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While I enjoy changing the oil and greasing my tractor, as well as other tasks, I always have and always will dread the underside cleaning of my deck that is required about every 40 mowing hours.

The pictures show the mess from the second time this year, as my deck weighs 400 pounds and is a huge headache to remove and replace, I leave it on the tractor until removing it for winter storage. I drive the tractor up on a pair of car ramps, lock the parking brake, don old duds and safety glasses, then use a wood handled tool I made that had an old plastic ice scraper on the end to scrape off the big glass clumps, after propping open the discharge chute. Then it's time for lying on my side, using a 1400 psi power washer with a turbo nozzle to remove what is left. I always wish there were a removable port on the opposite side of the deck, to better scrape and blast away what is on that side.

So, does anybody have any ideas ona better, and less messy way to clean your mower deck? as I was finishing up, the two kids from next door came over, watching as I backed the tractor off the ramps. They wrinkled their noses, pointing at the wet green, disgusting mess, "What IS that stuff...??"

With my push mower, I wait until it is almost out of fuel (for no leaking), tip it back on its handles, use an ice scraper for the grass, then give it a good plast with my jet hose attachment to get it gleaming :smile:

But then I only have a push mower and it doesn't take that long, unless you are obsessive like me!

There are folks who swear that there are various solutions to apply to the deck underside that reduce the amount of grass that sticks, but the ones I have tried make no difference. My first new push mower that I got back in '82, I removed the blade, propped up the entire deck on sawhorses, donned goggles, and sprayed the underside with undercoating. I was sure that would keep the deck from rusting, and it worked well, at least until the first time I tried to clean the deck, as I had hoped, the grass came right off, stuck to the undercoat, which was stuck to the deck paint, which peeled off.....:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

JDgreen said:

There are folks who swear that there are various solutions to apply to the deck underside that reduce the amount of grass that sticks, but the ones I have tried make no difference. My first new push mower that I got back in '82, I removed the blade, propped up the entire deck on sawhorses, donned goggles, and sprayed the underside with undercoating. I was sure that would keep the deck from rusting, and it worked well, at least until the first time I tried to clean the deck, as I had hoped, the grass came right off, stuck to the undercoat, which was stuck to the deck paint, which peeled off.....:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

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If you don't want grass to stick, get a paint brush and some motor oil, and put a coat of it on the underside. That will stop most grass sticking :smile:

jmurray01 said:

If you don't want grass to stick, get a paint brush and some motor oil, and put a coat of it on the underside. That will stop most grass sticking :smile:

*Bows and scrapes* :laughing:
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ATTABOY...you just got your 50 posts back.....:laughing::laughing:

JDgreen said:

ATTABOY...you just got your 50 posts back.....:laughing::laughing:

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:laughing: Patronise me again and you'll loose more than 50 posts :laughing:

HEY JD, i would think that you should be able to fab up some sort of a high pressure wand or pipe with custom drilled holes and be able to just stand up and wave the wand under the mower.....maybe a small version of a drive-through car wash that cleans the underbody of a car. if you had such a easy-to-use pressure wand you could actually use it more often and spend less time per each usage.:smile:

LandN said:

HEY JD, i would think that you should be able to fab up some sort of a high pressure wand or pipe with custom drilled holes and be able to just stand up and wave the wand under the mower.....maybe a small version of a drive-through car wash that cleans the underbody of a car. if you had such a easy-to-use pressure wand you could actually use it more often and spend less time per each usage.:smile:

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Good idea there, but the stuff gets REALLY caked on hard on places and even the turbo nozzle can barely dislodge the stuff. To make what you suggest would require two 90-degree bends in the pipe and that would really decrease the psi, thanks for the idea though.

The shop I work at - we put in brass garden hose fitting out of the path of the blades . Turn on the hose , start the engine engage the blades .... About $ 9.00 in parts - no deck scrapping necessary .

SONOFADOCKER said:

The shop I work at - we put in brass garden hose fitting out of the path of the blades . Turn on the hose , start the engine engage the blades .... About $ 9.00 in parts - no deck scrapping necessary .

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Think maybe a small sized lawn sprinkler that is flat enough to fit under the blades and heavy enough not to be lifted by the turning blades would work....? Hmm, gotta try that, thanks. Gotta be darn sure nothing is within 30 feet of the discharge chute....:laughing::laughing:

I speculate that most of your problem lies in your grass. I am arriving at this assessment because my grass does not stick to the under side of the deck, (we have very different types of grass). I know from reading your past posts that you do not cut wet grass and your grass is quite fine, at least compared to southern grasses...So I'm of the assumption that because your grass is so fine, it clings to the under side of the mower. The moisture that resides in the grass itself facilitates this adhesion...so it accumulates.
I suspect the way to deal with this problem is to use the pressure washer more often and avoid the scraping part of your cleaning. Try pressure washing every 10-15 hours and perhaps you won't have to scrape at all. I would also suggest fabricating a low pressure, 180* (or less degree angle) device to wash build up before it gets a chance to dry and harden, using the pressure available from your well or public/municipal connection
Such is the cards you are dealt my friend. You can deal with it more often with less work, or 2-3 times a year with more work.
As far as coating your deck goes; I don't think any oil will get you to where you want to be. Nothing short of a very expensive teflon coating will create the surface you are looking for. If you could get it very clean and there is paint on the under side yo may want to try a silicone product, but only if you still have a comprehensive painted surface.

