[ebg18t]

Hi All - I made a mistake last winter storing the deck in our portable garage and a large tree limb came down which destroyed the portable garage. Needless to say the mower deck (which I stored vertically) took a hit damaging the mount for the front draft arms. The plate is bent and the welds cracked. I do no weld, so what’s The best way to repair? Should I just have The local JD dealer pick it up to fix? Open to reasonable ideas.

 

[SulleyBear]

I would show the photos to the Deere service manager before having them pick up the deck. It may not be something they handle in house and they may want to refer you to a shop who does fab work. If the Deere dealer will repair it, I would want to get a solid price estimate in advance to avoid any surprises.

Also, with the impact the deck took, perhaps the deck has other damage or is twisted. It took quite an impact with a lot of weight / force to bend that short of a brace that severely and to break the welds.

This is why I think the Deere dealer is likely to defer to someone else on this. If they were to repair it and then find out the deck is damaged and needs to be replaced, they suddenly are into a replacement deck as the simplest solution. They would also likely price out the deck housing cost, but the labor to swap over all of the pieces will quickly make the new decks cost more attractive. This isn't really the dealers area of specialty, but perhaps they will handle it, or they can suggest who will.

If the dealer won't handle the repairs, I would visit with established small engine / repair shops and show them your photo's. When you share the photos of the deck damage, you will get one of two quick responses;

1. "That's not something we do"........as they have a look of "No thanks" on their face, or......

2. "Hmm, All I would have to do is to remove that brace, put it in a press and straighten it and then re-weld it and get any needed parts from Deere".........

Number 2 is your place......Hopefully, you have pallet forks or at least straps for picking up the deck and loading it to get it sent out for repair.

I would imagine your homeowners policy or if you have the tractor insured, that the tractor insurance coverage may come into play if the repairs end up requiring either a new deck housing or a replacement deck.

Also make sure to get a specific time frame for when the repairs are likely to happen. In our area, the good shops are booked out 3 weeks right now............

 

[SulleyBear]

If the deck does have other damage and or is twisted from the impact it received when the tree limb fell on it, here is what the replacement deck assembly sells for. This is the bare deck housing, plus the parts shown inside the box drawn. It's important to know this in case the deck requires more repair than it first appears.

My concern would be the housing is slightly tweaked from the weight of the limb and the impact. Also, the auto connect assembly needs the deck housing as produced for everything to work well and easily. If the damage is beyond just the front braces, whoever performs the repairs might want to have the tractor available to test fit the deck install and also make sure the deck connects and disconnects as intended. Ask whoever is making the repairs about this.....

If you had the deck stored vertically, I would be concerned the base of the deck also received some damage when the limb landed on the top portion of the deck. While the brace damage is obvious, the arms on the rear of the deck which was supporting the deck when the limb landed on it, also might be damaged. That's quite an impact and amount of weight to cause that damage shown in your photos.......Those need to be measured against another deck to make sure they aren't bent or twisted...

 

[Ashokan1]

I had damaged my deck and an experienced welding shop took care of it. Much less expensive than a dealer.

 

[ebg18t]

Thanks guys.

I’ve emailed a few places with no response so far.

I wonder if this is something the Deere insurance might cover?

 

[Cmpeter1]

If you have physical damage coverage it should but it will be less your deductible, which was $500 in my case.

 

[Rule292]

Thanks guys.

I’ve emailed a few places with no response so far.

I wonder if this is something the Deere insurance might cover?

If it were me I'd put the deck flat on a concrete slab and measure to see if it is twisted.

I certainly am no MechE but from what I see the cross brace broke off at the welds but the actual brackets on the deck look as if they have no damage. Those must be some strong welds!

Can you eyeball another deck and see if you see any other visible damage?

I like things nice and new but in this case if the deck were not twisted permanently I'd have new cross braces made and welded in place of the bent ones.

 

[ebg18t]

I called 9 places and left messages. No one returned calls, so the JD dealership picked it up last night.

I’m hoping it’s just a cut out the old brace & weld in a new one. I don’t see any twisting in the frame of the mower deck, so fingers crossed it’s a quick repair.