For real? Are fabricated decks better?

[meep]

Like clockwork, every 2nd year I destroy the deck on my ariens ztr. I usually mow others’ homes as favors or to help out, so there’s the occasional surprise - I know where to crawl in my own yard but not someone else’s. I’d done such a good job with this latest deck, and I’ve been caring for mine + 2 others lately. This 3rd deck was going to be the one that stayed in the game! At 3/4 speed today it hung on a stump below the cut line today so suddenly the back of the mower came off the ground. I was thus pushed forward into the bars briefly which drove it in for a second hit. It finished the cut but its obviously warped, and looks like one more impact and it will be in the blades.

im seriously considering trading this for a used smaller professional unit. how do the pro’s contend with this sort of thing? do professional mowers handle this kind of stuff better?

m

 

[spasm3]

I really don't think any z-turn is designed to resist running into/onto stumps. Especially at the speeds a z-turn mower can cut grass. You are going to have to check out the area you mow for the first time, and mow as high as possible till you know its clear. Mow questionable areas with a cheap pushmower first.

I have a non self propelled , high wheel push mower, that i use the mow the edge of the woods behind my house. I keep it mowed so sapplings do not grow up. I trim the yard with the nicer lawn boy.

 

[4wd]

Like clockwork, every 2nd year I destroy the deck on my ariens ztr. I usually mow others’ homes as favors or to help out, so there’s the occasional surprise - I know where to crawl in my own yard but not someone else’s. I’d done such a good job with this latest deck, and I’ve been caring for mine + 2 others lately. This 3rd deck was going to be the one that stayed in the game! At 3/4 speed today it hung on a stump below the cut line today so suddenly the back of the mower came off the ground. I was thus pushed forward into the bars briefly which drove it in for a second hit. It finished the cut but its obviously warped, and looks like one more impact and it will be in the blades.

im seriously considering trading this for a used smaller professional unit. how do the pro’s contend with this sort of thing? do professional mowers handle this kind of stuff better?

m

Enlighten me please … I see folks really fly on these things … but what else might create a greater propensity to wreck the deck as compared to a lawn tractor ?

 

[raburn2906]

Every 2nd year...?

 

[meep]

So, exactly. What seems to have happened with the last deck and I’ve watched it with this one too, is that they are fine until this bottom sheet of heavier steel on the leading edge gets hooked and bent downward. Then it will hook and snag every root in the yard, eventually bending it back into the blades. The steel is so springy, I can try to bend it back with no avail, or whack it with a hammer and it just bounces it off. My ztr is an entry level machine but I’m certainly inclined to think others run into the same thing?

best point I see here is to walk the yard before, to become familiar. In this, it’s easily a 1 acre lot, and I did not do that. I don’t know if the deck had already taken a hit that started to hook it downward... I have shared the mower with others too- it sees a lot of use - and on approach as I scanned the yard I didn’t see this root as being something that would have been too high.

but indeed, I was moving at a decent clip... probably 4mph when it hit.

afa every second year, this will be the 3rd deck replaced in 8 years or so, so not quite every 2nd year but it feels like it. This mower sees a lot of different yards here and there and it’s just a consumer unit. Ariens Zoom 34. I quite like it- small and nimble, easy on gas and easy to transport, and strong enough that the rest of it can go through (now 3) decks and keep going otherwise just fine.

admittedly, I really could kick myself for not seeing it.... I’ve learned to go slower, cut higher, not drive it like a go-cart.... but not enough. Sigh.

 

[#18FAN]

You wouldn’t d have that problem with a 1/4 inch fabricated deck. Seems to me trying to mow with a homeowner mower if that with a commercial mentality in mind many try it with same and similar results usually blaming the mower not the operator or what it was intended use was for.

 

[rekit]

One thing I have noticed on my Gravely 61" fabbed deck is it is HEAVY. The anti scalp wheels are not up to the job of lifting it in some situations-it just plows thru making ruts. I had to add a wheel at the rear of the discharge to help. I used a HF 10" cuz I can get em for $4 with the coupon. I have it set for 2 3/4, but I can remove it with a cotter pin if I need to mow lower (at our rc flying field).

 

[RhondaHonda]

How low do you cut? I feel like people in the south and people in rural areas here cut stuff super short, which obviously increases the chance of snagging the deck on something. I mow my fescue at 4 1/2 - 4 7/8” and the back part of my property at 4”. This is measured from concrete to the blade edge, which is off significantly from the sticker Ferris puts on my FW35. I have a fabricated deck and it is beefy. I’d think it would bend the deck hangers before bending the deck if I hit a stump or something solid at speed.

 

[4wd]

How low do you cut? I feel like people in the south and people in rural areas here cut stuff super short, which obviously increases the chance of snagging the deck on something. I mow my fescue at 4 1/2 - 4 7/8” and the back part of my property at 4”. This is measured from concrete to the blade edge, which is off significantly from the sticker Ferris puts on my FW35. I have a fabricated deck and it is beefy. I’d think it would bend the deck hangers before bending the deck if I hit a stump or something solid at speed.

