Bent My MMM Deck

[Diggin It]

Started at this post: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...-did-you-do-your-post5751121.html#post5751121

Opening new thread for those that don't read that one in case anybody has done it and has any other ideas.

Short version, hit a hard ground obstacle with one of the gauge wheels and bent one corner of the mowing deck to the point the blade hit the deck and sliced through it.

I've got it removed and hooked up as shown. One end to a tree, the other to the tractor via a come-a-long. Removed the one gauge wheel and replaced with a 1" steel bar to get more leverage and not risk damaging the wheel.



I've got it pulled out to where I think it should be. Bar doesn't look as straight in the picture as it is in reality. It is slightly beyond plumb to add tension to the deck. It's pulled as far as I can go because the tractor started slipping backwards on the blacktop, so I had to add chocks.

Now I'm facing a force I don't know the term for ... same as coil tension where rope, hose or cable wants to remain coiled. When I release the come-a-long, the deck wants to return to the improper, bent form. I don't have any way to heat it to help and I'm not sure I'd want to because of the paint. Plan is to leave it as shown for a couple of hours and hopefully overcome that force.

Thoughts?


Second issue is how to reinforce that corner so it doesn't happen again. All of my other mowers, riders and walk-behinds have a member between the front and rear corners, under the discharge chute. I'd like to find a way to do that, but I'm not sure what to use that will be strong enough, but not interfere with mowing.

 

[ruffdog]

Stand on top of the deck and pull on the top of the bar....get tough with it. While in tension, strategically place a piece of wood and wack it with a maul. Get some of your frustrations out! unch:

 

[Diggin It]

Stand on top of the deck and pull on the top of the bar....get tough with it. While in tension, strategically place a piece of wood and wack it with a maul. Get some of your frustrations out! unch:

I considered both of those, but I don't need a weld or chain going SPROING!!!!!

 

[brs78660]

What about dropping the deck, flip it over and using a HUGE crescent wrench to bend it straight? I do this on my shredder if I hit something with it.

When I say huge, I mean nothing smaller than this: 24 in. Adjustable Jumbo Wrench
That link it to harbor freight. Its one of the few tools you can get that is just as good as the higher priced ones.

Slip it over the bent part, tighten the head and use some elbow grease and it should bend back.

I have this 24" wrench, but I also have some larger. Sounds weird, but I have done this many times to bend weird shaped metal things straight.

 

[Diggin It]

When I released the tension on the come-a-long after a couple of hours, the deck partially returned to the bent position. Not fully though, so that must have helped some. Removed the come-a-long leaving the chain directly between tractor and deck, repositioned a few things and ever so gently creeped the tractor forward, watching intently. When it seemed the steel bar had straightened enough I let off the tension and it stayed without springing back. Put the gauge wheel back on and the deck seemed level again, resting equally on all four (it wasn't earlier).

Now I just need to figure out what to use to reinforce across the chute area.