I bought a Craftsman tractor back in '99 or so that had one of the crappiest mower deck designs ever. They called it "EZ 3 mulching" or something similar and it's supposed to be convertible from side-discharge to mulching by adding a cover over the discharge port. Well, even with the cover off, the deck's multiple bumps and contours cause grass to build up rapidly causing it to get more and more plugged. The only time it did a decent job cutting at all, was if the grass was totally dry and if I crept along slowly.
After working within it's limitations for a while, I pulled the deck off of a early 80's Gravely commercial walk behind mower and slid it under the Craftsman tractor. After adding a tab here and a bracket there with the MIG, it was usable. The goofy-looking rear gauge wheels in the photo are attached to the deck's original mounting hanger brackets from the walk-behind, and were put on the way they are so there was some adjustment before a final "permanent" location was decided upon. Funny thing is, I started using the machine...and it worked so well that I never did get around to actually *finishing it* with permanent wheels, paint job, etc.
This deck is 50" wide, (4" wider than the original crappy Craftsman deck was), and I'm able to travel much faster with it and it does a nicer job cutting....just because it's wide-open and unobstructed underneath. I don't think there are any plans for a job like this, just grab a measuring tape, a grinder, and a welder...and have at it!
