John Deere Plastic Hood.

[rhandwor]

They want $750.00 for a new hood. Any ideas on how to put two cracked pieces together.
I purchased it used for around $200.00 and have run it for around 3 or 4 years.
I can't justify $750.00 for a new hood.
Will fiberglass for car repairs work for this any ideas.
Any one use a plastic welder?

 

[drtyler]

I would use duct tape, green if you can find it.

 

[brokeboater]

Nothing works without looking like poo. Gorilla tape, sheet metal drilled with nuts and bolts.

 

[lutter94]

I assume this is a lawn mower?

 

[kelpaso1]

Some can be plastic welded from the inside if it is made of plastic. Some are made from some type of resin and cant be welded. In that case I will use fiberglass and repair from the inside. Need to scuff the inside surface with 60 grit so the glass resin has some bite.

 

[jshillin]

Which model?

We put dad's hood back together with a plastic welder from the backside and then reinforced it with resin/glass. It's definitely not pretty, but worked.

 

[jhracer]

Find a lawn mower repair shop and see if they have a broken mower that is not worth fixing and buy the hood. They sold a huge number of these mowers and I'm sure there are lots of them around that could be used for parts. If you can't find one use it without the hood.

 

[vekster]

stitch it with mechanics wire.
if done neatly it kind of looks like stiches

 

[kwschumm]

If they use the same plastic that is on Gators it should be TPO plastic - thermoplastic polyolefin. If it were mine I'd try this kit from Eastwood:

https://www.eastwood.com/tpo-teo-pp-plastic-welding-kit-80w-iron.html

 

[NUTTSGT]

They want $750.00 for a new hood. Any ideas on how to put two cracked pieces together.
I purchased it used for around $200.00 and have run it for around 3 or 4 years.
I can't justify $750.00 for a new hood.
Will fiberglass for car repairs work for this any ideas.
Any one use a plastic welder?

I fiberglassed mine but it is still brittle after only doing the inside. I added a piece of coat hanger to act as a reinforcement.

 

[kelpaso1]

stitch it with mechanics wire.
if done neatly it kind of looks like stiches

That is so hack job and looks like ****. I see that alot on ATV fenders.

 

[BFBOB]

Try the UV activated plastic resin glue "As Advertised on TV". Someone gave me some, and it works. I used it to piece together a plastic camera mount that has multiple tiny struts, and was very surprised that it held and gives every indication of being stronger than new.
It cures so quickly (like 3 seconds) that it does away with the old problem of keeping the pieces aligned til the glue dries.
I'd give it a thin bead, just edge-gluing it and follow up with reinforcement on the inside glued on with a urethane glue. In my experience it does the best job of adhering to the plastic - most likely ABS. Use fiberglass, hardware cloth, whatever. The urethanes stay flexible so it's more likely than most to survive the vibration. This method would look good from the outside, and who cares about the inside!
I've done the wire stitching, followed up with urethane, and it works, but sure is ugly unless you like the Frankenstein's monster look.

 

[78C-10]

That is so hack job and looks like ****. I see that alot on ATV fenders.

I've seen that done with zip ties as well, yes looks like ****.

 

[Skin]

Grind or file the edges so you make a small channel at the break, tape it together, then either plastic weld putting ample filler rod into the channel or simply fill the channel with an epoxy.

 

[shanny19]

Hot Staple Gun

 

[Alaniho]

use something like links below to join the halves. Your local motor supplies should be able to get or hire this type of kit out to you;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096PGOOQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

then use a fibreglass or even a regular plastic filler to fill the gaps, sand back to match profile and spray with a JD Green rattle can.

 

[rhandwor]

I assume this is a lawn mower?

This is a lawn mower.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

fibreglass on the inside. If you want nice on the outside reinforced bondo then paint

 

[6PTsocket]

They want $750.00 for a new hood. Any ideas on how to put two cracked pieces together.
I purchased it used for around $200.00 and have run it for around 3 or 4 years.
I can't justify $750.00 for a new hood.
Will fiberglass for car repairs work for this any ideas.
Any one use a plastic welder?

