DECK RECONDTIONING ?

[Mowman]

Any of you ever take off your decks and sandblast the underside and prime and repaint? I'm wondering if it would be worth all the trouble. What are the pro's-con's of doing this? Thanks for your advice.
Mowman

[John DiMartino]

Ive been doing it every year on my steiner.I have a Dixie chopper this year too.I am going to strip the deck and get it powder coated,since it plugs up so bad,it should hold up much better than the paint,if it lasts a full season,I will be happy.I am putting timken spindle bearings in mine too,while Im at it.

[lawrence stone]

Toros have Timkens installed from the factory.

[John DiMartino]

I know that,stop rubbing it in.DIxies have bearings that arent up to timken standards,all they say is"China",not even a # on them ,Ive already had one spindle go at under 100hrs,the others are quiet,but have more play than i like,both radial,and axial.This is a sign that they are worn for ball bearings.My Toro greensmaster has a all Timken bearings too,they are top quality,I ve never had one go out in the 8K combined hrs of my 3 machines.

[Edited by John DiMartino on 11-10-2000 at 02:44 PM]

[TLS]

Speaking of Dixie bearings, My old 60" center spindle would raise up and down like a quarter inch!! I think this had to do with the side load induced on the center drive pulley going up and down with deck raising and lowering. Anyone else have this problem with a Dixie?

John,

Let us know how that powdercoating goes. I could give a better paint job than Dixie with a Krylon can! The Exmark paint seems to be bullet proof, kinda like an Imron.

[John DiMartino]

Tom,my 5 yr old daughter could paint better than DC,that is not a lie,the deck was rusting within a week of me buying it,the paint is dull and doesnt clean up easy either,my 99 Toro's paint job is still like new with 300 hrs,you just hose it off and everything falls right off it.You need to pressure wash the DC everytime or it wont clean off.Hopefully,powder coating,and timken bearings will be the solution to my aggravation with this deck.

[TLS]

Or just take it off and put an Exmark deck on it!! LOL

[John DiMartino]

If Iwere to buy a new machine right now-Id get the excat machine you bought,with the 27 KAwi.Do you have any idea how much that engine is?I havent seen pics ofit,is the rad on the engine or mounted separate.It would make a great retro-fit to all these 1998-2000 machines with bad,low hr(Kohler )engines,that are out of warranty or told its normal,like mine.

[TLS]

John,

The radiator assembly on mine is mounted similarly to the Dixies coolers and Donaldson filter. ITs up on a few brackets and then the cover hinges over top. I don't think it would be feasable to retrofit this engine to anything, as the wiring harness is totally different and I'm not sure of the mounting holes in the engine plate. It is a horizintal shaft, so mounting in a DIxie is out of the question. If my Dixie engine would have went, I would have replaced it with a 23 Kawi air cooled vertical.

The Lazers really are a well engineered product. Fit, finish, quality, throughout. I feel like Eric, preaching about Dixies, I'm preaching about Lazers!! I wish I could be with Eric, and I was, but there is such a difference in build quality. I had to switch. Broke my heart a little, but I dont regret it a bit.

[Richard Martin]

Dixie1 wrote:

<b><i>The Exmark paint seems to be bullet proof, kinda like an Imron</b></i>

Like I have said before, everybodies situation is different. At 275 hours the paint is gone from the underside of my Exmark's deck and no we don't have sandy soil. There is also a 3/4" crack in the rear of the baffle where it is welded to the deck. Good thing it is still under warranty.

[osc]

How do you go about getting your deck powder coated? I have several mowers that I want to recon this winter. Also, can you replace ball bearings in your spindles with tapered roller bearings as long as the I.D. and O.D. match the old ones?

[Likestomow]

John -- I was told by a DC factory official that by using the Magic Mulchers you can eliminate much of the grass build -up under the deck. He went on to say that even using just one, on the left spindle only, would decrease the grass build-up. It has to do with creating a "ceiling fan" effect on the top of the deck. I use them on all three spindles and they work well for me.

[John DiMartino]

Thank you for the tip,right now Im not having to bad a problem with plugging,since mostly Im mowing leaves,very few clippings to cut,grass isnt really growing now.I bagged my 3 1/2 acre front yard last wednesday,I only had to dump 4 times,mostly leaves,only cutting about 1/2" off the top.In the summer,man it is bad,if the grass is thick,or wet-I am under the deck more than Im mowing.

[Edited by John DiMartino on 11-14-2000 at 01:03 AM]

[ChrisYanik]

If your going to be reconditioning your mower, consider using a laquer based paint along with several coats of clear coat laquer paint. This will give your machine a long lasting shine...more so than the results you will get from a can of Krylon enamal paint. Laquers won't fade as quickly, are resistent to gas and oil spills, clean up well, and last about 3 times longer than any other akrylic enamal or urethane paint.

As far as the underside of the deck, nothing I've tried has really held up for more than about 30 hours.

The powered baked paint system is sold by autobody repair supply stores for around $250.00 but requires the use of a large oven and is good only for small applications such as your trucks valve covers, air filter assembly, etc.

[John DiMartino]

I can get mine powder coated at a big shop that does full 8 ft sections of wraught iron railings with no problem,so i dont think the deck will be a problem.