Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.

[Vondon302]

Went to put away my brush/swamp mower and this happened. Sprayed it off and there was nothing there but paint. 19 years old and still runs good too.
Now I know why it developed a weird vibration this year.

[RallyDarkstrike]

Somebody should get into the business of producing replacement non-metal mower decks...

[Vondon302]

@rallydarkstrike This!
These honda ohc motors are hard to kill. I haven't changed the oil in it in a decade.

[Shop-Teacher]

@vondon302 said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

Went to put away my brush/swamp mower and this happened. Sprayed it off and there was nothing there but paint. 19 years old and still runs good too.
Now I know why it developed a weird vibration this year.

Well there's your problem!

[RallyDarkstrike]

@vondon302 Yup...I have a mower with a Briggs motor. The body is starting to rust out, but the motor still runs fine despite the oil being changed in it like...maybe twice since 2004? (I do make sure to check it and top it up if needed though.)

[Vondon302]

@shop-teacher said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

Well there's your problem!

Ah a little tin and some sheet metal screws and it'll be as good as new.

[Krusty Walnut]

@rallydarkstrike I wonder if someone can 3D print them and sell them on Esty or a similar marketplace. I'm guessing there are liability issues and one would have to have different sizes for different blade diameters. But definitely a good idea.

[RallyDarkstrike]

@krustywantout Would that plastic hold up over time though? You'd need one that was OK with a lot of vibration and moisture and rocks being thrown at it from fast-spinning blades, etc...

[Krusty Walnut]

@rallydarkstrike There are plastics that can withstand those impacts. Since these decks are used for extended the life of the engines, I don't think most people will expect the same useful life as the original deck.

[Shop-Teacher]

@vondon302 said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

@shop-teacher said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

Well there's your problem!

Ah a little tin and some sheet metal screws and it'll be as good as new.

Oh yeah, no problem! Don't forget to sprinkle some cinnamon on it.

[LooseonExit]

@rallydarkstrike
The plastic decks are most likely glass reinforced nylons. PA6 maybe? A lot of the electric mowers are plastic deck, some Hondas too I believe.

[Shop-Teacher]

@krustywantout I'm not against a plastic mower, as I actually have one and love it (battery powered Ego). I have my doubts that a 3D printed one would hold up to the vibrations of an ICE.

[Tripper]

There are two types of mower owners (plus the guy that did the Martini livery on his...which was fucking awesome!!!)

Type A - "19 years old and still runs good too."
Type B - "My mower didn't start, time for a new one"

Type A's get their mowers from type B's

[Bandit]

@rallydarkstrike said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

@vondon302 Yup...I have a mower with a Briggs motor. The body is starting to rust out, but the motor still runs fine despite the oil being changed in it like...maybe twice since 2004? (I do make sure to check it and top it up if needed though.)

You're better than me! My old briggs mower I got for free was burning oil and since I didn't have any motor oil on hand I poured in some random hydraulic oil/fluid to see what would happen. Still runs great on it 5 years later, I'm not going to question it.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

So now the DOT salts the backyards too?

[Vondon302]

@whoistheleader said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

So now the DOT salts the backyards too?

I think it's that they put so much on the roads it eventually becomes airborne.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@vondon302 Be careful that YOU don't start to rust. No one wants salty lungs and spare tissue to patch them with is hard to find.

[Shop-Teacher]

@tripper said in Confirmation that I live in the rust belt.:

There are two types of mower owners (plus the guy that did the Martini livery on his...which was fucking awesome!!!)

Type A - "19 years old and still runs good too."
Type B - "My mower didn't start, time for a new one"

Type A's get their mowers from type B's

A few years ago I became Type C- "I'm tired of breathing small engine fumes! I'm getting a battery powered mower." No ragrets!

[BicycleBuck]

@vondon302 I swapped the deck on mine a few months ago. Found the new deck at the local small engine shop. He has a small salvage yard out back.

It's not the rust belt doing it. It's the cheap materials they're using these days. My previous push mower lasted over 20 years. This one lasted less than five. I didn't get a picture of it, but the front of the deck rusted through behind the front wheels. Even the salvage deck had rust, but I cleaned it up and added more metal for the motor mount.

After paint and assembly.

[Tripper]

@shop-teacher I actually may be able to do that before long. I had been saving up to get a ride on mower...then my wife decided that she wanted a huge garden, we put up a shed, and got one of those playsets for my kiddo... a lot less grass to cut these days

[Vondon302]

@bicyclebuck Yeah I was just making a lame joke. Hmm lawnmower junkyard eh. I might have to look around for one now.

[Shop-Teacher]

@tripper I highly recommend it. No fumes, WAY less noise, and it's a lot lighter too. It's so easy to use, most of the time my wife mows the lawn before I get to it. She would never touch a gas mower. I had a nice Stihl gas blower and trimmer too, I sold them and went battery powered there too. I'm very happy I made the move.

[MM54]

My old heavily abused and never maintained honda push mower developed a few small holes in the deck this fall, runs great so I'm not sure if it's worth replacing the deck or just replacing the whole mower. I wouldn't mind something with a bag for cleanup in the fall.

[rctothefuture]

Never had a deck fail like that, pretty impressive. My old Briggs locked up on the last cut this summer. Had to get out my electric mower (smaller deck, don't use it because it takes longer) that has a plastic type deck. Way more light and I might go full electric with a battery pack for my next mower. So much nicer.