Craftsman '86, 18hp, mower deck

[grunewald]

Any suggestions on replacing oem mower deck with something a little thicker. Have replaced the deck once before, it just rusts out, seems paper thin to me.

[Thomas]

I think your going to find swaping different model mowing deck will be a problem not unless your handy w/tools and metal...you could check out the tow behind mowers.

[KubotaSteve]

My brother had an old Craftsman that he tried to get another deck for and he couldn't find one for a decent price. It ended up being cheaper to get a whole new machine.

[Stimw]

A month ago a neighbor put a GT 22hp Kohler hydrostatic 46" cut to the curb. It had a bad deck, flat tires and water in the carb.
I ordered a new deck from Sears online, it cost $148. deck only plus shipping. Also new steering bushings. I ordered new spindle bearings from Bailey Sales.
I aired the tires, cleaned the carb and tank and I have a nice mower for a total of $225.
I have an MTD 12hp 38" cut that I have had for 14 years and it still has the original deck. I always blow it off with a air hose after use. When the grass lays on the deck it causes it to rust out a lot faster.

[dqdave1]

If you decide to order a new deck housing; while it is new and unused, take it to a pickup truck bedliner shop and have them spray bottom ( and top if wanted) with bedliner. I would think this would help protect it from rust.

[EddieWalker]

I've never heard of this. Do you mow your grass when it's wet? My Craftsman mower is about ten years old and I've had it 5 years. I never wash off the deck or clean it at all. I've changed the oil, plug, filters and belt, but never cleaned off the deck. I don' thave any signs of rust, so I'm wondering why you do?

Eddie

[frank_f15]

Im with EDDIE MY SEARS GT IS 14 YEARS OLD i do clean the deck a few times a year , especially before storing for winter, and i have no rust what so ever.

[Fordlords]

I've never heard of this. Do you mow your grass when it's wet? My Craftsman mower is about ten years old and I've had it 5 years. I never wash off the deck or clean it at all. I've changed the oil, plug, filters and belt, but never cleaned off the deck. I don' thave any signs of rust, so I'm wondering why you do?

Eddie

My guess is this depends heavily on where you live. In a warmer climate like Tyler, TX the dryer grass will be much less acidic when cut. In western New York though, regular deck cleaning is just about a must if you want 10 or more years out of a mower deck.

Craftsman has not used a lot of interchangeability among their decks, and changed designs a lot since '86. This makes retrofitting something else to the tractor sort of a futile exercise. Unless you can locate a really good used deck for the same tractor, (unlikely) you have to get a new deck or a new tractor.

-Fordlords-