Mower decks

[JDMAN]

Does anyone know what brand of mower currently has the thickest guage deck?

[grasscapeinc]

It is currently John Deere on the new Ztracks.<br>7 guage one piece stamped still..THick...

[fdew]

7 Gauge is .173 thick, 10 Gauge is .134, BUT if it is stamped it will not be any where near 7 gauge in the vertical section. Also the metal it self is changed in the stamping (Hardness, ability to bend vs. crack ETC.) Just gut feeling , I would take a welded 10 gauge over a stamped 7 gauge.

[grasscapeinc]

Ive used both, and I think stamped gives a better cut and is much more durable than fabricated(welded)

[Alan]

Stamped decks have far less corners for stuff to start catching in. If the correct material and processes are used the stamped deck gives up nothing to a fabricated deck in terms of strength. In fact, with the quality (lack of) that I'm seeing in so much factory welding the stamped deck just might last longer.<br>

[1stclasslawns]

Well I dont have a caliper with me ,but, the deck on my Great dane is thicker then a .177 cal pellet so it has to be heavier then a 7 guage. <br>I went and checked just to find out.<br>I also thonk that they would have to use a milder steel to stamp a 7 g. deck. I know it is done under heat, but from what I looked at of a friends new JD, hes dented his new 7 iron deck.<br>Just my .02 worth.

[paddy]

where did you measure your great dane deck. on the front, well my toro 36 inch is reinforced on the front, probably a 1/4 inch. i don't think you can measure how thick the top of the deck is with a pellet. On my deck. there are dividers that come down, enclosing the cutting area, i wish they were boxed, so grass couldn't get behind them, its a pain to clean that out. It would make the deck stronger too. Deere's deck does look pretty impressive to me, from their website. I wish they made midsize walkbehind decks like they make my 21 inch deck. its cast magnesium, light, strong, and you can put nice curves in it. smooth curves probably make it easier to design proper airflow into the deck

[derekarbeiter]

First of all, welded or stamped, it's all just personal opinion. However, stamped is better when done properly. Airflow is better, strength is better, and that translates to better cut quality and a longer life deck. For example, a welded deck has a welded seam on the top of the side skirts as a part of its design where as the stamped is solid steel= STRONGER. A welded deck has corners which can catch grass where as the stamped has smooth, rounded sides which push grass out= BETTER CUT QUALITY. I am aware that a 7-gauge welded deck is beter than a 12 gauge stamped but when you stamp something such as the 7-IRON, there is no comparison. I think a lot of people see the welded deck and its corners and think that it is stronger because of it just looks beefer. However, you have to realize that a stamped piece of steel is stronger than one with a welded seam. So why do most companies use weded decks? A: Cost and the majority (It costs millions of dollars to buy presses, dies, etc. where as you can weld a deck in your garage. And of course the majority of the consumers have this idea in there head that welded is stronger.) SO YOU DECIDE. DEMO, DEMO, DEMO.

[WREBELMACHINE]

Ok before the bad boy boys get started about how they are the thickest keep in mind with a fabricated deck look for lamination and reinforcement. Much stronger in the impact area's.

[mag360]

Bad boy claims a full-5 guage deck.

[Zooropa93]

Stamped decks are virtually never as strong as their fabricated counterparts of the same gauge. I would take a 7 gauge fabricated deck over a 7 gauge stamed time and time again. It's no secret why the vast majority of commercial mowers use a fabricated deck. Give me Scag's velocity deck, Hustler's XR7, or bad boy's deck for durability any day over any stamped deck.

[grassman177]

i know my new kubota deck is ridiculous thick, you cant even mov it when you kick it. almost too heavy! i think it is 1/4 inch plus reinforcements

[Richard Martin]

Hey fellas, standard HTML code doesn't work on vBulletin.

[tomo]

hello ,
toro turbo force 7 guage top and sides
bad boy 1/4 inch thick top and sides

Most fab decks have baffles that smooth out the air flow and donot allow the grass to build up in a fabricated corner

There are lesser decks eg with 7 guage sides and 10 guage top deck

The other possibility is the multiple layer decks . Using many layers of thin sheet metal is suppose to be stronger than one thick peice . BUT the draw backs r
--corrosion between layers
-- welding repairs could be a issue

Pressed metal decks are cheaper to construct than fab decks
All the pressed decks mainly JD i have seen fail at the point where the metal changes direction from the top to the sides . Stress fractures etc

tomo:waving:

[Richard Martin]

Pressed metal decks are cheaper to construct than fab decks
All the pressed decks mainly JD i have seen fail at the point where the metal changes direction from the top to the sides . Stress fractures etc

There are special processes called ANNEALING which can make steel soft enough to be worked without causing stress fractures. The steel can than be rehardened after forming with cryogenic processes. Can a deck be formed for cheap without the proper steel treatment? Yes. That is assuming all of the dies, presses, stamps, etc (costs run into the many millions) have been paid for.

Oftentimes a lot of these mower manufacturers use their fabricating equipment to build other things besides what you may think. That's why some of these companies have names that include the words Industries and Manufacturing. It is a fact that the same machines that stamp out some of Gravely's mower parts also stamp out heavy truck parts like bumpers.

[Atlantic Lawn]

We have one mower that we use on crappy properties, here that means sand. The deck on the Toro has started to wear through on the top part of the deck.

[Lawdog302]

EverRide has a 7 guage deck. I've always heard that fabricated decks are typically stronger decks.