Refreshing an L46 mower deck
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:27 pm
My 84' 446 (aka Max) came with a rusty, grungy looking mower deck. It was one of my first projects last summer - and the start of me lurking on Case Ingersoll forums and downloading lots of parts and service manuals (Thanks @Eugen - It's great to have that resource available online)
(Yes, I know I'm missing tinwork on the engine... that's been taken care of now... )
First step of course was figuring out the "Snap Fast" pins and related linkages for the deck so I could get it on the ground... Thanks to YouTube that was pretty easy
Blades off for sharpening, and to inspect the spindles
Up onto sawhorses for some degreasing and scrubbing to see just what is hiding under all the old oily grass clippings
Cover off - belt was ok, but some of the spindle bearings need replacement
Removing pulleys - Seafoam "Deep Creep" has become a favourite penetrating oil...
Spindles were removed for cleaning and new bearings and the deck was wire brushed and sanded before getting a couple of coats of Rust Check Converter/Primer and followed up with a topcoat of Tremclad Gloss White on the inside - This old Can of Primer was found in my Dad's old apartment - probably dates back to the 1970's - (no bar code on the can) Check out the price tag - only $3.79 and no... it didn't work any more
Mower blades in the vice to give them a bit of an "edge" before some fresh black rust paint
All the original stickers were masked off before sanding, priming and a top coat - I found that the white paint for my '90 Ford F350 was a pretty close match to the original - more of a warm, creamy white - Tremclad White was way too cold and blueish
Back on Max and looking like a million bucks... Mowed the backyard with Max a couple of times over the summer - it was overkill for the actual size of
the yard (about 50' x 80') - It was a lot more obvious with a clean white deck that I had an annoying little hydraulic leak midships was leaving a puddle in the middle of the deck. - That's a story for another day...
Didn't take any photos of putting new bearings in the spindles - they were the grey cast pot metal type - two were in pretty good shape, one had a lot of corrosion at the bottom end - still enough to retain the bearing, but I slathered it with some JB Weld to give it a little more strength and protection...
(Yes, I know I'm missing tinwork on the engine... that's been taken care of now... )
First step of course was figuring out the "Snap Fast" pins and related linkages for the deck so I could get it on the ground... Thanks to YouTube that was pretty easy
Blades off for sharpening, and to inspect the spindles
Up onto sawhorses for some degreasing and scrubbing to see just what is hiding under all the old oily grass clippings
Cover off - belt was ok, but some of the spindle bearings need replacement
Removing pulleys - Seafoam "Deep Creep" has become a favourite penetrating oil...
Spindles were removed for cleaning and new bearings and the deck was wire brushed and sanded before getting a couple of coats of Rust Check Converter/Primer and followed up with a topcoat of Tremclad Gloss White on the inside - This old Can of Primer was found in my Dad's old apartment - probably dates back to the 1970's - (no bar code on the can) Check out the price tag - only $3.79 and no... it didn't work any more
Mower blades in the vice to give them a bit of an "edge" before some fresh black rust paint
All the original stickers were masked off before sanding, priming and a top coat - I found that the white paint for my '90 Ford F350 was a pretty close match to the original - more of a warm, creamy white - Tremclad White was way too cold and blueish
Back on Max and looking like a million bucks... Mowed the backyard with Max a couple of times over the summer - it was overkill for the actual size of
the yard (about 50' x 80') - It was a lot more obvious with a clean white deck that I had an annoying little hydraulic leak midships was leaving a puddle in the middle of the deck. - That's a story for another day...
Didn't take any photos of putting new bearings in the spindles - they were the grey cast pot metal type - two were in pretty good shape, one had a lot of corrosion at the bottom end - still enough to retain the bearing, but I slathered it with some JB Weld to give it a little more strength and protection...