The manual for my 1000 series Cub Cadet says never to use water to wash the deck since water could get into the spindle bearings. Now that I have greasable Oregon spindles installed, I wash it.

The only noticeable difference between the stuff that comes out from underneath my riding mower decks and horse poop is I don't THINK that the deck grass spent any time in a horse. That being said, I've been somewhat satisfied with that non-stick spray cooking coating, but even then, it's a chore.:frown:

Get a deck wash if you can it makes the job 5 times faster:biggrin:

My new mower has a wash port and it works well but you need to use it regularly not let it build up.
It sure beats laying under it with a hose.

Two ideas, one is a replaceable poly-plastic liner, similar to those used by painters in their pails of paint.
The second is a plastic deck (Honda uses one).
No matter, the grass will stick anyway.
The third, and best, is to have a goat "mow" the lawn, better yet, a horse and have in essence, no lawn.
Work is something that a man cannot escape.
The deck manufacturers can give some engineering thought to this.
Maybe HF will introduce to the buying public a cheap deck scraper (rounded edges).
With my "lawn", I must stop and scrape every 5 minutes, as another alluded, the scrapings look to be one step short of horse manure !

Just thought I'd mention that in passing...:ashamed::laughing:

I'll bet that the manufacturers don't want to spend the money on a really long lasting deck because there aren't enough people that would pay for a mower that would last "a lifetime". An aluminum deck with a Teflon coating comes to mind, but it would be susceptible to mechanical damage, like when your mother in law cuts a bratwurst in half on your Teflon coated Calphalon pan..:frown:

Hey JDGreen, have you thought of buying a mower jack?

That WOULD be a huge asset to cleaning the deck but I dont think they market them yet for a 3100 pound CUT.

jmurray01 said:

If you don't want grass to stick, get a paint brush and some motor oil, and put a coat of it on the underside. That will stop most grass sticking

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This is a bit of a silly idea but thought I would float it out there. How about adding fuel injectors to the underside of the mower deck that spray cooking oil (or something lawn/yard safe) to prevent grass from sticking. Using this system one could perhaps even cut wet grass?

BradSmith said:

This is a bit of a silly idea but thought I would float it out there. How about adding fuel injectors to the underside of the mower deck that spray cooking oil (or something lawn/yard safe) to prevent grass from sticking. Using this system one could perhaps even cut wet grass?

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Welcome to LMF....for a new guy you sure have an original idea...better patent the concept before somebody else does.....:laughing::thumbsup:

I like the cooking oil idea, much more safe for the yard than painting on used motor oil.....:thumbsup:

I have an older (1996) Craftsman rider mower 42" deck that I hated to clean. While at a car show back in 2004, I picked up a POR-15 paint starter kit and after getting it home and cleaning the deck completely. I noticed some rust starting and cleaned & scraped that also. I then followed the instructions that came with the kit ( I painted it using a brush) and here it is 2011 and no more rust and the grass falls right off with just a regular garden hose & nozzle in just a few moments. Some days, I don't even get anything left under the deck. Those days I only wash off the top of the deck.
I remove the deck every year to hook up my plow to it and just check for any problems. Even occasional rocks can't chip this paint and it is virtually spotlessly clean when I put it away till the next spring.
Hope this helps.

repeters said:

I have an older (1996) Craftsman rider mower 42" deck that I hated to clean. While at a car show back in 2004, I picked up a POR-15 paint starter kit and after getting it home and cleaning the deck completely. I noticed some rust starting and cleaned & scraped that also. I then followed the instructions that came with the kit ( I painted it using a brush) and here it is 2011 and no more rust and the grass falls right off with just a regular garden hose & nozzle in just a few moments. Some days, I don't even get anything left under the deck. Those days I only wash off the top of the deck.
I remove the deck every year to hook up my plow to it and just check for any problems. Even occasional rocks can't chip this paint and it is virtually spotlessly clean when I put it away till the next spring.
Hope this helps.

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ANOTHER newbie with a great idea....thanks for joining LMF !!!

repeters said:

...POR-15 paint starter kit...and the grass falls right off with just a regular garden hose...

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Is POR-15 paint a teflon-like or non-stick type of paint? What makes it especially good for mower decks?

Perhaps it contains that new Lawn Fragment Repulsion Force (LFRF) technology I keep reading about :tongue:

POR-15 is used on any metal to stop & prevent rusting. The finished product becomes very hard and smooth (slick) so the grass doesn't have surface to hold on to. I used this on my Model A frame to protect it from dings from road debris, stones etc.... I figured if it worked for that, it should work for the deck. And it did. Look it up on line. It's pretty good stuff for all kinds of uses. I have a 1955 Ford 850 series tractor with a backhoe and a bucket loader on it and when I am finished with the modifications I am now doing, I will be using the POR-15 on that also.

