Riding Mowers- Stamped vs. Fabricated Decks

[Touring5]

FWIW, if your old mower is in good shape I see no good reason to abandon it for a new one. I still use my circa 1997 Craftsman lawn tracter to mow 1/2 acre. I've had to replace or repair a few parts over the years, but nothing expensive. A couple of years ago I began to notice a small area on the deck that was beginning to rust through. I thought about preparing for a replacement, but ended up buying a whole new deck from Sears for about $130 (surprisingly cheap and shipping was only $7 flat rate). This is by far the most expensive repair I have done. I too live in Indiana and know that rusting is almost inevitable - there is no way to avoid mowing when the grass is wet in the early parts of the mowing season.

 

[BrianF]

I ran a very used and abused MTD 12hp 38" riding mower for about 5 seasons. It was a 1992 built model and I just retired it last fall. It sported a banged up, slightly bent in places stamped deck. There was surface rust in many places but the thing was not rusted through (rarely cleaned the deck and mowed wet grass often)and it really cut fine. Drawing from my subjective opinion I see no problems with stamped decks. I cut several acres of grass per week in the summer, hitting bumps, some rocks and occasionally finding some barbed wire in the tall grass. Unless I was receiving a smoking deal there is no need for a fab deck shy of a full commercial setting.

 

[The motor guy]

I was at home depot the other day picking up an internet order and looked at the mowers. Those stamped decks sure are flimsy. Tap it with your foot and it wobbles back and forth. Lol