I keep my deck as high as it will go … but spongy grass, heavy lawn tractor (and heavy driver) and it’s still cutting a bit lower than I’d like … the pressed steel deck has a soft lip though …

 

[meep]

Mine is set usually to “3” but it’s really about 4.5. I think #18Fan is probably right. I’m probably treating it more as a commercial unit than a homeowner. In a foreign yard one is just not going to memorize all the different things without a few bumps and bruises. Multiply that be a few and it adds up. ive ordered a replacement but may see about buying a second hand model of something sturdier next season. When is a good time to look for 2nd hand commercial gear?

 

[IveBeenRued]

I have rammed my fabricated deck into more fence posts, hidden rocks, foundation blocks, and stumps than I can count. Still going strong with over 500 hours on her.

 

[spasm3]

I mow as high as it will go, deck all the way up. In the fall i gradually cut it lower and lower until i'm ready to aerate. But never cut much off at once.

 

[bchannell]

I know generalizations are dangerous, but I can't imagine you mow ground with more tree roots, stumps, and general yard obstacles than I have on my 7 acres, and I seem to avoid any deck damage by following a few simple rules...
1) don't mow too close, it's not needed and it's asking to hit obstacles
2) don't mow ANYTHING you are not sure of, by that I mean walk over any new ground before you mow, This falls under "better safe than sorry"
3) mow at reasonable speeds, unless you know the ground thoroughly, even on zero turns. Just because a mower can mow fast, doesn't mean it's a good idea.
4) remove any obstacles you can, stumps, etc. if not mark them. I use orange surveyors markers for low lying obstacles and it reminds me to be careful

I would never mow anyone else's lawn for the first time without taking a look around, assuming I couldn't see the turf base. If I see grass that hasn't been mown lately, that's a huge indication that it contains an obstacle.
It seems like every tree I have has roots at the top of the ground, so I'm constantly mowing over them. I know how low I can set my deck and never go lower, and it works.
You can buy all the decks you want, fabricated or not and they won't stand up to abuse like that. They're just not designed for that. My JD 425 60" deck weighs 350+ pounds, and is built like a tank, and my previous tractor had a fabbed deck that was built out of 1/4" steel all the way, they wouldn't have lasted if I hit things constantly.

 

[meep]

Thank you all. bottom line is I’m asking more of it than it is designed to do. Whether it’s too light or I’m too aggressive, either way I have to change with how I use this mower or continue to bend decks. I think it’s a 12 gauge steel stamping with a 1” wide 10ga leading edge.

 

[jeepman3071]

You HAVE to walk the area first and look for obstacles. #1 rule of mower safety and also not destroying your equipment. Mowing 3 yards shouldn't destroy the deck, that's operator error. My 15 year old Home Depot Deere has 800+ hours and the deck is in perfect shape. I mowed up to 5 yards a week with it at one point, many 2+ acres that were newly built properties, so lots of sticks and stones still in the new yard. Even if you have a super duper fabricated deck, it only takes one well-placed rock or stump to destroy the deck's mounts or a blade spindle.

 

[meep]

Copy that. Thanks jeepman3071.

 

[Cujet]

I started TIG welding 1/8" steel plate to the damaged sections of my JD commercial deck. My repairs have held up perfectly.

 

[JTK]

Fabricated decks aren't necessarily better. It depends on the overall build quality of the machine.

Some stamped steel decks are legendary for their toughness. Sorry if it's been mentioned, but the JD "7-iron" deck for instance.

I had a fab'd 3-blade 44" deck on my premium residential grade Cub Z-force ZTR. That deck was so loud you couldn't use the machine w/out ear protection. It was also very heavy and difficult to scrape clean because of the lack of curves so to speak. The stamped 44" I had on my Cub 2544 rider was whisper quiet in comparison, had better cut quality and was easier to clean.

In the cheaper realm of machine, fab'd decks are a marketing gimmick.

 

[jhellwig]

Fabricated decks aren't necessarily better. It depends on the overall build quality of the machine.

Some stamped steel decks are legendary for their toughness. Sorry if it's been mentioned, but the JD "7-iron" deck for instance.

I had a fab'd 3-blade 44" deck on my premium residential grade Cub Z-force ZTR. That deck was so loud you couldn't use the machine w/out ear protection. It was also very heavy and difficult to scrape clean because of the lack of curves so to speak. The stamped 44" I had on my Cub 2544 rider was whisper quiet in comparison, had better cut quality and was easier to clean.

In the cheaper realm of machine, fab'd decks are a marketing gimmick.

Exactly. The reason you see fabricated decks is because the companies do not have or want to invest in a big enough press to stamp a one piece deck of suitable thickness for commercial use.

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Yep, just because its a stamped deck doesn't mean its bad and just because its a fabricated deck does not mean its good. As mentioned before the John Deere 7iron decks are very heavy duty. My mother has a John Deere x320 with 800 hours on it of some rough mowing and its non commercial stamped deck is fine. It has an 11 gauge deck I believe, yours has a 12, not much of a difference in thickness anyway.

Even on a commercial mower if you are going fast and hit a solid object I believe you are likely to damage something, it just depends.

Now I have has two used mowers with stamped decks that rusted out and caved in. Those were an mtd and a craftsman, the craftsman was almost 20 years old.