Does coating the underside of deck really work?

[skipper124]

After about every mowing I scrape and brush off the clumped on grass and paint brush some used motor oil on and have not rusted out a deck yet and it's cheap!

 

[TwinL]

What I find best is in the fall I power wash deck completely clean , do service , once totally dry spray with "new" oil ,(you can use a brush as well), I have a rack set up to drain the empty oil jugs , I do numerous decks each fall , I had two customers who bought the same identical riders in the same year , the one had me service the deck every fall , the other didn't his deck within 5-6 years had rust through , those hose attachments are junk makers all they do it soak the grass which has acid base to start with , I have my own personal Kubota which is 30 years old deck looks like new did it every fall , as they say the proof is in the pudding .

https://www.google.com/search?q=SPRAY+FOR+UNDERSIDE+OF+DECK&oq=SPRAY+FOR+UNDERSIDE+OF+DECK&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l3.35701j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Which underside deck coating works best?

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[AdamE]

What are you trying to achieve? Longer lasting deck or easier to clean?

I just stopped using a 1996 Cub Cadet 2165 for mowing that I mowed 2+ acres with for 24 years. It has an 11 gauge deck and after most mowings, I cleaned it out by hand to get the big clumps out so as to keep air flow okay. I never made it a priority and there was usually a lot of wet grass stuck to the sides after I was finished. Something that I ran over finally punched a small hole in it and I knew it was getting thinner from rust so I bought an Exmark. But, it still lasted me a QUARTER century!

I wouldn't over-think it.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Thanks for the suggestion but when I looked for the POR 15 Chassie coat, I don't see which one you have suggested. Is it the Bed liner & undercoating or topcoat or the 3-step rust preventive system?
Thanks, Mike

You are trying to prevent rust from the underside which is not usually a problem
99.99999999 % of pressed decks that rust through do so from the top down and usually around the spindle .
In any case , yopu are preventing rust so it is the 3 step rust treatment
The furane resin base the paint is made from is the hardest, most abrasion resistant on the planet
Down side , it is not UV stable which should not be a problem on a deck , but is a problem on the side rails of a chassis so the rust paint needs a top coat .
The next best stuff for abrasion resistance are the aircraft paints from places like Aircraft Spruce but take you thich wallet when you go shopping there .

The best thing you can do is simply brush off with a stiff nylon brush after each use
Dunny brushes or wheel brushes work really well ( customer showed the dunny brush trick )
coating the underside of a deck, unless you mower sits outside on wet grass all year is akin is akin to Alaska Elephant repellant

 

[bertsmobile1]

What are you trying to achieve? Longer lasting deck or easier to clean?

I just stopped using a 1996 Cub Cadet 2165 for mowing that I mowed 2+ acres with for 24 years. It has an 11 gauge deck and after most mowings, I cleaned it out by hand to get the big clumps out so as to keep air flow okay. I never made it a priority and there was usually a lot of wet grass stuck to the sides after I was finished. Something that I ran over finally punched a small hole in it and I knew it was getting thinner from rust so I bought an Exmark. But, it still lasted me a QUARTER century!

I wouldn't over-think it.

Problem is decks are getting thinner and lower grades of steel are being used

 

[jhm]

NO
Teflon paint is designed to prevent oily things from sticking like crayons cooked food etc
It will probably go some way to stop build up under the deck for a couple of months till it s abraided away
As Star has already said, the underside of a deck is the equivalent to a sand blasting cabinet
If the grass & grit can wear through 1/4" of steel hardened to 65 to 80 Rockwell on your blades what chance does a paint have
Just have a think about it
If it is hard enough to resist the abraison then it will not be flexiable enough to resist the abraison.
Add to that cut grass is very acidic so there is a chemical attack as well

 

[jhm]

Don't waste your time & money using spray can paint. It won't last.

 

[Diamond Jim]

I have used undercoating, car. Spray it on after your. cleaning process . Put on one coat on and let it dry before dry before you spray on the next coat. I have sprayed up to 5 coats using the undercoating and it did the job. It looks just like it did after 2 years.

 

[Diamond Jim]

I have used undercoating, car. Spray it on after your. cleaning process . Put on one coat on and let it dry before dry before you spray on the next coat. I have sprayed up to 5 coats using the undercoating and it did the job. It looks just like it did after 2 years of use. Hope this helps you and you get the problem solved

 

[Diamond Jim]

Thanks for the suggestion but when I looked for the POR 15 Chassie coat, I don't see which one you have suggested. Is it the Bed liner & undercoating or topcoat or the 3-step rust preventive system?
Thanks, Mike