A video showing how I repaired a rotted out lawn mower deck. For the experienced welders, please don't cringe while watching this. It does not look pretty, but it works.
I just bought a Miller Weld Pak 3200HD and plan to weld a crack on the frame by the left front wheel. Eventually, the crack will grow and the wheel will cave, but now I can do something about it. It will be my first real weld since I had a little welding training back in high school 40 years ago. Wish me luck and I enjoyed your video. I dont think I will have to add metal, but rather just weld up the crack. One newby to another: BRAVO
I have a Hobart flux core, didn't want to spend the money for MIG. I did some measuring, think my deck where the rust is seems closest to 16GA. Really want to make it smooth and do butt joints...your vise and hammer technique, I think that will be what I try. Been trying little patches, not going well.
Use the lowest setting you have on the machine and make lots of small tack welds like I did. That way you are not chasing the hole around with your welder. Make sure the steel is clean as well. I personally hate welding the thin metals. Have fun and good luck!!
Your Bride gave you some sound advice & you sir are a wise man for heeding it in more ways than one. LOL I am not a welder but like you I have had to repair some of my equipment and with a HF 125 Flux core. A lot of splatter but we get er done. Other then stitch welding this thin metal I do not know if there is another method that would work. How did that caulk hold up? Stay well, Joe Z
Thanks for the comment!! I'm happy to say that the Caulk did hold up reasonably well. I'm guessing it is because I keep a good layer of that silicone spray paint covering it. When I clean out the deck after each use, it has very little build up and I don't have any sticks or rocks in my lawn. Just soft grass. OH, I agree, I hate using Flux core welding wire. There have been times when it was unavoidable though.
Great demonstration. I am getting ready to make a similar repair. The caulk applied on the inside is an interesting idea. I would have never thought of that.
I have almost the same mower, red steel deck with the Briggs & Stratton 190 cc motor, 22in deck. Bought it from Sears in 2012. Starts reliably but yeah, the deck is totally rusting out from underneath and I have a real tough and uneven lawn. The deck has been losing its shape over time and sagging causing the blade to touch both sides. As a result, once it rusts through like this, it'll be scrap.
Wow, it would be a real tragedy to give up on a mower that actually starts easily. Those are so rare. Have you tried to weld in some reinforcing steel to force the deck to keep it's shape? The wonderful thing about steel is that you can always add layers to it and it is back to good as new. (at least until it is to heavy to push)
@@bounder97 Thought about that but 1/8in steel bars welded around each side to return the deck from an oval shape to a proper circular shape is not feasible with my basic 40A stick welder and my generally lousy welding skills. Would also add a significant amount of weight to an already compromised deck that is rusting horribly around the whole underside, not just one area like yours. This deck was way too thin right from the factory. Just last month I hit a fist-sized rock which bent the crank shaft badly. I followed the methods presented on YT to fix it and surprisingly the motor survived the wanton abuse! Too bad for all this because otherwise the mower has been such a trooper.
What about using plumbing solder and "MAPP" gas torch? I recently purchased a "Titanium Flux 125" welder from HF. I have never WELDED before but have experience with soldering in a "plumbing" domain. Using solder will definitely leave a better looking repair than using a FLUX WIRE welder (too cheap to buy a MIG). As far as soldering experience, I have about 40yrs of electronics repair under my belt. I realize that solder is not as strong as using steel, but it is ONLY a lawn mower NOT the "Space Shuttle". lol
Hello, I do not know it that would work. If it does, it would definitely be cheaper. However saying it's only a lawn mover so it doesn't have to be strong I very much disagree with. Ever seen you lawn mower kick up a rock? That mower deck prevents the rock from striking you. If it's not strong, the next kicked up rock could be your last mow job you have to do. Anyway, good luck and I hope it works for you.
I have the same problem, but this seems to be a time consuming band aid. That rust area is where the blade concentrates it's discharge, eroding the metal, which rusts when thin. How long did your repair hold up ?
