They noticed when the last one dropped out. They had got it to the front yard a few weeks before calling me. When I showed up, I said "Take me to the spot where it quit." They did. The grass was of course grown a bit, but I used a metal detector to find one of the missing bolts. From there I went to hardware store and matched it up and got 4 new Grade 8 bolts and stainless split washers and put it all back together. It out lasted the deck after that! Eventually the deck gave out so I swapped customer with a similar vintage craftsman mower with a good deck. Couple years later I refurbished another desk and put it on this mower and sold it to a friend who's still using it. (The blade clutch did self destruct so I put a new one of those on for him!) I never did find the other 3 bolts, but who knows where they fell out, since they fell out one at a time. It didn't quit till the last one fell out, and that's the one I found :D
Someone forgot the LocTite..
.
lol, a factory flip. If imagine.
Well, the mower's a couple decades old I'm sure. I think eventually the bolts just jiggled loose LOL
OMG they didnt notice
They noticed when the last one dropped out.
They had got it to the front yard a few weeks before calling me.
When I showed up, I said "Take me to the spot where it quit." They did. The grass was of course grown a bit, but I used a metal detector to find one of the missing bolts. From there I went to hardware store and matched it up and got 4 new Grade 8 bolts and stainless split washers and put it all back together. It out lasted the deck after that!
Eventually the deck gave out so I swapped customer with a similar vintage craftsman mower with a good deck. Couple years later I refurbished another desk and put it on this mower and sold it to a friend who's still using it. (The blade clutch did self destruct so I put a new one of those on for him!)
I never did find the other 3 bolts, but who knows where they fell out, since they fell out one at a time. It didn't quit till the last one fell out, and that's the one I found :D