Project #6 from Hooda- Mower deck weld reinforce

I scored this mower from a friend who has A. Zero mechanical motivation B. Enough frustration with this machine to warrant getting a new one and C. The wallet to afford one of those Green and Yellow lawn tractors that can only be bought at a farm implement store.

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF2202.jpg

So, he got a new one and I was lucky enough to get this one. Apparently, his girlfriend "hit something", when she was mowing. When I got it, the mower deck had already been removed for transportation. and below is what the underside of the tractor looks like

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF2201.jpg

Notice the pretzel shaped bracket? That should be nice and straight, and have a freaking MOWER DECK attached! To give you a brief background on this, I have straightened and restraightened almost every bar and rod on this mower at least 3 times since he's owned it, and have come to the realization that the one purpose that these type of mowers fulfill perfectly is to appear every Sunday, Bright, shiny, looking almost herculean , on the front cover of a weekly sale flyer, promising years of faithful service for a price that's too good to be true. Once actually put to task, anything that could remotely be considered as above and beyond, and you got yourself a repair bill. So, My intent here is to reinfirce every single bar, rod, and joint on this piece of .....excuse me, fine lawn implement so this never happens again.

Also part of the damage was the blade drive dogs on one side. They should look like this

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF2205.jpg

And, due to a large rock, they look like this

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF2206.jpg

This means removal of the hub, and pressing out and replacing the shaft, which because of the design, means that the bearings must be replaced at the same time. It's almost poetic!