1812 with a 50c deck belt question ?

[thetooth]

I picked up a 1812 earlier in the year with a front blade and a frozen mower deck . Well I finally was able to get the mower deck to work , after alot of grease and 1/2 a can of PB Blaster .

I went to tractor supply to pick up a couple of cheap belt to try ( I didn't want to buy the cub belts yet in case some thing didn't work ) . I ended up with a 1/2 x 86 for the deck and a 5/8 x 88 for the mule drive . Everything worked well so now I would like to get the proper belts or are these sizes good .

A cub cadet website listed the deck at 1/2 x 85 1/2 and the mule drive at 5/8 x 87 1/2 .

Also I am going to repaint the deck , any tips on doing the under side I was just going to spray it with galvanized spray paint .

Here are some photos ( the tractor got a 10 foot $10 paint job with some new decals )

 

[Carl_NH]

I have the twin to yours - an 1811 doesnt have the front outlets and did a minor refurb two years ago and did do the deck belts last year. The belts you bought will be fine. Check the tensioner inside the deck cover - the spring is sort of all in one - mine broke where it attaches to the deck - couldnt really see it was broken - got a replacement from Messicks $10 and all is well now.

I did sand and repaint the deck but did not touch the bottom side as I sharpen the blades and scrape the deck down twice a year - no rust underneath at all in 20 years so I think leave alone..

 

[thetooth]

Thanks for the tip on the belts . The deck has been sitting outside for a while the whole underside is rusted . The blades were frozen in place with grime and rust .

My plan is to power wash it and give it a good coat of paint , all of the rust is just surface the deck it self is still very solid .

thanks

 

[rcbe]

Thanks for the tip on the belts . The deck has been sitting outside for a while the whole underside is rusted . The blades were frozen in place with grime and rust .

My plan is to power wash it and give it a good coat of paint , all of the rust is just surface the deck it self is still very solid .

thanks

might be better to use the elbow grease and scrape the deck clean along with the judicious use of some non-flammable cleaner for the rough spots... that power washer can blow water right into those blade spindle bearings even if they are sealed, causing corrosion and prolly failure in a short amount of time.

once you have the deck underside surface clean/dry, a coat of metal primer paint followed by a metal top coat (color of yer choice) should do it. Just remember that the scouring action of cut grass, debris,etc. will remove areas of the paint - most likely in less that one cutting season. As to coatings that will endure such, there's been a lot of discussion about such on this and other similar forums - nobody seems to have found a reliable solution, IMHO..
Also then a good time time to pull deck and scrape off accumulated stuck grass to keep same from accelerating deck underside rusting. At end of cutting season, try using the rig to mulch up fallen dry leaves - they will scour that deck underside clean as a whistle, saving you a last deck pull/prep for winter storage....