Hello, the repair I showed in this video has lasted two years so far. I am seriously thinking that the wash out connection that I removed was the cause of the rot. Now I just tip the over on it's side and hose it out after every use. I have found no more corrosion problems.
You could have just ground off the main rusted areas with a sandpaper disc and cleaned the underside of the deck then used some fiberglass cloth and BONDO to seal up the area then after it hardened just shape it up to match the contours of your deck then prime and paint
I guessed I missed the point of this statement? I welded a metal repair onto a metal deck. This would seem to be a standard and safe repair. This statement wants me to use fiberglass and bondo instead? Fiberglass and bondo in an application where rocks can be kicked up against it at hundreds of miles per hour?? I have seen cars with bondo on them. The stuff is cracking and falling off just from driving down the road.
@@bounder97 I wasn't being a smart butt , I have a wire welder , metal man 130 amp Flux core , yes you did a pretty good job I agree , but fiberglass boats take a beating in the water and corvettes are fiberglass , my point was the newer push mowers and some older ones have high impact fiberglass decks , yes fiberglass , I was just saying that could be an option to consider
Hello, Great question. No, I did not remove gas and oil. The welding is on the deck while the gas and oil are enclosed in steel containers such as the tank and engine. Question: If you are welding the shaft of the lawn mower, I assume you are talking about where the blade attaches. Do you have plans to rebalance the shaft after the welding? Anything that spins at high speeds really needs to be properly balanced in order not to destroy stuff from vibrations. Good luck and have fun !!
@@bounder97 Hadnt really thought about the balancing part, I was just going to go by sight and feel and just try my best to sand any wobble out of it because I don't have a lathe. and no sir my purpose is to add width to a tapered shaft with a flux-core welder and sand grind it down to 1" if possible and I wanted to know if I need to take out the combustibles because I will be doing it with the crankshaft intact as I believe if I take it apart it will run into more problems lol..But I do really appreciate you answering me back really
If you want to put an end to this sort of thing when you buy a brand new mower, before doing anything with it, tip it up and coat the bottom of the deck with multiple layers of epoxy spray paint (used on appliances) Then wash out the bottom with the hose after using it and once a year, after washing off the bottom, hit it with a few more layers of paint.
Hello Ted, this is great information. I already wash out after every use, and respray paint with Teflon paint every year (after pressure washing). I really like the idea of the epoxy spray paint. However I have never seen that product sold anywhere. Could you please respond and let us know a brand name and/or where we can purchase it? That would be terrific!!!
Thanks for the information. I hate welding thin steel. Perhaps because I have been using the wrong wire size???? I will definitely give this a try on my next thin steel project.
My mower is way more rusted out than that, there is a crack that runs clean through from the discharge chute to where the motor mounts so It's like my mower is cut in half on one side. There are bubbles in the paint all over the deck because of all the rust underneath. I think at that point I am just going to have to buy a new one huh? My fault for not cleaning off the wet grass clippings from under my mowers deck.
Thanks!! It sure did. I used that mower for 3 more years. The mower deck worked perfectly during that time. When the engine stopped working, I finally replaced the mower.
Thank you for your suggestion. I agree, that would work. However, I would then have to get rid of all the other parts for the donor mower. In my area, disposing of anything with a gas tank on it is extremely difficult.
The equipment manufacturers did the consumers no favors when they started powder coating mower decks.It seems to hold moisture as soon as it gets it's first scratch.Next thing ya know it's garbage. Good for them...Bad for us.