I use a plastic welder and that would be my fix. You are going to have to figure out what plastic you are dealing with. Some place inside, there should be a recycle triangle with a number designating the type of plastic. Find chart online. It will probably also be under the triangle in letter form, like PPL for polypropylene. There are basically two types of welders, hot air and "soldering iron" with a spreader tip. I have the latter. Mine is made by a company formerly called Urethane supply. That will get you there if you search. I forget what they call themselves now. They have all kinds of specialized kits for bumpers, kayacks, motorcycles, etc. If you call they will steer you to the best kit. It will be a lot cheaper than a hood.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[kelpaso1]

I use a plastic welder and that would be my fix. You are going to have to figure out what plastic you are dealing with. Some place inside, there should be a recycle triangle with a number designating the type of plastic. Find chart online. It will probably also be under the triangle in letter form, like PPL for polypropylene. There are basically two types of welders, hot air and "soldering iron" with a spreader tip. I have the latter. Mine is made by a company formerly called Urethane supply. That will get you there if you search. I forget what they call themselves now. They have all kinds of specialized kits for bumpers, kayacks, motorcycles, etc. If you call they will steer you to the best kit. It will be a lot cheaper than a hood.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

They are called PolyVance now. I have the same welder as you and it has paid for itself many times over with all the canoes, kayaks, atv fenders and RV water tanks I've repaired. I charge $10 an inch. A 6 inch crack takes a half hour at best to fix

 

[spock91]

If you search you can purchase the parts cheaper. Look on Ebay. I've got the top for a LX277 ( from Amazon) waiting to find a reasonable price for the bottom section. Then the decals.........

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I tried the locktite plastic epoxy.... duct tape works better.

 

[kburns]

Don't waste your time or money trying to fix it. It's there mostly to make the riding mower look sort of like a tractor, and it definitely isn't a real tractor. After a few years out in the sun, the UV light makes the plastic brittle and it starts to disintegrate. If you manage to repair the cracks you have now, more will appear. It's a never ending battle that you won't win. The only real thing that might be of value are the headlights if you mow at night. Most people don't, but if you do just figure out a way to mount them to the chassis.

 

[highland512]

No fix will ever look "good". If your into your equipment looking nice like myself I would try to find a used hood. Many small engine/mower repair shops have bone yard of mowers that people have left without paying the bill or the shop is using for parts.

Or you could have the stitched look :supergay:

 

[Musicinabottle]

Just buy the damn hood. John Deere is going broke because of cheap chumps like you!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Look like this ?

 

[redmondjp]

There are aftermarket hoods available as well (on Amazon and other online sites) which are much less expensive. But what REALLY kills you on the cost: the decals (if you care about those), which can be $40-50 per set! Those aren't included with any replacement hoods.

 

[Wolfman6]

I broke mine a few years ago. I just used clear epoxy and it has held great. It doesn't look great, but you know what looks good, $750 in my account.

 

[Hawk]

If your hood is one of the two part hoods, This is the top section: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FFYNCBE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Or the lower section: https://www.ebay.com/itm/John-Deere...443430?hash=item3ac17f38a6:g:2cgAAOSwubRXDnIY

 

[junkyardwarrior]

Yep....I've been through this a BUNCH of times. I work at a dealer, used to sell JD until 2004 (I was there from 1992 through 2016). The old JD LX100 series (LX172/176/178/186/188) were GREAT mowers but the dad gum hood was made out of GLASS. If you breathe on it wrong, it'd shatter-worse when cold. And yep...$750 to replace the upper & lower portions as a set. The green parts store is where I bought the one for my old LX188-which I LOVED (all but the hood....), was $688 complete with harnesses and everything. I had to sell my spare mower to pay for the hood on the JD; and got my money back on the JD after replacing the hood (paid $688 for the hood, mower cost me $100 to purchase, sold it for $1500)-but that mower was CLEAN and low hours. It literally looked almost brand new-even had the original blades and belts.

