hole in mower deck!

[TonyR]

I have a John Deere JE75 walk-behind with an aluminum deck. I just noticed that something has punctured a small hole in the deck at the same height as the blade!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif On the outside it looks like it was fiberglass by the way it kind of "splintered". The aluminum is also dented outward at the same location. I usually mulch with this mower (it is now a trim mower as my Legacy has taken the big job at this house). Is this anything to worry about? Should I try to have this repaired? Is there a repair for this?

Thanks!

 

[Roy]

Tony; A lot depends on the size of the hole. If it is large enough for a projectile to shoot out, I would be concerned. If it is a small hole, the question is how does it perform (still mulch ok). If it needs to be patched, unless it's really large, a simple automotive body repair kit may work.

 

[TonyR]

The hole is very small. I guess I am a bit concerned that this is now a "weak spot" and don't want the hole to get larger. It also seemed weird that this happened and I was thinking that this was possibly a structural/material defect?

 

[Roy]

If it works OK, I wouldn't be concerned. But, I assume from your response that you don't even know what caused it. That is strange. If you hit something while mowing which punctured the deck, you would of known it, right then and there. So, it looks like a defect is a possibility. Talk to the dealer. Even if out of warranty, you may be surprised.

 

[scruffy]

Roy, I would be concerned with hairline cracks from the hole/dent. In my way of thinking, I would be looking at having a reinforcing patch 'welded' (aluminum can be welded by an experienced welder) on to prevent further problems with that area of your deck.

 

[Bird]

I agree with Scruffy. If your dealer doesn't have anyone experienced in welding aluminum, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone who is, and get it fixed before it gets worse.

Bird

 

[Roy]

Scruffy and Bird; I think we are in concurrence that the first thing Tony should do is contact the Dealer. He needs to identify the material. What concerns me is the way he described the fracture (looking like fiberglass). There is also the issue of applying a patch to the inside (assuming the internal shell is aluminum). If the patch piece causes an internal ridge, it can impact the air flow, and therefore the mulching performance.

 

[Bird]

You're right, Roy. I just assumed (and you know what happens when you do that) that any patch would be put on the outside. And of course, depending on the size of the hole, it might be welded without the use of a patch.

Bird

 

[Roy]

Bird; That what makes virtual diagnostics so tough, we have to eventually make some assumptions. I also made an assumption that the outside is something other than aluminum (fiberglass) and thus non-wieldable. (Admitting that I have zero knowledge, nor experience, with wielding).

 

[TonyR]

Talked to the dealer...

I spoke with the dealer that I purchased the mower from. They said it would not be something that would be looked at as a potential warranty item. They suggested that I either replace the housing ($260.33 + tax - OUCH!) or have someone either weld a patch or fill the pinhole somehow. I am also going to contact John Deere directly. Any other ideas?

Thanks.

 

[Bird]

Re: Talked to the dealer...

It'll be interesting to hear the outcome. Roy was going on the assumption that the exterior was something other than aluminum and I was making the opposite assumption./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I still don't understand how you could have gotten a hole in it other than by hitting something like a rock that hit it from inside, and of course, I would have expected you to hear that when it happened.

Bird

 

[scruffy]

Re: Talked to the dealer...

Bird, I likewise made the assumption that the case was made of aluminum. I also automatically assumed patch would be on the outside of the case. I forget to supply full vocalization to my thoughts, and I sure don't expect anyone to decipher those!
I think I would run it by a local machine/welding shop and have a professional opinion made as to the identity of material used, and the possibility of welding a patch over the exterior of the area in question.
Running the equipment can aggravate the area, extending/enlarging any hairline cracks that may have been introduced by the projectile.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by scruffy on 10/4/00 05:45 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[Roy]

Re: Talked to the dealer...

Tony; As for your last question. Outside of JD coming through, patching, or swallowing the $260+ /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif, I can't think of any other options. While waiting for Deere to get back to you, you might want to contact a local shop to get a repair cost estimate. After having a shop look at it, let us know what they say about the material. I just can't think of how an aluminum puncture could look like a fiberglass break. (But I haven't seen nearly everything!).

Let us know what happens. I am also curious, if JD ends up providing a new deck, how old the unit is. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[TomG]

An old way of repairing aluminum was rivets. Light airplane bodies, especially around the engine, develop cracks. My dad was an A&E mechanic, and he had the rivet tools. The procedure was: stop drill the crack; cut an aluminum patch; form the patch over the crack and drill several holes; hold the patch to the body with special spring loaded clamps that extended through the drill holds; drill more holes; and set rivets in with a rivet punch and a bucking bar behind.

I help my dad do this, and it works really well, but the special rivet tools are required. Pop rivets might work, but I doubt they'd do as well. The riveting we did was not on any contoured surface, but riveting might work if the metal deck shell has some sort of resin coating and can't be welded.

 

[TonyR]

Response from JD

I have included the response from John Deere below. To answer a previous question, the unit is 2 years old with only about 20 cuttings under it's belt (I bought it a couple months before moving to an apartment while building my new house). But... from JD's response, I will be looking into having someone local fix it with some type of patch. I will keep you updated on what I do.

Response from JD:
Your dealer administers the warranty program for us and you would have to take the mower to him for inspection. If the dealer determines that the deck is defective in material or workmanship from the factory and not that he had impact damage then they can make the call as to if it is something that warr. would cover. As far as I know, we have not had any deck problems and we have been using the same deck for 10 years.

 

[Roy]

Re: Response from JD

"As far as I know, we have not had any (fill in blank) problems and we have been using the same (fill in blank) for 10 years." Is this a response right out of the Firestone management handbook? /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I got a 40 year old Allis B10. A few years ago I wasn't paying attention and ran the mower deck into a tree. The blade put a 10" gash in the housing. I whacked the housing straight with a sledge hammer and welded the gash. Still getting a beautiful cut. I wouldn't worry about a "pinhole" no matter what kind of exotic material your housing is made of. If it gets larger, stop drill, weld if metal, epoxy if other, paint if you want, and don't worry about it.

 

[jimmoore]

Small hole? Use BONDO!


jim

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Use, J B Weld.

 

[scruffy]

I would still recommend the hole having a patch welded onto it for two basic reasons.
A. The weld will stop any hairline cracks from traveling further (cracks can be imposible to see with by eye - magnafluxing would be required to determine if or how many there may be)
B. The patch will provide extra protection and strength in the damaged area, providing increased safety and relief from further damage to existing problem.
The above may be 'overkill' but such is preferable to possible future problems.