[squatch]

Over the last couple of months I've been working on getting my super ready to mow. I was going to restore the original deck but it had too much daylight showing through it. Some rust much abuse. I picked up a very nice used one from a fellow in PA and restored that. I took it apart and sandblasted everything.

Then I painted the whole thing with "ezslide" graphite paint from TSC. Sorry if the color offends the purists but this tractor is for working not pretty.

My spindles were in decent shape so I just rebuilt and greased and added new seals top and bottom.

I've been mowing with a tractor with a mulcher and plug for over 10 years. I like the way it leaves the yard so I bought some "gator blades" for this deck. About as close as I could get to a dedicated mulcher. Only thing is the baldes were just a very tiny bit too long.

I got a little carried away grinding the end of one blade so I overdid both ends and put it in the middle and just buffed the ends of the outer 2. I balanced them on one of those little cone things. Thought I might have taken too much off the one blade but it mows great with no gaps of unmowed grass.

Ready to mount.

Lets mow some grass.

 

[markwb]

Very nice work accomplished there. Those 50" decks were very good decks back in that era.

 

[savageactor7]

Nice restore squatch...have fun mowing.

 

[Toolin]

Nice restore job! Looks like you did the job in your kitchen.. allthough I'm sure that's just your shop with cabinets. My garage has old kitchen cabinets too.. very handy.

I use gators and I used graphite paint on my deck as well (the stuff available at JD dealerships) but have had mixed results. I think it actually attracts grass bits more than an unpainted surface would, and cleanup is no easier, but it does prevent rust so it's better than nothing.

You might want to rub it down with an abrasive poly scrubber before first use.. (like a dish scrubber or grille scrubber). I think that smoothes the graphite surface quite a bit and should help reduce clipping adhesion *some*. You can definitely tell the before vs after difference running your finger across a non-scrubbed vs scrubbed patch.

I'd be curious to see how well yours repels grass clippings, especially if you have particularly moist clippings like I do. Keep us posted.

 

[squatch]

Nice restore job! Looks like you did the job in your kitchen.. allthough I'm sure that's just your shop with cabinets. My garage has old kitchen cabinets too.. very handy.

I use gators and I used graphite paint on my deck as well (the stuff available at JD dealerships) but have had mixed results. I think it actually attracts grass bits more than an unpainted surface would, and cleanup is no easier, but it does prevent rust so it's better than nothing.

You might want to rub it down with an abrasive poly scrubber before first use.. (like a dish scrubber or grille scrubber). I think that smoothes the graphite surface quite a bit and should help reduce clipping adhesion *some*. You can definitely tell the before vs after difference running your finger across a non-scrubbed vs scrubbed patch.

I'd be curious to see how well yours repels grass clippings, especially if you have particularly moist clippings like I do. Keep us posted.

Actually those are old "hart-Vulcan" steel laboratory cabinets out of a governement lab building that was being razed. Ball bearing rollers in the drawers and such. Several had the manufacturers tag in them. They were made in '66. I was in the right place at the right time and got them free. I would have loved to have had the slate tops that were on them but they were much too heavy for normal humans to carry down several flights of steps in long lengths. I probably would have lost a couple of friends(helped me haul them) before the 1st load was in the truck. It was hard enough just getting them off and sat across the room. Makes it so much easier to keep things organized and clean. Though sometimes I've got so many projects going that it's kinda hard to call that mess organized.
Yes I'm curious as to how the paint will hold up. If you rub it it leaves graphite on your finger. It seems like it lubricates by shedding a little. I was suprised by how rough the finish was. The stuff seems to take a long time to cure hard. Seems to dry OK but stays kinda soft for a few days after you apply it. My local Cub dealer sells powder coat in quart cans with Cubs name on it. When the rest of the tractor needs painting I think I'll buy that and take the parts to a powder coater. That stuff is pretty tuff.

 

[joecitizennn]

Right on. Doing similar things myself. It was raining when I took this picture.

Everything got 3 coats IH white except the central support plate which has since received another coat.

 

[markwb]

Looks real good, Joe. What machine does that deck go under? Welcome to MTF!

 

[joecitizennn]

On an international 782. That thing destroys grass. Best mower I have ever had. Alot of paint is coming its way.