trojan9 wrote:
Point is, has any reputable manufacturer come up with a mower deck
that
will not rot, and can mulch properly?


My 25 year old Harry (Imported from Italy by Barrus) has a cast alloy
chassis. It split where the handle was attached, because of a design
fault, and the vendor supplied a specially modified handle to work with
the missing parts of the casting. That was 24 years ago. I've just
given it a coat of paint, the first such repair since it was new, and
had to remove a small amount of loose oxide to get the paint to stick.

Mulching depended on the choice of blade, and I threw my mulching one
away and fitted a straight cutter.

I reckon mine will last at least another 25 years, although it might
need a second replacement engine in another 10, judging by how long the
last one lasted. Oh and I had to glass-fibre up a split in the grass
box, and may need to do the same to the rear flap soon. I cut about
half an acre of rough orchard every week with it.

Is 50 years long enough for you?