Cub Loboy mower deck question.

[Paul 300 U]

I purchased my 1961 Cub Loboy in the fall. It needs some mechanical work but I kept the fluids topped off and my wife really enjoyed using it to plow snow during winter.
Grass cutting time is almost here and we're itching to see how it does with lawn. It came with a belly mower that has new spindles but also several rust holes. I'm considering getting it welded. I posted pictures in the general Farm forum to get opinions. Some thought it fixable but the consensus is that the cutter is shot. I'm reluctant to give up on it because I understand Loboy cutters are more difficult to find than mowers for regular Cubs. Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks Paul

 

[Janicholson]

I purchased my 1961 Cub Loboy in the fall. It needs some mechanical work but I kept the fluids topped off and my wife really enjoyed using it to plow snow during winter.
Grass cutting time is almost here and we're itching to see how it does with lawn. It came with a belly mower that has new spindles but also several rust holes. I'm considering getting it welded. I posted pictures in the general Farm forum to get opinions. Some thought it fixable but the consensus is that the cutter is shot. I'm reluctant to give up on it because I understand Loboy cutters are more difficult to find than mowers for regular Cubs. Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks Paul

Far fewer made, but From your latest post on the other forum, I think you have a plan. grinding out the rust and laying in new plate and having it welded in place is a reasonable option. Why not get a wire welder from HF or others and weld it yourself. A flux core welder is cheaper than the bill from a pro. They are not good for welding heavy sections or structural important components, bbut they weld like a cake decorator, aim and pull the trigger from 1/4 inch. Jim

 

[Duner Wi]

I would probably line the bottom with an old fuel oil barrel. Your deck is constructed much like my 3160 deck on 154 LoBoy. I have lined a stamped deck and that took a bit of time.

 

[Paul 300 U]

Far fewer made, but From your latest post on the other forum, I think you have a plan. grinding out the rust and laying in new plate and having it welded in place is a reasonable option. Why not get a wire welder from HF or others and weld it yourself. A flux core welder is cheaper than the bill from a pro. They are not good for welding heavy sections or structural important components, bbut they weld like a cake decorator, aim and pull the trigger from 1/4 inch. Jim

Great suggestion Jim!. I just need to decide if the least expensive HF ($99.00+-) will be sufficient. Seeing as I've never had one before I think it will do the trick. I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Thanks!! Paul

 

[Paul 300 U]

I would probably line the bottom with an old fuel oil barrel. Your deck is constructed much like my 3160 deck on 154 LoBoy. I have lined a stamped deck and that took a bit of time.

Duner WI. Thanks the the suggestion of the oil barrel. I've been thinking of how I can get the needed steel to do the job. Thanks Paul

 

[Janicholson]

Duner WI. Thanks the the suggestion of the oil barrel. I've been thinking of how I can get the needed steel to do the job. Thanks Paul

I would make cardboard templates and have them chopped out of 14 gauge flat steel. No pounding and thicker. Most supply houses for steel will shear it for you. Jim

 

[used red MN]

I would make cardboard templates and have them chopped out of 14 gauge flat steel. No pounding and thicker. Most supply houses for steel will shear it for you. Jim

There is one for sale right now on eBay in New Jersey $650. Mower deck Maybe someone here on YT can pick it up for you. I know one guy in Maryland that might do it. But getting it shipped to you or picking it up is a whole different story. Otherwise I would suggest you become a weldor, looks like welders can be had for $300 or less. I was searching Harbor Freight welders and the Vevor product line popped up. I didn’t even know about them, their site looks interesting.

 

[Paul 300 U]

There is one for sale right now on eBay in New Jersey $650. Mower deck Maybe someone here on YT can pick it up for you. I know one guy in Maryland that might do it. But getting it shipped to you or picking it up is a whole different story. Otherwise I would suggest you become a weldor, looks like welders can be had for $300 or less. I was searching Harbor Freight welders and the Vevor product line popped up. I didn’t even know about them, their site looks interesting.

Thank you Used Red. While I know it costs me some time but I like trying to fix the things I can. In this case, I'm going with your 2nd suggestion and weld it myself. I'm going to purchase one of those simple gasless mig welders at HF along with some steel. Since this is not a load bearing or structural I think it'll work. Thanks Paul

 

[jimtrs]

Paul,

No offense meant, just my opinion follows

A lot of the comments above say to me, you'd be better off having this done by someone who has the equipment and knows how to use it.

just need to decide if the least expensive HF ($99.00+-) will be sufficient. Seeing as I've never had one before I think it will do the trick

How did you come to this conclusion? Sounds like just a hopeful guess

I've been thinking of how I can get the needed steel to do the job

Sounds like you have some learning about how to buy the correct steel

I'm going to purchase one of those simple gasless mig welders at HF along with some steel.

You get what you pay for

While the process of mig welding (any type of welding for that matter) can be shown relatively quickly, it takes experience to get good
Flux core mig is more challenging to get good welds with than with gas shielding
Proper prep is crucial. You cannot mig dirty rusty metal. It all needs to be ground down to clean bare metal
To get good welds, using the cheapest available, flux core welder, from Harbor Freight, without any training, Ummm ... a real challenge

These old decks usually have fairly substantial gauge sheet metal. Harbor Freights cheapest little welder may not even have enough heat to do the job.
All the above is not setting yourself up to get good welds and become a good welder. I recommend getting some training, with good equipment

With all that being said, I go back to
I think you'd be better off having this done by someone who has the equipment and knows how to use it. It is a simple repair repair job, and IMO could be done for less than you'd spend by the time you were done buying stuff.