of the weld(haz?).
Reply:I’ll get pic later when I’m back at home.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Not all steel these days are created equal. Any weight they can save in a shipping container they will.Lincoln 330MPXLincoln Power Mig 256Lincoln LN-25X Wire FeederMagnum PRO 250LX GT Spool GunLincoln AC/DC 225¼ Ton of Torches OFC-A OFG-AAir Carbon Arc Gouging CAC-AEverlast 62i Plasma CutterIngersoll Rand T-30 14hpInstagram: #Freebird Welds
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Originally Posted by Freebirdwelds

Not all steel these days are created equal. Any weight they can save in a shipping container they will.
Reply:Not sure newer residential stuff is really meant to be repaired? One of the last mower repairs I did was an Ariens zt. The mower was in pristine condition at 5 yrs old. The deck was welded in such a way that it would fail due do normal use.  A few other deck have had issues with flex from anti- scalp wheels flex.  I usually shape and make patches cover larger area.  I do not know how they hold up. Never had any come back, though.
Reply:I gas welded a deck off an MTD years ago. Weld was good, but I warped the deck and had to use washers at the bearings to level the blades again. Ultimate fix was to scrap the POS and buy green like the rest of my tractors. I haven't welded a single John Deere deck except for one my son/grandson ran into a large rock.The harder you fall, the higher you bounce...250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
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Originally Posted by whtbaron

I gas welded a deck off an MTD years ago. Weld was good, but I warped the deck and had to use washers at the bearings to level the blades again. Ultimate fix was to scrap the POS and buy green like the rest of my tractors. I haven't welded a single John Deere deck except for one my son/grandson ran into a large rock.
Reply:Use a needle gun to peen hell out of the welds. It helps relieve stress in the HAZ.Ol' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I had to fix a deck bracket on my FIL toro timecutter ZT years ago where it ripped off,literally. I just cleaned the area really good and welded it with mig. Sold that mower last year and I checked the deck before I listed it and welds were still holding up and no extra cracks.Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Reply:O/A would work good because it kind of stress relieves it at the same time. If worried about cracking, heat the welded area red hot and cover it with a welding blanket or kitty litter or something to let it slow cool. Also don't have a crater at the end of the weld. Put the crater in the middle by welding from both ends inward.
Reply:The modern mig was invented for mower decks.  I couldnt even see those little 1/16 rods and they were invented for amateurs trying to run a  120V Sears AC buzzer 50 yrs ago that never did work right.www.urkafarms.com
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Originally Posted by Sberry

The modern mig was invented for mower decks.  I couldnt even see those little 1/16 rods and they were invented for amateurs trying to run a  120V Sears AC buzzer 50 yrs ago that never did work right.
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Hard to get pic of crack despite it being wide enough to see lightthrough. A shot of paint made cracks easier to see.Weld isn’t great but deck is rusted from underneath,making welding tough.Deck is a POS. Rust, broken factory welds(fixed those without incident,3/32 stick) noisy spindles, blades narrow from multiple resharpenings.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Looks like blade is out of balance by crack.What type of welding equipment do you like using?Dave

Originally Posted by jpump5


Hard to get pic of crack despite it being wide enough to see lightthrough. A shot of paint made cracks easier to see.Weld isn’t great but deck is rusted from underneath,making welding tough.Deck is a POS. Rust, broken factory welds(fixed those without incident,3/32 stick) noisy spindles, blades narrow from multiple resharpenings.
Reply:I typically will add patches or “bow-ties" across the crack.  Perhaps the deck is weak, however the stress/flex would be there regardless of the deck.  So, I try to widen the area, so my patch will last until the deck rust away.  Patches make welding easier on thin material.  The crack next to the weld is what I would expect since the stress was not displace/ spread.  I have a 1988 Bolens garden tractor with a stamped mower deck with zero crack.  Though it has been bent.  Still running strong more than 3000 hrs on the tractor. So, yeah, I’d say material has changed.
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Originally Posted by smithdoor

Looks like blade is out of balance by crack.What type of welding equipment do you like using?Dave
Reply:About best you do with stick using E6013 is 18 gauge if good with the rod. Most can weld down to 16 gauge using E6013 But to thin of steel will crack. Dave

Originally Posted by jpump5

That crack appeared before deck was ever put back on mower.I’d stick weld everything if I could. I gas welded  it because deck is so thin in places and I had no gas for mig.
Reply:Is it thin because of rust or is material that thin?
Reply:I should note that too. But still E6013 still is good rod for a little rust. But it hard to impossible to weld a lot of rust.At some point it will need to be rebuilt with steel. Dave

Originally Posted by tapwelder

Is it thin because of rust or is material that thin?
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Originally Posted by smithdoor

About best you do with stick using E6013 is 18 gauge if good with the rod. Most can weld down to 16 gauge using E6013 But to thin of steel will crack. Dave
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Originally Posted by tapwelder

Is it thin because of rust or is material that thin?
Reply:I do short time arc so it keeps the metal cool. Sometimes I had to brazing but takes longer. Dave

Originally Posted by 52 Ford

That's about right. I've managed to weld thinner than that, but it's hard to do and not fun.You strike the arc, keep a SUPER short arc, and move FASTSent from my Lincoln Buzzbox using Tapatalk
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Originally Posted by tapwelder

Is it thin because of rust or is material that thin?
Reply:Also when I repaired a deck, I'd do short welds moving around the area to be welded. Made it less likely of blowing a hole.Sent from my SM-N950U using TapatalkDon't know why you disliked my earlier post but if ground the rust out and gas welded it, you didn't get full penetration. It really looks like the deck is just worn out, rusted and/or abused too much.
Reply:I agree 👍 Dave

Originally Posted by Welder Dave

Don't know why you disliked my earlier post but if ground the rust out and gas welded it, you didn't get full penetration. It really looks like the deck is just worn out, rusted and/or abused too much.
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Oldest son has a 30 year old Airens tractor. He bought it cheap. He wanted it because it is identical to a high end John Deere. He could explain the model, I can't.His mower deck was smashed in. He straightened it, then was concerned about weakened steel from rust & metal fatigue. It has hydraulic deck hoist, so I figured a bit of extra weight would not be a problem. He added 1/4 X 3 flat stock to kill the vibration that cracked it in the first place.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
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Originally Posted by Welder Dave

Don't know why you disliked my earlier post but if ground the rust out and gas welded it, you didn't get full penetration. It really looks like the deck is just worn out, rusted and/or abused too much.