What happened here (mower deck)?

[ChrisMU]

I’m wondering what happened on the middle of the blade (blue circled area). It looks almost like grease oozed out, but it’s a hard, yet flexible plastic material.

Backstory: this is the original rusty 48” deck of my 1992 JD 240. I bought a used 48” deck from a 265, but I’ll need to replace at least one spindle, as the 265 deck deck sat out in the elements and the three spindles are at varying levels of spin-ability. I’m hoping I can re-use the spindles on my old deck. One has basically no play. The other two (pictured) have a little bit.

I had hoped I could just lube the 265 deck spindles and all, since replacement will be a bear. I tried removing one bolt and could tell I’d end up grinding it off. So, I left them on and successfully mowed my 1.3 acres. However the PTO-to-deck belt is once again expanding and now I feel some vibration under the deck.

This is my first foray into mower deck work, aside from belt replacements. My apologies for the very bad blades on the old deck. They will not be reused.

 

[97prizm]

Maybe grease. Is there a gasket that could have been overheated? Those blades look like they should have been replaced years ago. It seems odd that other blade has no material on it like that. Are the blades/belts binding causing excess heat?

 

[Jdeere562]

You hit something or it got wrapped up in the washer?
Never heard of a plastic washer holding on the blade. Maybe someone Jerry rigged it?

 

[ChrisMU]

I do know the history of the mower… it was bought new by my folks in ‘92 and I got it in 2017. The blades were replaced once with mulching blades, then sharpened once after that. There’s a possibility they were sharpened once more while I was off at college or something. I don’t think my dad did any hack job repairs… just put it together how it came apart. As far as hitting things, my folks’ lawn in Wisconsin is pretty smooth, but my Texas hill country lawn is tough on mowers, with all the small rocks and little stumps and such.

Excess heat: yes, possibly. Once, earlier this year and with the old deck, the deck to PTO belt had ejected. I was putting on new belt, and I burned my hand on the PTO belt pulley. I probably should have waited longer but I needed to finish the mowing before dark. …but this was the PTO pulley and not the spindles.

 

[Jdeere562]

Still never heard of plastic washer under the blade bolt.

But I am an old man 20 years since dealing with them, so maybe things changed.

 

[Barkleymut]

when you say that you tried removing one bolt, was that the bolt holding on a blade or one holding on a spindle? I've replaced a TON of blades and never had to grind off one. Get an extra long breaker bar and I will bet you can get it off.

I love the blades as long as they are sharp and balanced it doesn't matter what they look like

 

[burbguy82]

wow you sure got your monies worth out of those blades

 

[zzyzzx]

I would also like to see how well those blades cut, if at all.

 

[IndyIan]

Might be just a piece of whatever was handy to fill the gap for a too long bolt?

 

[thastinger]

wow you sure got your monies worth out of those blades

Somebody sold it because it left 2 8" strips of uncut grass while mowing.

 

[jeepman3071]

wow you sure got your monies worth out of those blades

Yeah no kidding.

 

[jkasch]

Barnacles.

 

[ChrisMU]

when you say that you tried removing one bolt, was that the bolt holding on a blade or one holding on a spindle? I've replaced a TON of blades and never had to grind off one. Get an extra long breaker bar and I will bet you can get it off.

I love the blades as long as they are sharp and balanced it doesn't matter what they look like

It was the bolt holding the spindle. At first it was loosening (with the help of kroil), then the nut and bolt would just keep turning together.

Oddly this mower cut pretty well, even with the old deck and awful blades. However, the part of the deck where one of the two front arms attach had completely rusted away and the rear deck wheels were rubbing against the front of the rear tires. The last straw was the belt wear/throwing. I’ll probably have to mow once more with the salvage deck/vibration issue before swapping in at least one of the old spindles. I’m sure one of the salvage deck spindles is toast.