Mower deck 38" Deck help and/or photos?

[jsmith24]

Hi all,

I've had my 1995 MTD 12.5, 38" deck mower for a loooong time, but need help now. Recently while mowing, a bit of metal came loose from the deck, got mangled by the blade, and my son tossed it thinking it was just something hidden in the long grass. I didn't find out till the trash was taken off. Now, whenever I mow I get a line of grass clippings out the right side, whereas before I had none. The deck has the mulching kit, and when I pulled the deck to see what was going on, I can see a spot where it looks like something may have broken off, but I don't know what it was, the shape, or anything else.

Does anyone have any idea what part is missing and how to fix this? I know it sounds petty, but if I wanted grass trails I wouldn't have paid for the mulching kit and had it installed all those years ago! Better yet, does anyone have any good photo reference for a 38" deck? As I understand it, the MTD, Craftsman, Yardman, and a few others used the same parts.

Thanks in advance...

Jack

 

[bertsmobile1]

Good to see an older mower still going strong
The bit that generally falls off is the skid plate, part No 63 in the diagram below
MTD 135E470F023 (1995) Parts Diagrams for Deck Assembly

If you mowed over it then there is a 99% chance you have damaged a blade which is what is most likely causing the bad cut.

 

[jsmith24]

Good to see an older mower still going strong
The bit that generally falls off is the skid plate, part No 63 in the diagram below
MTD 135E470F023 (1995) Parts Diagrams for Deck Assembly

If you mowed over it then there is a 99% chance you have damaged a blade which is what is most likely causing the bad cut.

Thanks for the link! I'll check part 63. The blade was nicked pretty badly, so I replaced both the long blades and the shorter "cross blades" - no idea what they're really called. Anyway, the blades cut well, just leaves that little trail of mulched/semi-mulched grass on the right side.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[jsmith24]

Good to see an older mower still going strong
The bit that generally falls off is the skid plate, part No 63 in the diagram below
MTD 135E470F023 (1995) Parts Diagrams for Deck Assembly

If you mowed over it then there is a 99% chance you have damaged a blade which is what is most likely causing the bad cut.

Okay, just checked - the skid plate (part 63) is intact. The part came from underneath the deck, near the exhaust chute on the underside. Are there any diagrams of the mulching kit, or even installation instructions? If I could see that, then I'd figure out which bit came off and replace it or fabricate one.

Jack