I have seen new gas push mowers as low as 120$. For that money it is not worth to fix anything that has burn rusted. Today the materials like welding equipment, grind disc, paints etc cost almost as much as new mower. Or there is so little cap in price that it is not worth it. It is much better to take the motor out of the deck and use it as a spare part or sell it as a spare motor and then go buy new mower that lasts 30 years with proper storage, maintenance and cleaning. Maintenance is also pretty costy if you do reqular oil changes. I recommend to store the mower properly cleaned in dry place without gas in the tank or in the carburator. Oil change every year is not necessary with mowers. The condensation water will vaporize once the oil is warmed up or stored in dry place. Oil will seal the oxygen and prevent rusting anyways. Lawnmowers usually has so low rpm, low load, low hours that the oil change is necessary propably in every 5 years or so. At least for home use 120$ mower. Modern oils are so good that my relative has ran his lawnmower 15 years without any oil maintenance, lol.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I do however seriously question the accuracy of some of your statements. The welding of the mower deck did NOT cost the same as a new mower. It was not even close. I probably spent about $5 in consumables to repair the deck of my mower. Your statement implies a person would buy welding equipment and consumables to repair the mower, then throw it all away. Do you really believe anyone would do that? I’m reading your statement as it cost me $8 to tighten a loose screw after I bought the screw driver, tightened the screw then threw away the screw driver. Perhaps it would be a lot cheaper to use a screw driver you already own (repair cost would now be $0) or if you did buy a screwdriver, keep it for future repairs. Your statement also seems to lump all mowers into the same quality category. Are you saying I should throw away a John Deer mower and buy a Wal-Mart special? Do you think a $120 mower performs the same way and has the same amenities as a more expensive mower? I have never seen, nor do I know anyone that has made a gas mower lasted 30 years. If you watched my entire video, you would have seen that the reason why my deck rotted out was because of the maintenance I was doing. The rot was at the hose attach point for cleaning the mower after each use. Why do you limit maintenance on a mower to the motor? 80 percent of your comment talked about maintaining the motor. I liked your advice on that subject. The rest of the mower also needs maintenance. For example, repairing damaged mower decks. Finally, I am not a member of the throw away generation. People in my age group believe it is better to keep equipment running for as long as possible and not simply overflow our landfills because it is easier to just buy a new unit. However, thanks again for sharing with the rest of us.
I am a bit unclear on your comment. The deck is made out of steel. To repair steel, you use steel. Why would you want to use aluminum to repair steel? Combining dissimilar metals creates corrosion, which would only make the problem I was repairing much worse? It would also make the repair much more expensive as aluminum is considerably more costly then steel.
Vince, I see on your channel that you own at least $10,000 worth of lawn mowers. Many people can not afford the luxury of simply buying new when something can be fixed. This is why people like me try to help others by posting videos like this. I am happy for you to have the means at your disposal to simply buy new. However, perhaps you don't need to point out to the rest of us that we can't afford to live your lifestyle.
Hello Jo, thank you for commenting. I come from a generation that believes in not wasting recourses. I know the current generation is known as the throw away generation. For a few pennies in cost of materials, I made the lawn mower last several more years. I only replaced it once the engine started having problems starting. Something as simple as a rusted out deck should not be a reason to throw away a perfectly usable lawn mower. So, it was not a waste of time and money. I saved $400 and the time was not wasted because I enjoyed performing the repair. Is the time you spend performing your hobbies wasted? Not only that, I produced a video so others could gain knowledge from my experience. With this knowledge, other motivated people can also extend the life of their equipment. Hopefully, if enough people don't throw away useful appliances, you will live a long and happy life, as this planet actually has limited recourses.
@@bounder97 I wasn't saying not to fix it I was talking about the thin metal you were fixing it with if your going to take the time to fix it fix it right
That was cool you repaired the damage and really didn’t care what it looks like ! But never the less it does the job 👍
I just bought a Miller Weld Pak 3200HD and plan to weld a crack on the frame by the left front wheel. Eventually, the crack will grow and the wheel will cave, but now I can do something about it. It will be my first real weld since I had a little welding training back in high school 40 years ago. Wish me luck and I enjoyed your video. I dont think I will have to add metal, but rather just weld up the crack. One newby to another: BRAVO
Love this kind of stuff. Great video and voice-over! Thanks for sharing. You have a new Subcriber 👍
Love it! Nice easy fix
Yes! Thank you!
Nice job and some humor.
I didn't think your repair was bad. I just block those trolls.
Great voice and instruction
Thank you very much for your kind words.
I have a Hobart flux core, didn't want to spend the money for MIG. I did some measuring, think my deck where the rust is seems closest to 16GA. Really want to make it smooth and do butt joints...your vise and hammer technique, I think that will be what I try. Been trying little patches, not going well.