They still use the same materials to build hoods to this day. I know this because I work closely with another dealer that still sells JD, and they're always telling me that so-and-such driver picked up a customers JD and the hood flipped up or they flipped it up to check something and shattered it. Then the dealer gets to buy another hood for a possibly $100 machine. Yet one more reason I wouldn't own another John Deere. Their customer service got a call from me about 5 years ago because I had done the same thing...picked up a customer's mower, flipped the hood up (carefully since I have experience with them), and as soon as it hit the stops on the hinges (which are also plastic)-it broke, fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. CSR said they are still manufacturing them basically the same way but with bracing now-which tells me that there was no or very little change made to make them more reliable and/or less expensive.

Now all that said, when I did sell/service them, we had tried everything to repair them and in the end, it didn't matter. Put an hour's worth of work into prepping and welding the cracked hood back together-which came out good, but eventually broke again, maybe not in the same place, but they always broke again...and we (dealer) were responsible a few times to replace the hood "because we broke it in the past". It doesn't take long for a $600+ hood to add up in costs. You'd think a dealer would have enough income to offset it, but sometimes that thought is dead wrong.

 

[6PTsocket]

I tried the locktite plastic epoxy.... duct tape works better.

Certain types of plastic, like polyethelene, polyproplene, teflon, delrin are very difficult to glue. Epoxy won't work on them, even plastic epoxy. Loctite makes a primer, after which you can use some of their cyanoacrylalates (industrial crazy glue). They even sell a tiny kit of primer and glue for very small jobs, in a blister pack. These plastics are all thermoplastics. They melt, not burn, if you heat them. This makes them good candidates for welding but you need the same kind of plastic for the rods or it just glops up and won't flow out.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[OccupantRJ]

Find a lawn mower repair shop and see if they have a broken mower that is not worth fixing and buy the hood. They sold a huge number of these mowers and I'm sure there are lots of them around that could be used for parts. If you can't find one use it without the hood.

That is what I am doing. Commando style! I can actually see better when making turns close to something.

 

[rhandwor]

I purchased a hot meld staple gun when it arrives I'm going to try and staple it together. I may eventually have to buy a new top. My hinges were broken when I got the mower. This is the cheapest hood I've ever seen on a riding mower. The Lx series hoods are far more expensive than other John Deere's of different classes. The only reason I need a hood is the wire for the oil pressure switch will pull off and stall the tractor when next a bushy pipe type tree.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/142482107511/www.ebay.com/

 

[abachman]

I would pop rivet a couple mend plates on the bottom side and then fiberglass epoxy the underside and leave it at that.

 

[Nick111]

Don't waste your time or money trying to fix it. It's there mostly to make the riding mower look sort of like a tractor, and it definitely isn't a real tractor. After a few years out in the sun, the UV light makes the plastic brittle and it starts to disintegrate. If you manage to repair the cracks you have now, more will appear. It's a never ending battle that you won't win. The only real thing that might be of value are the headlights if you mow at night. Most people don't, but if you do just figure out a way to mount them to the chassis.

You are so right kburns, my friend. after a few years in the Australian sun the hood on mine did the same thing when I opened it. Once they crack for the first time the plastic is already seriously brittle and repairing is a waste of effort unless you are going to be super careful about knocking it in future (or opening the hood!). Believe me folks, the first crack is only the start in the series which ends in the whole hood sliding onto the floor one day, shattering into a hundred bits. Today I gave up and just took the whole hood off and threw it into the rubbish - it looks much tougher without it anyway! (And actually you can see better, too). Having said that, I think the rest of the mower is a great machine which handles my tough block easily - apart from the hood, that is!