Bush Hog Deck Repair

[F350]

My 5ft cutter deck has a few holes in it and I am thinking about re-skinning
the damaged areas with 1/8 steel plate. The question is....do I weld the new sheet over the top of damaged areas or not???

Is there any issue with layering the sheets in this manner???

Thanks in advance.

 

[F350]

I forgot to mention that it's the left and right outer sides need the repair. The
deck is nice and flat and has rolled edges. I planned the cut the 1/8" sheet to match the sides of the deck and have the new sheet come out to about a 1/2" from the outer edge of the cutter and weld in place.

Does that sound like decent way to repair it??

 

[hockeyhead]

I assume these are rust holes? I don't see a problem welding patches over top of holes, you just need clean solid metal to weld to. Then I'd use caulk to seal the inside in between the hole in the deck and the patch welded on top, prime it, and seal it inside and out with a good implement paint. You just don't want moisture getting in between the deck and the patch. This will more than likely happen from the inside of the deck.

Or cut it out, fit a patch, weld it in ( I use magnets to hold the patch flush while I'm tacking it in) grind the exposed side flush, then prime and seal with a good implement paint.

 

[hockeyhead]

I just seen your second post, on the side walls, is it rust ? keeping water from getting in between the two walls will be the problem as that metal will bare and exposed. on second thought I don't see caulk holding up to that very long.

 

[wushaw]

Yes you can do that but it will rust out sooner because you will create a water trap.

 

[F350]

Let me clarify, the areas that need repair are on the top surface of the deck
outside of the reinforcement beams (front to rear) that are on either side of the gearbox. The holes are probably 6" x 4" in diameter. There is a piece of channel welded on the upper surface of the deck, from the reinforcement beams to the outside edges of the deck. It appears that water and dirt puddling next to these channels caused rust through.

There doesn't seem to be any(?) posts on the subject of repairing Bush Hog Decks. Other people have had to have done this sort of thing.

I am concerned about creating a water/particle trap with overlaying a patch on the existing skin, but that seemed like the simplist way to fix the problem. I really need advice on the right way to effectivly repair the deck for the long run.

Thanks,

 

[hockeyhead]

People, patch, reinforce, repair cutters as required,
the best way, as I see it (without actually seeing it) would be to cut it out and weld a new piece in. then seal it up good on both the inside and out.
Welding a patch over top will work, or maybe from underneath might be better??. or welding both sides ,around the square patch on top and around the hole from the inside.
sealing it up well so no moisture can get inbetween the patch and the original deck will dictate if it last 3-4 years or ten years.
I'd say that all the rust on my rotary is on the underside for the moisture from cutting and the rust on the outside is in the scraped and dented, chipped paint areas.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

People, patch, reinforce, repair cutters as required,
the best way, as I see it (without actually seeing it) would be to cut it out and weld a new piece in. then seal it up good on both the inside and out.
Welding a patch over top will work, or maybe from underneath might be better??. or welding both sides ,around the square patch on top and around the hole from the inside.
sealing it up well so no moisture can get inbetween the patch and the original deck will dictate if it last 3-4 years or ten years.
I'd say that all the rust on my rotary is on the underside for the moisture from cutting and the rust on the outside is in the scraped and dented, chipped paint areas.

I'd suspect that for the sake of the mowers performance, you might be better welding the patch from the under-side. That will create a smooth surface where clippings won't start to build up. You could always patch both sides if that doesn't add too much weight.

 

[F350]

Thanks for the help. This looks like a two brother-in-law repair job.

One has a Welder.....

Another knows how to weld.....

I Really need to learn to weld myself...

 

[wushaw]

Also doing it yourself gives you the capability of doing it on your time and the satisfaction that you did it.

 

[accordionman]

SIR,
i saw a post on this website where this person made a
door in the aft part of the deck, so he could reach inside,
and sharpen the blades with a small grinder. i thought this
was a good idea, since some blades are difficult to remove
for sharpening.
good luck with your projects.
accordionman
wlbrown
wright city, mo.

