3 point finish mower rebuild (basket case)

[aviationben]

Just started a project today if anyone wishes to follow along....

I've got pieces to a 5 ft. Befeco finish mower that's seen better days. The original deck is a side discharge. After reading some posts about side vs. rear discharge, I decided that the new deck will be a rear discharge, without baffles.

and so the project begins...

 

[aviationben]

I started with a new piece of 1/8" x 4' x 8' steel. After taking some rough measurements, I cut out the new shell for the deck with my trusty "china made" 3 in one machine. I don't have the tools to bend the skirts, so I'll just weld them on and finish grind before paint.

 

[aviationben]

Next came the holes for the spindles. I drew them on the computer to scale and plotted them out onto vinyl as a template sticker. After applying the sticker to the metal, I painted over the template and cut out the holes. The three plates in the last picture are to beef up the spindle area.

more to come tomorrow...