We have the small Ariens ZTR - it's a 34", which is perfect for our property because it's nimble between lots of trees and obstacles and yet eats up the mowing task all too quickly. 2 Years ago I replaced the deck because large roots come up and snag the front edge and eventually there was a blade strike into the deck. It was 4 years old, I think, at that point.
Those first four years, I was rough on it. It was my first rider, I didn't realize how fragile the decks were, and I drove it like a go-kart. $450 later, I toned my speeds way back and started cutting higher at 3" to avoid the roots and another costly repair. And yet, it took a massive hit on a root this past weekend, and I noticed the cut was no longer even. The deck warped enough that the leading edge is down to 1/4" from the blade and the deck no longer hangs level; I think it's warped. There were certainly a number of small scrapes for this deck, but all at lower ground speeds, and most were anticipated by lifting the deck, be aware of where the problem spots were, etc.. Only a few caught me by surprise.
I tried to bang out what I could. It appeared that at some point, a reinforcing "skid" that runs on the bottom of the deck all the way left to right caught something and bent downward, where it was able to "grab" something with full bite instead of skimming over it. At that point, that big flat plate bent and warped. I'm stuck knowing I can cut with it, and it's going to go blade-to-deck soon, or replace it (again) now, which just hurts.
Is this normal with stamped decks?? I've never known a mower to be this fragile.
Those first four years, I was rough on it. It was my first rider, I didn't realize how fragile the decks were, and I drove it like a go-kart. $450 later, I toned my speeds way back and started cutting higher at 3" to avoid the roots and another costly repair. And yet, it took a massive hit on a root this past weekend, and I noticed the cut was no longer even. The deck warped enough that the leading edge is down to 1/4" from the blade and the deck no longer hangs level; I think it's warped. There were certainly a number of small scrapes for this deck, but all at lower ground speeds, and most were anticipated by lifting the deck, be aware of where the problem spots were, etc.. Only a few caught me by surprise.
I tried to bang out what I could. It appeared that at some point, a reinforcing "skid" that runs on the bottom of the deck all the way left to right caught something and bent downward, where it was able to "grab" something with full bite instead of skimming over it. At that point, that big flat plate bent and warped. I'm stuck knowing I can cut with it, and it's going to go blade-to-deck soon, or replace it (again) now, which just hurts.
Is this normal with stamped decks?? I've never known a mower to be this fragile.