Use the lowest setting you have on the machine and make lots of small tack welds like I did. That way you are not chasing the hole around with your welder. Make sure the steel is clean as well. I personally hate welding the thin metals. Have fun and good luck!!
Your Bride gave you some sound advice & you sir are a wise man for heeding it in more ways than one. LOL I am not a welder but like you I have had to repair some of my equipment and with a HF 125 Flux core. A lot of splatter but we get er done. Other then stitch welding this thin metal I do not know if there is another method that would work. How did that caulk hold up?
Stay well, Joe Z
Thanks for the comment!! I'm happy to say that the Caulk did hold up reasonably well. I'm guessing it is because I keep a good layer of that silicone spray paint covering it. When I clean out the deck after each use, it has very little build up and I don't have any sticks or rocks in my lawn. Just soft grass. OH, I agree, I hate using Flux core welding wire. There have been times when it was unavoidable though.
Great demonstration. I am getting ready to make a similar repair. The caulk applied on the inside is an interesting idea. I would have never thought of that.
Good luck!
Thanks for the tip on Graphite spray paint . 👍 .
You bet!
Great!
FRANKENMOWER!
I have almost the same mower, red steel deck with the Briggs & Stratton 190 cc motor, 22in deck. Bought it from Sears in 2012. Starts reliably but yeah, the deck is totally rusting out from underneath and I have a real tough and uneven lawn. The deck has been losing its shape over time and sagging causing the blade to touch both sides. As a result, once it rusts through like this, it'll be scrap.
Wow, it would be a real tragedy to give up on a mower that actually starts easily. Those are so rare. Have you tried to weld in some reinforcing steel to force the deck to keep it's shape? The wonderful thing about steel is that you can always add layers to it and it is back to good as new. (at least until it is to heavy to push)
@@bounder97 Thought about that but 1/8in steel bars welded around each side to return the deck from an oval shape to a proper circular shape is not feasible with my basic 40A stick welder and my generally lousy welding skills. Would also add a significant amount of weight to an already compromised deck that is rusting horribly around the whole underside, not just one area like yours. This deck was way too thin right from the factory. Just last month I hit a fist-sized rock which bent the crank shaft badly. I followed the methods presented on YT to fix it and surprisingly the motor survived the wanton abuse! Too bad for all this because otherwise the mower has been such a trooper.
Thanks
COOP
...
What about using plumbing solder and "MAPP" gas torch? I recently purchased a "Titanium Flux 125" welder from HF. I have never WELDED before but have experience with soldering in a "plumbing" domain. Using solder will definitely leave a better looking repair than using a FLUX WIRE welder (too cheap to buy a MIG). As far as soldering experience, I have about 40yrs of electronics repair under my belt. I realize that solder is not as strong as using steel, but it is ONLY a lawn mower NOT the "Space Shuttle". lol
Hello, I do not know it that would work. If it does, it would definitely be cheaper. However saying it's only a lawn mover so it doesn't have to be strong I very much disagree with. Ever seen you lawn mower kick up a rock? That mower deck prevents the rock from striking you. If it's not strong, the next kicked up rock could be your last mow job you have to do. Anyway, good luck and I hope it works for you.
I have the same problem, but this seems to be a time consuming band aid. That rust area is where the blade concentrates it's discharge, eroding the metal, which rusts when thin. How long did your repair hold up ?
Hello, the repair I showed in this video has lasted two years so far. I am seriously thinking that the wash out connection that I removed was the cause of the rot. Now I just tip the over on it's side and hose it out after every use. I have found no more corrosion problems.
I prefer to weld this metal from down side and use epoxy putty from upper side to make it look like nothing was done :)
thank you very much for the advice. I will try that on my next repair...
