Kyle_in_Tex said:
Wow what an awesome overhaul. I think I can see some of the sweat equity still dripping off the edge in the picture.
I'm guessing you must have gotten that thing almost for a song and a dance if your willing to refurbish and pull an old "green" mower behind your blue tractor...
Anyway, looks good and I'm jealous...Kyle
Song, dance, and night cap i guess. I paid 2000$ for it.. which I considered to be a good deal.. even in the condition it was in. Around here.. you can get good used batwings that are 'mow' ready in the 5000-6000$ range. In the 1000-2500$ range you get beaters that are rusted thru.. have leaky seals.. and otherwise need work before they will mow.
This unit was actually more or less 'mow ready' though I did ahve to finagle with it for about 2 hours to get one of the pto shafts to slide open. It had been parked from last november tilllas month, and the left wing driveshaft had a spot of surface rust that stuck it. I oiled it from the back of the shaft ont he yoke end where it would join the left gear box... I used pb oil and engine oil.. and gave it a squirt every time i walked by.. and also used a tack hammer and just went down the flats on each side of the pto shaft and tapped every few inches. I used a 2x4 and cribbing to make a catch for the wing to only allow it to fall about a foot from vertical, thus i was able to use a ratched tie strap hooked to my truck trailer ball to provide some leverage on it. After 2 hours of oil and tapping.. it just poppe dloose and slid open till the cribbing caught it. Rusty spot was the first 2" at the part where it jouined... I sanded then wire brushed it.. greased it.. raised the wing via hyds.. remove the cribbing, then lowered the wing, and then cleaned the entire shaft.. etc.
At that pont the mower was actually operational. I did have to get one of the remote spools on my tractor replaced though due to a casting defect in the spool.. but that was a tractor problem.. not a mower problem.
At that point, I did a test mow with it before I sunk any money into it.. to make sure it wasn't junk.
It mowed great.. so i knew I was gonna try to make it last. Batwings are too spendy for me to buy new.. so i figured this one needed to last.
I checke dthe gear boxes.. all were good bearings and seals. I had to remove and clean the vents on each one as well as replace a 13$ dipstick for one of the boxes. All the drive shafts got removed and cleaned, greased then reinstalled. Wheel bearings and seals were new... though tires are a bit ratty.. they hold air.. so i left them till i run them bare and flat.
I got a jack for it.. it already had the round reciever nub for one.
I had to replace a couple bolts and a bushing int he front of the hitch, and do a bit of welding to the support straps that hold the left and right side of the rubber blade /debri guards in the front.
The left wing hinge had a loose pin I had to drive back in, and then weld a washer over the but end to make up for an area that used to have a retaining lip.. but had been worn paper thin due to it slipping and rubbing. I had to weld up the 'stops' in 2 places, where the wing folds back to, as they had worn down.. presumably from the loose hinge pin allowing them to have excess play.
During the cleaning with the pressure washer, i noticed many new parts. Blades were new, seals ont he wheels wer new, as well as the center gearbox.. I pulled it apart to verify it wasn't a junkyard rebuild.. and it was in fact.. brand spankin new...
It took me 3 days of degreasing and pressure washing to get the thing clean enough to prime/paint. After cleaning I inspected the deck and sides for bad welds or rust holes. I only found a little pitting in corners that had drain holes that had been plugged with grass clippings...
After that it was just getting it jacked up and then i primed it ... took 2 days to prime. Painting took 3 days... The underside took a day by itself. It was chalangine getting under corners and doing out of position painting on some of it without totally flipping it up on end.. etc.. I also was not trying to be as attentive to detail.. I.E. I wasn't worried about slumps or runs.. i just wanted good paint coverage ont he bottom to protect it. Ironically.. I had absolutely -0- slumps or runs onthe underside paint/prime... without even trying.
I used a primer I was not familiar with.. it was n etching rust control primer... Took me quite a few ounces of test painting to get the feel for it... Turned out ok in the end.
My goal was to get the entire job done before i needed to mow again.. and I just slid in under the line.. as it looks like I may mow with it again on sunday.
I opted to add 3 SMV plaques to it.. one on each section... Probably didn't need it.. but I figured maybee it would keep the distracted drivers aware of me. I also grabbed a roll of DOT reflective tape and pretty much hit front sides and rear with it for additional safety.
All of the intact decals on it, i masked and salvaged, a couple i had to purchase.
I think that's about it. I'm not sure what I just put into it money wise.. but I will estimate around 220$ in materials and doodads, and ?? 40 hours in labor??
Even figuring that I will have to get 6 new tires probably after next cutting season.. that plus my labor and materials, and the purchase price.. I think I will still be at about 3600$ in total cost.. and I'll have a good unit.. that would be comparable to at least one of the 6000$ used units around here.. so i can't complain at all... But... I'm glad it's done... It worked my tail off doing it... Way harder than painting this mower.. vs a tractor...
Soundguy
