STEVE - I "FIXED" all your complaints on My stamped end 38" deck. Dad has a 42" at home in the barn I'd like to do the same modifications to but I don't need it. The discharge chute was enlarged as big as I could make it, runners were LONG gone before I got the deck, baffle was replaced with a taller one, gauge wheels front and back, left end radiused to improve airflow and allow close trimming, blade tip comes within 1/4" of the housing. Also I added a lip inside the leading edge about an inch wide at the bottom edge to create a channel for clippings to flow out of the deck. It throws grass almost as good as the 44" deck on the 129 now. Plus the steel is MUCH heavier on the stamped end decks. They never fatigue and crack. With the wide gauge wheels on the front corners, and the rear ones in the center back it's almost impossible to scalp anywhere. And it does mow level as long as the grass is dry. Those tiny 10" long blades just don't make any suction to lift damp grass. Plus I can still buy cheap spindle bearings & seals. With the step up ratio from the center to the outer blades it does pull harder than it should.