I have somewhat of a situation with my 1981 model 216 John Deere lawn tractor. In spite of doing what I thought was good maintenance on " Old Green ",the 46 inch deck on it finally rusted all the way thru in several places. Actually,that is an understatement;the center spindle was rusted so badly it fell on to the ground while I was mowing.My question is where the heck can I pick up just the deck attachment for a model 216 J.D. I have talked to several dealers around the Kansas City area and they tell me that a new deck for this will run about $1000 bucks including spindles (whew!!!). Obviously I hate to invest that kind of money when the tractor is 20 years old. I can't locate anyone who will sell a good used deck without it coming with the tractor also.I feel sure someone has come across this problem before !! Ideally I would like to pick up a decent used deck for around 150 to 250 dollars. If someone knows of a source I would be really grateful. I am currently borrowing my Father-In-Laws antique Snapper which was 10 years old when Lindberg flew the Atlantic! Thanks!