I've finished mowing for the season and have begun cleaning up my equipment for use next year...
When removing the deck from the tractor followed by the side panels from the engine, I was reminded about a few improvements that were made when restoring my 1864 tractor with the #324, 54" deck. These improvements were made after reading a post by Sam Mac concerning the deck blowing grass out the front, causing clippings to get sucked into the engine through the cooling fan. Not good for keeping the engine cool or clean!
Sam mounted a piece of rubber belting across the front of his deck. Problem solved!
I decided to try solving the problem in a less noticeable manner. The solution for me was to attach an "L" shaped strip of metal to the inside front of the deck. Problem solved!
The strip I installed is even with the projection of the blades and serves to contain the clippings from escaping out the front. (The metal strip was made from our old recycled air conditioner cabinet.) I was able to curve the metal strip to fit the contour of the deck by snipping some kerfs on the edge, allowing it to be bent to fit. I also added a corner piece to "round out" the deck housing around the left blade. This helps to keep grass from building up in the corner of the deck, which will cause the front corner to rust through over time. My deck was rusted through and had to be repaired.
One other improvement that was made on the tractor was to add a stainless steel strainer over the air intake on the engine to keep it extra clean and cool for long life. It was a little tricky to get it installed just right, however with some patience, I was able to get it to fit in the limited space with the drive shaft coming through the strainer in exactly the right spot!
I was quite pleased with how clean the side panels and engine looked after mowing all summer long. The deck looked pretty good too! To help keep things looking good, I blow the tractor off with compressed air each time after mowing. No water, just air! See pics...
I recall having lots of fun figuring out and installing these improvements, which have significantly improved the operation of my Cub Cadet!
Sincere thanks and appreciation to Sam Mac for the information and experience shared on the OCC website!