On Mon, 20 Oct 2014 19:47:13 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

I just scored an older JD model 317 tractor with a mower deck and front
blade with hydraulic raise/lower , and it needs some TLC . The mower deck
has a few spots that have rusted thru , and I'm trying to decide whether to
just double it up on top or cut out the affected areas and patch . I'm a
little leery of the cut/patch way , afraid of stresses from localized heat
causing warpage . If I double it up I can retain the original mounting holes
, use them to hold the patch while I heat and bend it to conform to the
curves . I have plenty of 11 gauge hr steel that will work just swell for
the deck repairs .
I didn't realize when I went to look at it how big it is , I'll be going
back tomorrow with a trailer to get the tractor itself . I figger if the
motor isn't locked up I can probably get it running fairly easily . Once I
get it to run I can get all the rest repaired as I can . I figger if I can
get away with under 300 bucks in parts for a running unit that has
everything working I'll be OK .
I think first priority will be getting the blade hydraulics sorted out ,
that's gonna come in real handy this winter . Well , if the talking heads
are right about the coming weather it sure will!
Greetings Snag,
I repaired a John Deere mower deck for a customer and used the double
up method you described above. This deck was for a riding mower. It
was about 40 inches wide. What I did was to first have the customer
clean all the grass and dirt from both the top and underside and bring
the deck to my shop. I then ground through the paint and corrosion. I
then ground out the holes until I was seeing no more rust and the
metal was pretty close to original thickness at the hole edge. I then
welded patches over the holes. Finally I welded the edges of the hole
to the patch. This totally enclosed the area covered by the patch so
that water couldn't get in and cause further corrosion. Some of the
patches were on the topside and a couple I welded to the underside.
The patch locations were dictated by which place was easiest. The
customer told me he was going to paint over my welding and grinding
but I don't know if he did. The repairs were done over 6 years ago, I
never heard from the customer again, and I guarantee all my welds,
though not the HAZs, forever.
Eric