You could have just ground off the main rusted areas with a sandpaper disc and cleaned the underside of the deck then used some fiberglass cloth and BONDO to seal up the area then after it hardened just shape it up to match the contours of your deck then prime and paint
I guessed I missed the point of this statement? I welded a metal repair onto a metal deck. This would seem to be a standard and safe repair. This statement wants me to use fiberglass and bondo instead? Fiberglass and bondo in an application where rocks can be kicked up against it at hundreds of miles per hour?? I have seen cars with bondo on them. The stuff is cracking and falling off just from driving down the road.
@@bounder97 I wasn't being a smart butt , I have a wire welder , metal man 130 amp Flux core , yes you did a pretty good job I agree , but fiberglass boats take a beating in the water and corvettes are fiberglass , my point was the newer push mowers and some older ones have high impact fiberglass decks , yes fiberglass , I was just saying that could be an option to consider
hey thanks for video my question is did you have to remove all gas and oil from the engine before welding?? I was wanting to weld on the shaft..
Hello, Great question. No, I did not remove gas and oil. The welding is on the deck while the gas and oil are enclosed in steel containers such as the tank and engine. Question: If you are welding the shaft of the lawn mower, I assume you are talking about where the blade attaches. Do you have plans to rebalance the shaft after the welding? Anything that spins at high speeds really needs to be properly balanced in order not to destroy stuff from vibrations. Good luck and have fun !!
@@bounder97 Hadnt really thought about the balancing part, I was just going to go by sight and feel and just try my best to sand any wobble out of it because I don't have a lathe. and no sir my purpose is to add width to a tapered shaft with a flux-core welder and sand grind it down to 1" if possible and I wanted to know if I need to take out the combustibles because I will be doing it with the crankshaft intact as I believe if I take it apart it will run into more problems lol..But I do really appreciate you answering me back really
Very helpfull..
Glad you think so!
pretty comprehensive, however i'd use JB Weld on the seams and not some caulk that's just going to fall apart
If you want to put an end to this sort of thing when you buy a brand new mower, before doing anything with it, tip it up and coat the bottom of the deck with multiple layers of epoxy spray paint (used on appliances) Then wash out the bottom with the hose after using it and once a year, after washing off the bottom, hit it with a few more layers of paint.
Hello Ted, this is great information. I already wash out after every use, and respray paint with Teflon paint every year (after pressure washing). I really like the idea of the epoxy spray paint. However I have never seen that product sold anywhere. Could you please respond and let us know a brand name and/or where we can purchase it? That would be terrific!!!
nice vid try .6 wire and tip better for light work it works for me hope this helps
Thanks for the information. I hate welding thin steel. Perhaps because I have been using the wrong wire size???? I will definitely give this a try on my next thin steel project.
My mower is way more rusted out than that, there is a crack that runs clean through from the discharge chute to where the motor mounts so It's like my mower is cut in half on one side. There are bubbles in the paint all over the deck because of all the rust underneath. I think at that point I am just going to have to buy a new one huh? My fault for not cleaning off the wet grass clippings from under my mowers deck.
Nice repair did it hold up
Thanks!! It sure did. I used that mower for 3 more years. The mower deck worked perfectly during that time. When the engine stopped working, I finally replaced the mower.
Another easier method is to pickup a donor mower deck & swap out the components. 👍
Thank you for your suggestion. I agree, that would work. However, I would then have to get rid of all the other parts for the donor mower. In my area, disposing of anything with a gas tank on it is extremely difficult.
Your skills definitely overkill this project. Quite fun to watch. Thank you.
You bet
Every year clean bottom & use under-seal & slap it on.
The original paint is too thin & chips off.
Under seal is made for cars & lasts years & years.
Automotive seam sealer would be a permanent solution to caulk.
I have never heard of automotive seam sealer. I will look into it on my next repair job. Thank you for the info..
The equipment manufacturers did the consumers no favors when they started powder coating mower decks.It seems to hold moisture as soon as it gets it's first scratch.Next thing ya know it's garbage. Good for them...Bad for us.
fabricated, properly protected decks are always a better option, not these stamped metal crap
Try using jb weld
I have seen new gas push mowers as low as 120$. For that money it is not worth to fix anything that has burn rusted. Today the materials like welding equipment, grind disc, paints etc cost almost as much as new mower. Or there is so little cap in price that it is not worth it. It is much better to take the motor out of the deck and use it as a spare part or sell it as a spare motor and then go buy new mower that lasts 30 years with proper storage, maintenance and cleaning.
