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(ET) Mower Musings
One of the mower motors on my Avco R36 rider has gotten noisy, so it's
time
for a refurb. I've pulled the deck and torn it down. Two questions come
to
mind.
QUESTION 1: mower motors. I've successfully changed lower bearings in
mower
motors before, but I remember that for some reason I failed with the upper
bearings. I don't recall why (it was at least 10 years ago). I don't own
a
press. Anyone have any upper-bearing-changing tips?
I'm also concerned about the potential for breaking a magnet. These
motors
are a different size from any I've seen used in front-deck ETs, so they're
probably more scarce. How much risk is there?
Should I be cautious and instead take the motors to a shop? I had the
drive
motor bearings changed by a local auto electric shop a while back and they
seemed to do an OK job, thoiugh it was a tad pricey, and they used some
bearing brand I'd never heard of.
Further comments? Thoughts?
QUESTION 2: Last time I had this deck apart, I ground the rust off and hit
it with an etchant, then painted with "appliance epoxy." That was a bust.
Rust remained in pits and the rust soon pushed right through the paint.
Last time I did a (different) mower deck, I had it sandblasted. I sprayed
the top with rattle-can enamel, then used two-part primer and topcoat on
the
underside. (You have to be careful and work outside with a box fan - the
fumes are deadly!)
That seemed to stand up better, but in truth I'm not sure. I almost never
use the front mower any more (I like the Avco rider better for mowing), so
it hasn't had a real test.
Over the years I've read some other ideas on this list - POR-15, I think
powder-coating (someone at work suggested that too), and even galvanizing.
Has anyone tried powder-coating a well-worn mower deck? How well did it
stand up?
I know we have some POR-15 advocates here. I've never used it, but just
about fainted at the price. Some say you can brush it right over rust,
but
I really want this deck sandblasted. Would it be pointless to use POR-15
on
clean metal? Does it need a primer on clean metal?
What about POR-15 over powder coating? Something else?
And - is POR-15 really all that durable? Will it last for, say, 5-10
seasons of mowing?
It's also nice if it's not too sticky and the grass is easy to scrape off
(I
use a plastic windshield scraper).
What's worked LONG TERM for you for protecting mower decks?
Thanks.
David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
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