SnowRidge
Elite Member
A few days ago, while unloading my brush cutter from my equipment trailer, I noticed a vertical crack on the left front corner at the point that the skirt reduces in height. There was also a companion crack on the right side. My brush cutter has about 100 hours on it, with the vast majority of that being grass and tall weed cutting. Very little of the time has been woody plants, although the last use was literally brush cutting, the job it is supposed to be designed for. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy to have yet another PT repair to do. 
The first thing I did was to search TBN, where I found a thread by Kaon99 on the same subject, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/26481-rotary-cutter-deck-cracking.html It contains an excellent analysis of why these decks may be cracking. Fortunately, I caught my cracks before the damage was as severe as what Kaon99 experienced. I decided to use essentially the same techniques for my own repair. I couldn't quite tell from the photos if his weldor had bent the corner braces around the corner or cut and welded them. I thought he might have cut them, and I felt that it would be stronger if they were a single pieces bent around the corners, so I decided to go that route. Like Kaon99, I found my deck was somewhat bowed when I laid a straight edge across it.
Here is the procedure I used to do the repair, in case anyone wants details.
I used 3/8 x 1 1/2 inch angle stock for the corner braces and 3/8 x 2 inch angle stock for the deck braces. My neighbor generously offered me the run of his scrap steel supply, which is how I came to use these specific sizes. They were free and beefy enough to do the job.
I set the brush cutter up on jack stands to get the weight off of the wheels, and to make it easier to work on. Once the weight was off of the wheels, the cracks closed and the deck bowing disappeared, which made my repair a whole lot easier. I ground out the cracks with an angle grinder, then welded them up with 7018 rod, followed by grinding them smooth.
I cut the angle braces and notched the top using a band saw. I used a vise and a rebar bender to bend them to match the deck angle. I then clamped them in place and welded the tops and ends with 7018 rod. I left the bottoms for later. I hate welding upside down. I am not good at it, and I have found it tends to be painful.
I cut the deck braces, also using a bandsaw, and welded them to the deck using 7018. I used the attachment plate's vertical 'arms' to locate the position of the front to rear braces, but I did not weld the deck braces to the arms, as did Kaon99's weldor. Once the braces were tacked in place, I removed the attachment plate assembly entirely, using the forks to lift it off. I finished welding the front to rear braces and added side to side braces. I felt that although they probably weren't absolutely needed, they would further strengthen the deck.
Next, I flipped the deck over and welded the bottom of the corner braces with 7018. I also welded the inside of the cracked corners, but I used 6011 rod, since I couldn't get the area clean enough for 7018.
I left the motor and hydraulic hoses in place while welding. I just covered them with an old beach towel soaked in water. My wife now wants me to throw out the perfectly good towel. All it needs is to be run through the washer, but for some reason, she won't agree.
The first thing I did was to search TBN, where I found a thread by Kaon99 on the same subject, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/26481-rotary-cutter-deck-cracking.html It contains an excellent analysis of why these decks may be cracking. Fortunately, I caught my cracks before the damage was as severe as what Kaon99 experienced. I decided to use essentially the same techniques for my own repair. I couldn't quite tell from the photos if his weldor had bent the corner braces around the corner or cut and welded them. I thought he might have cut them, and I felt that it would be stronger if they were a single pieces bent around the corners, so I decided to go that route. Like Kaon99, I found my deck was somewhat bowed when I laid a straight edge across it.
Here is the procedure I used to do the repair, in case anyone wants details.
I used 3/8 x 1 1/2 inch angle stock for the corner braces and 3/8 x 2 inch angle stock for the deck braces. My neighbor generously offered me the run of his scrap steel supply, which is how I came to use these specific sizes. They were free and beefy enough to do the job.
I set the brush cutter up on jack stands to get the weight off of the wheels, and to make it easier to work on. Once the weight was off of the wheels, the cracks closed and the deck bowing disappeared, which made my repair a whole lot easier. I ground out the cracks with an angle grinder, then welded them up with 7018 rod, followed by grinding them smooth.
I cut the angle braces and notched the top using a band saw. I used a vise and a rebar bender to bend them to match the deck angle. I then clamped them in place and welded the tops and ends with 7018 rod. I left the bottoms for later. I hate welding upside down. I am not good at it, and I have found it tends to be painful.
I cut the deck braces, also using a bandsaw, and welded them to the deck using 7018. I used the attachment plate's vertical 'arms' to locate the position of the front to rear braces, but I did not weld the deck braces to the arms, as did Kaon99's weldor. Once the braces were tacked in place, I removed the attachment plate assembly entirely, using the forks to lift it off. I finished welding the front to rear braces and added side to side braces. I felt that although they probably weren't absolutely needed, they would further strengthen the deck.
Next, I flipped the deck over and welded the bottom of the corner braces with 7018. I also welded the inside of the cracked corners, but I used 6011 rod, since I couldn't get the area clean enough for 7018.
I left the motor and hydraulic hoses in place while welding. I just covered them with an old beach towel soaked in water. My wife now wants me to throw out the perfectly good towel. All it needs is to be run through the washer, but for some reason, she won't agree.
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