Maintenance is also pretty costy if you do reqular oil changes. I recommend to store the mower properly cleaned in dry place without gas in the tank or in the carburator. Oil change every year is not necessary with mowers. The condensation water will vaporize once the oil is warmed up or stored in dry place. Oil will seal the oxygen and prevent rusting anyways. Lawnmowers usually has so low rpm, low load, low hours that the oil change is necessary propably in every 5 years or so. At least for home use 120$ mower. Modern oils are so good that my relative has ran his lawnmower 15 years without any oil maintenance, lol.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I do however seriously question the accuracy of some of your statements.
The welding of the mower deck did NOT cost the same as a new mower. It was not even close. I probably spent about $5 in consumables to repair the deck of my mower. Your statement implies a person would buy welding equipment and consumables to repair the mower, then throw it all away. Do you really believe anyone would do that?
I’m reading your statement as it cost me $8 to tighten a loose screw after I bought the screw driver, tightened the screw then threw away the screw driver. Perhaps it would be a lot cheaper to use a screw driver you already own (repair cost would now be $0) or if you did buy a screwdriver, keep it for future repairs.
Your statement also seems to lump all mowers into the same quality category. Are you saying I should throw away a John Deer mower and buy a Wal-Mart special? Do you think a $120 mower performs the same way and has the same amenities as a more expensive mower?
I have never seen, nor do I know anyone that has made a gas mower lasted 30 years. If you watched my entire video, you would have seen that the reason why my deck rotted out was because of the maintenance I was doing. The rot was at the hose attach point for cleaning the mower after each use.
Why do you limit maintenance on a mower to the motor? 80 percent of your comment talked about maintaining the motor. I liked your advice on that subject. The rest of the mower also needs maintenance. For example, repairing damaged mower decks.
Finally, I am not a member of the throw away generation. People in my age group believe it is better to keep equipment running for as long as possible and not simply overflow our landfills because it is easier to just buy a new unit.
However, thanks again for sharing with the rest of us.
You could have used aluminium gapper mesh and metal filler for that
I am a bit unclear on your comment. The deck is made out of steel. To repair steel, you use steel. Why would you want to use aluminum to repair steel? Combining dissimilar metals creates corrosion, which would only make the problem I was repairing much worse? It would also make the repair much more expensive as aluminum is considerably more costly then steel.
Toro color red- John deere color green
Or you could’ve went out and bought a new one
Vince, I see on your channel that you own at least $10,000 worth of lawn mowers. Many people can not afford the luxury of simply buying new when something can be fixed. This is why people like me try to help others by posting videos like this. I am happy for you to have the means at your disposal to simply buy new. However, perhaps you don't need to point out to the rest of us that we can't afford to live your lifestyle.
Why would you even bother to do the repairs with such thin metal. Waste of time and money
Hello Jo, thank you for commenting. I come from a generation that believes in not wasting recourses. I know the current generation is known as the throw away generation. For a few pennies in cost of materials, I made the lawn mower last several more years. I only replaced it once the engine started having problems starting. Something as simple as a rusted out deck should not be a reason to throw away a perfectly usable lawn mower. So, it was not a waste of time and money. I saved $400 and the time was not wasted because I enjoyed performing the repair. Is the time you spend performing your hobbies wasted? Not only that, I produced a video so others could gain knowledge from my experience. With this knowledge, other motivated people can also extend the life of their equipment. Hopefully, if enough people don't throw away useful appliances, you will live a long and happy life, as this planet actually has limited recourses.
@@bounder97 I wasn't saying not to fix it I was talking about the thin metal you were fixing it with if your going to take the time to fix it fix it right
@@bounder97 => I used the same metal on my riding mower deck & it lasted quite a long time until the trans gave out & I scrapped the whole thing.
@@Rich22C