wright stander cracked deck

[dtm]

i have two 61 inch standers I have had both decks with cracks in the front by the spindle covers behind the front wheels. i have e-mailed wright about this but have recieved no response yet. my service dealer has asked wright about the problem but they seem to be draging their feet on this issue. does any one know the warranty coverage on their decks or has any one had the same problem with their 61 stander. I have a 48 and a 52 but they have no cracks or problems as of yet. the mowers are only 1 to 2 years old with about 600 hours on each.
thanks for any info you guys may have.

[Jason Pallas]

I don't have any specific experience with that model BUT I do have a lot of experience with cracking decks. Get those cracks welded ASAP. We weld them as soon as we see 'em. If you don't, the crack will just continue (spiderweb) and cause other parts of the deck to crack too. We had one stress crack that caused another crack to form on the OTHER side of the deck because of the undo stress. Good Luck.

[BigEd]

You should try to post this on TurfMfg.com . You can ask Wright on there,should get you a answer quick.

[mowingmachine]

The old Great Dane surfer had the same problem. The surfer was almost an exact copy of the stander. The cracking is occuring because they need a vertical stuctural piece such as an angle iron to carry the load back to the frame. Simply welding the crack will most likely not eliminate the problem. I would weld an angle iron on from the area where the front caster support bolts in back to a stronger location on the deck such as where the frame attaches. This will carry the load to the frame instead of a weak part of the deck. The way the caster supports were attached was a poor design right from the start. Hope this helps.

mowingmachine

[tpirobert]

I have 1 year old 61" Stander with no cracks to my knowledge. However, after reading your post, I'm going out to the shop and take a closer look. I have emailed Wright in the past and had excellent response. Try email from their web site http://www.wrightmfg.com/ Keep us posted on how this is resolved. Good luck.

[BRL]

dtm,
According to the paperwork that came with my Stander there is a limited lifetime warranty on the decks. Didn't see what the limits are. I'm sending you a PM with a contact information for someone at Wright who I am sure will address your problem.

[Jason Pallas]

Mowingmachine - I had to weld a couple of pieces of angle iron the same way to reinforce the deck on my Buntons. We had a terrible flex problem - so, I can sympathize. You're right - welding the cracks usually won't solve the problem (treating the sympton) You should defintely find the source of the cracking (vibration, loose bolts, stress, etc...) and start by reinforcing the point there. Good Luck