 

[sandman2234]

The drawback from this angle of patching the rust holes from underneath would be that you are building a pond by having an open hole on top and a sealed botom underneath. Great place to store rainwater and such.
I usually raise the bush hog up and brace it against falling, then sharpen them while they are still on the stump jumper with a 4" grinder. I agree on the hard to get off part.
David from jax

 

[mechanic]

I read your post about your repair. Do you have mig welder? Cut out the rust area then over lay the patch and take the mig and tack all sides down before laying a bead completely around the patch. Be sure that you alternate sides so you keep the warping down. Let it cool before starting a new weld. Paint it and you will be fine.

 

[F350]

Thanks for all the advice guys. The deck repair is my next project. I'm just wrapping up a lean-to (Tractor Storage) off my storage building.

 

[thingy]

That door sounds real good,,if the door wasn't half the deck,,,sounds like a good idea though.
If my 5 year old hog got a hole in top of deck,what would I do,,,depends on how biga hole,,if it was 2-3 inches dia,,,guess I would just get me a piece of about 1/8 or so steel,,and lay it down over hole and weld it to deck,,just stitch weld it,[big tacks],,make it a good bit bigger than hole,,,clean it good first,,and put a couple coats of paint after,,,gotta go back to solid metal though,,so you might wanta see how bad rest of area is rusted,,,make patch big,,,thingy

 

[DaryleD]

Ok, this is my 2 cents. Please do yourself a favor, and cut it out and weld a new patch in. Don't overlap any metal when doing this. Make sure that there is a small gap all the way around the patch. You will want to fill in the gap with weld. The reason that you don't want to weld a patch over or under it, is because when you do, you will have a certain amount of air in between your patches, which, by the heat of the day, and cool of the night, will cause it to condensate in between the patches. Look at a plastic soda bottle that has heated up, and then cooled down. Even though it is water tight, the condensation will be on the inside-sides of the bottle. You said that you needed this fix for the long term. This will be your best fix, to make it last the very longest of anything that you could do fix it. This is the reason that a good body repair on a car will be done with no overlapping sheet metal. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
Daryle.

 

[thingy]

Yeah,if it was car sheet metal,,yeah,,that would be the only way to do it,,this ain't,its a rusty brush hog,,,,if you fit a patch in to a hole,,first you gotta grind/cut back to solid metal,[hole suddenly gets much bigger],,you gotta cut the patch to very tightly match the hole,[otherwise you will have more holes when you weld it],,,than looks to me like if you all worried about this water thing,you would have to turn it upside down and weld bottom,,,man,,what a job! I could be done time you all are still thinking about it,,,but to each his own,,thingy

 

[DaryleD]

Yeah,if it was car sheet metal,,yeah,,that would be the only way to do it,,this ain't,its a rusty brush hog,,,,if you fit a patch in to a hole,,first you gotta grind/cut back to solid metal,[hole suddenly gets much bigger],,you gotta cut the patch to very tightly match the hole,[otherwise you will have more holes when you weld it],,,than looks to me like if you all worried about this water thing,you would have to turn it upside down and weld bottom,,,man,,what a job! I could be done time you all are still thinking about it,,,but to each his own,,thingy

Thingy, You're right. It has thicker metal than a car, BUT... he asked for a repair that would be good long term. It would last a while, and maybe it would last long enough to serve it's purpose, but the very best way to fix it would be to do it the way that I explained. It sounds like you wouldn't spend the time to do it, but what is good enough for you, might not be for someone else. I also wouldn't doubt that you might have had it done by now, since you would obviously not want to put the time in to do it right.
Daryle.

 

[thingy]

Well,he's got a hole that was caused by rust,,he wants to end the hole,,my method lets him end the hole,,problem solved,so my method would be a way of fixing the problem for years to come,so,guess it would be a correct method. My method is much easier and faster than your method too,so in my opinion in this case,my method is better than yours,,whata think a that? thingy

 

[DaryleD]

It is the best way for you maybe. It still is not the BEST way. I will say, that in this situation, that if he does it different than either one of us, it will be the best way for him. There is a difference between a job being worth the extra effort or not, and knowing what would be the very best way to fix it, if one was so inclined. By the way "thingy", I do think that you're enjoying this. I know that I am.
Daryle.