Tonz,
Consensus seems to be that 3mm "u" shaped steel welded under the deck in the same orientation as the rails, with cutouts around bolt holes, etc. does a good job. You must ensure your existing rails are dead level and straight before you attempt any welding. A self aligning PTO bearing will absorb some error here, but shouldn't be used to excuse poor workmanship. As the last bead I ran was two decades ago, it's be handing it to a professional who knew what they were doing!
You can go nuts and get the whole thing blasted and repainted. Replace all the fasteners. New bearing housings and a new cutting cylinder and front roller. If you want a functional mower for minimum dollars, I'd do steps 1-3 as outlined previously. If you have any spare cash afterwards, then get a new motor. It transforms the machine. Unless you want a period correct machine, then for less than $300 it's almost a no brainer. If your current engine is a Briggs and Stratton, look on the air shroud. You should see "MODEL TYPE CODE" stamped into it, with corresponding numbers. You can date the engine by the CODE number.
Edit: they came standard with either a Kirby Lausen (Tecumseh licence-built in Australia) or a Briggs.
Tonz,
Consensus seems to be that 3mm "u" shaped steel welded under the deck in the same orientation as the rails, with cutouts around bolt holes, etc. does a good job. You must ensure your existing rails are dead level and straight before you attempt any welding. A self aligning PTO bearing will absorb some error here, but shouldn't be used to excuse poor workmanship. As the last bead I ran was two decades ago, it's be handing it to a professional who knew what they were doing!
You can go nuts and get the whole thing blasted and repainted. Replace all the fasteners. New bearing housings and a new cutting cylinder and front roller. If you want a functional mower for minimum dollars, I'd do steps 1-3 as outlined previously. If you have any spare cash afterwards, then get a new motor. It transforms the machine. Unless you want a period correct machine, then for less than $300 it's almost a no brainer. If your current engine is a Briggs and Stratton, look on the air shroud. You should see "MODEL TYPE CODE" stamped into it, with corresponding numbers. You can date the engine by the CODE number.
Edit: they came standard with either a Kirby Lausen (Tecumseh licence-built in Australia) or a Briggs.
Thx Mystyler
I will gather some parts pricing and see an engineer about some welding and see what cost it comes to make a decision
