Repairs What type of plastic is a JD LX188 hood made from?

I have a '95 LX188 "k" series with a 48" deck whose hood has cracked other than at the hinges. Does anyone know what type of plastic the hood is manufactured from so I can get the correct plastic welding rod to repair it?

Thanks

Welcome to the LMF...
Some of the JD hoods were Fiber glass.... :smile:KennyV

Thanks everybody for answering my questions over the past couple of weeks. The hood is manufactured from polycarbonate. I got it all welded back together and running swell. Even leveled out the deck.

kawiguy said:

Thanks everybody for answering my questions over the past couple of weeks. The hood is manufactured from polycarbonate. I got it all welded back together and running swell. Even leveled out the deck.

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My dad in law had the same issue with his, same model but got a replacment under warranty. IMO Deere should just use steel instead of plastic for the body parts on it's machines. My 4210 is all plastic except for the steel floorpan. Penny pinching, IMO.

kawiguy said:

Thanks everybody for answering my questions over the past couple of weeks. The hood is manufactured from polycarbonate. I got it all welded back together and running swell. Even leveled out the deck.

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I am trying to confirm that the STX-38 hood is made of polycarbonate. Your post is the only information I can find about that. Can you tell me the source of your information? Thanks.

My opinion, about as junkie as it could get. Bump anything at all and start looking for a new hood and expect to nearly buy the tractor again for what the hood costs.

I have a 210, and a 316. A majority of the time they are fiber glass.

I assume the 98 345 hood made from the same kind of plastic. I have a crack toward the bottom I would like to have welded. What kind of shops do plastic welding?

Polycarbonate is extremely strong and used for armored car windows, bullet proof shields, NASCAR windshields on and on. Fiberglass is strong also and easier to repair. There are smoke tests to help determine which plastic you have along with appearance photos. Slivers of the plastic are shaved off and burned so the smoke can be observed. Body shops are the first stop for plastic welding due to repair of interior and external panels, but may not have experience with polycarbonate, Usually problems with ploycarbonate are at fastener holes which are not clearanced enough for expansion and contraction (heat, cold) which is many times that of steel, or attempts to lock the material down. Commercial name Lexan (and others), the stuff is quite expensive, hardly a cheap substitute. It is flammable. As usual I may have raved on...:2cent

Edit: If anyone wants information on fiberglass repair, just ask. It is cheap and not difficult , even for beginners. Plastic welders run $100 and up and take practice. There are numerous cold repair techniques, depending upon the type of plastic.