BUYER BEWARE! JOHN DEERE NO LONGER COATING BOTTOMS OF MOWER DECKS (2020 42" S110 BUILT IN GREENEVILLE, TN. PLUS NO DRAIN HOLES IN SPRING LOADED IDLER
- Thread starter Russ Krul
- Start date
Count Rushmore
Forum Newbie
Even over a 20 year life of that mower having the bottom painted will have zero effect on the performance or reliability. The lack of drain holes is a design decision that they made and I'm sure they have data to back it up.
If you are going to go through their manufacturing choices on one of their entry level models and demand reimbursement to correct their cost cutting "mistakes" then I think you would be happier selling the mower and going with a different manufacturer.
If you are going to go through their manufacturing choices on one of their entry level models and demand reimbursement to correct their cost cutting "mistakes" then I think you would be happier selling the mower and going with a different manufacturer.
bertsmobile1
Lawn Royalty
Most pressed decks are powder coated by dipping in a solution then baking the surface because this is the cheapest way to do it .
Spraying is more expensive
Nothing sticks to the under side of a deck for very long other than POR 15 chassis coat which is very expensive to apply as it requires a long & difficult surface preparation that most mower buyers will not pay for.
Spraying is more expensive
Nothing sticks to the under side of a deck for very long other than POR 15 chassis coat which is very expensive to apply as it requires a long & difficult surface preparation that most mower buyers will not pay for.
Mattmotors
Active Member
I wouldn't want to have a "Green Machine" and have the deck rot out in 5 years. Especially if the Home owner has a lawn service to make his lawn weed free.There is only a handful of people that rinse their deck off after each use. Then I had a small engine shop not to do it because it will rinse the grease out of the spindles. Have you priced a mower deck lately? I would expect at least 15 - 20 years out of a mower deck. My craftsman is coming up on 19 years. it is ready for its 2nd set of spindle bearings. Deck is still good. When I get a new mower, I will defiantly undercoat the deck. Even if ti is with roofing cement. They say painting underneath will disrupt the the grass coming out. Too bad. It will get mulched more. Low end is cheap end. Look at an MTD snowblower a few years old. It is a rust bucket . My Dad's Ariens from 1976 is clean. If you want good longevity, Put come money out. If you want a cheap lawn tractor , that is exactly what you will get. Low end lawn tractors are just like Major Kitchen Appliances. The guy at the counter of the appliance parts store told me , Just get the one you like, They're all junk.
Don't whine.
To care for my decks (25 yrs now on oldest one), I only blow-dry with compressed air after every use. Mow 8 acres and have never had a rust problem. I very seldom put a hose to the decks, and keep them under roof.
Doing anything to the underside of a deck would be akin to doing something to the soles of our shoes. IMO
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Gord Baker
Well-Known Member
Looks like you ran out of Yellow Paint, or just started on the underside. A good choice would be Pickup Box Rhino coating after getting it sandblasted ( SP3 Commercial Blast.) Washing the underside is a waste of time and clippings act as a blotter promoting corrosion. Run it up on a ramp and with a long handled 2" wide scraper with rounded corners, scrape off whatever sticks. When I change my oil in the Fall I take the deck out, Turn it upside down, clean it and dump the used oil in it overnight, making sure all surfaces are covered. Then drain, turn it over, grease the spindles if you believe in that and check all pulleys and spindles for bearing noise. Replace as necessary. Zerk fittings in the sides of Spindles are useless. X 300 Series has them top centre of shaft which do the job.