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K-Pro-Mowing,

That's a pretty interesting video.........I just wonder if YouTube has one for "How A Real Zero Turn Mower Is Made"....meaning a Commercial unit with a fabricated deck! That is one thing that "turned me off" about John Deere ZTR's when I looked at them. The ones that were in the $5k-$7k range I had in my budget ALL had 10gauge "stamped" decks like are shown being made in this video. I would be willing to bet that just the building of a commercial fabricated deck would take a video longer than this whole assembly video. I guess that's why they are so much more expensive than the Residential ZTR's that have stamped decks. The John Deere salesman told me that "John Deere research had proven that the "circular/rounded" shape of a stamped deck had a more professional cut that a "squared/right angled" shape of a fabricated deck". When I asked him......why, then do the "top end models" of John Deere ZTR's(that cost $10k or more) have fabricated decks he "didn't hear me":0)
All I can say is stamped decks on most lawn tractors(and some ZTR's) have a "wash port" to connect a garden hose for cleaning the grass/dirt "buildup" after mowing. My Gravely's fabricated deck doesn't have one......why, you ask.....well after cutting my yard only 6 times at the end of last season the underside of the deck has a "green stain".....but not the first sign of grass/dirt clump buildup!!! Could it be the fabricated deck design is better.....or maybe the higher blade tip speed versus the lawn tractor with a stamped deck???????

yea, we should believe every BS salesmen say (including BS "welded-not stamped!") - but there are some dishonest JD salesmen, who trying to sell Chinese copies of John Deer in US (see pict) : )))))

but which deck is better - all depends on design
- pros of stamped deck - with same gage metal sheet - they stronger and lighter (all top pro jd mowers has 7-iron(tm) decks, made of 7gage steel, all light duty decks, made from 10-gage steel - also stamped; i didn't saw fabricated, welded 10-gage deck on push-mower : )))
- cons of stamped deck - cost of press for 7-gage steel (quantity of pro mowers not that high as residential, and smaller OEMs can't afford (justify) it, only giants as JD can, but when sales are low - costs of only maintaining equipment like this press only for sit there and do nothing, according to JD emploees - hundrets thousands of $$
http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/en_US/products/equipment/z_trak_mowers/z_trak_mowers.page?
http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/en_US..._offerings/7iron_mower/7iron_mower_deck.page?
(though JD pro mowers most overengeneered, most heavy, slow and expensive of all leading OEM, people still willing to buy and pay for good-old name)

p.s. concerning deck designs - they keep changing constantly. right now they pretty much similar (people say jd MOD (mulch on demand) deck - prety good)

Anyone who has used, or owns a mower with a fab deck knows the difference. I am not a fan of the stamped decks thats for sure.