By the way, I do not work for the POR company. They also sell their product for engine paint also.

Here is their URL.

POR 15 Paint

I use a rust inhibator that you paint on that I bought at TSC.Sorry the name of it escapes me right this moment but it too dries really hard.The bottle even states you should'nt take all the rust off because this stuff interacts and changes the chemical structure.It dries glossy black.I also spray it with Mo-Deck which I also got at TSC...russ

173abn said:

I use a rust inhibator that you paint on that I bought at TSC.Sorry the name of it escapes me right this moment but it too dries really hard.The bottle even states you should'nt take all the rust off because this stuff interacts and changes the chemical structure.It dries glossy black.I also spray it with Mo-Deck which I also got at TSC...russ

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Makes me think of the stuff that used to be sold to convert rust...anybody recall "Naval Jelly....?"

JDgreen said:

That WOULD be a huge asset to cleaning the deck but I dont think they market them yet for a 3100 pound CUT.

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Sure they do it is called a hydraulic hoist. :biggrin:

Black Bart said:

Sure they do it is called a hydraulic hoist. :biggrin:

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Retired guy here, no real income except what I can sponge off my better half, Social Security is two more years down the road. Anybody got a freebie for this old guy? :laughing:

The old-timer that runs one of the mower repair facilities around here has a forklift modified for picking up mowers and washing the deck and undersides off.:thumbsup: Not exactly a consumer-level fix, but i sure is handy.

JDgreen said:

Retired guy here, no real income except what I can sponge off my better half, Social Security is two more years down the road. Anybody got a freebie for this old guy? :laughing:

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If you've got the space to do it, you could probably make a suitable ramp with some 2X12s. Be SUPER careful going up and down, and especially getting on and off your mower perched 4 feet up in the air!:wink:

Interesting, I have the opposite set up though, my tractor pulls a bush hog, which I can use the 3-pt to elevate it a few feet. My mower has a deck under it, but its light enough to drop, and flip every now and again...

All I do is take something to chisel away the big stuff, pressure wash 1 pass, let it soak, then pressure wash the rest off, or let it soak some more... One tip though, when cleaning my weedeater, when its really bad, I just hit it with a few sprays of purple power and let it soak in. Great stuff, then it wipes all off for a shiny clean.

Hope that helps.

Chris Piper

:confused2:HEY THERE GUYS! WHEN I BOUGHT MY NEW MOWER IN 2006. THE FIRST THING I DID BEFORE I EVEN BEGAN TO MOWER MY GRASS, WAS TO PAINT 2 HEAVY RUST PROOF PAINT UNDER THE DECK. MY FORST J.D. STX 33, IT WAS A GREAT MOWER, BUT I MADE THE MISTAKE OF ALWAYS WASHING THE DECK AFTR EVERY USE. WELL AFTER 13 YEARS OF FANTASTIC SERVICE, WHICH I USED IT EVERY WEEK BECAUSE I LIVE IN HAWAII, SO WE CUT OUR GRASS ONCE A WEEK. THE DECK RUSTED OUT.

WHEN THIS HAPPENED I DECIDED TO BUY MY J.D. 42 INCH. I GAVE MY OLD MOWER TO MY FRIEND WHO WELDS. HE WELDED THE OLD DECK, AND IT IS STILL RUNNING ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER. I AM A RETIRED MACHINIST. I KNOW WHAT WATER CAN DO TO METAL. I NEVER HOSE OFF MY DECK. I LET IT DRY. AFTER A WHILE IT DRIES AND JUST FALLS OFF. NO MORE RUST ALSO. JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

ALOHA , KALAUKIA37:laughing:

kalaukia37 said:

:confused2:HEY THERE GUYS! WHEN I BOUGHT MY NEW MOWER IN 2006. THE FIRST THING I DID BEFORE I EVEN BEGAN TO MOWER MY GRASS, WAS TO PAINT 2 HEAVY RUST PROOF PAINT UNDER THE DECK. MY FORST J.D. STX 33, IT WAS A GREAT MOWER, BUT I MADE THE MISTAKE OF ALWAYS WASHING THE DECK AFTR EVERY USE. WELL AFTER 13 YEARS OF FANTASTIC SERVICE, WHICH I USED IT EVERY WEEK BECAUSE I LIVE IN HAWAII, SO WE CUT OUR GRASS ONCE A WEEK. THE DECK RUSTED OUT.

WHEN THIS HAPPENED I DECIDED TO BUY MY J.D. 42 INCH. I GAVE MY OLD MOWER TO MY FRIEND WHO WELDS. HE WELDED THE OLD DECK, AND IT IS STILL RUNNING ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER. I AM A RETIRED MACHINIST. I KNOW WHAT WATER CAN DO TO METAL. I NEVER HOSE OFF MY DECK. I LET IT DRY. AFTER A WHILE IT DRIES AND JUST FALLS OFF. NO MORE RUST ALSO. JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

ALOHA , KALAUKIA37:laughing:

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Did you realize YOUR CAPS LOCK IS STUCK......????

Actually, if I leave the grass clumps stuck under my deck for the whole mowing season, they DON'T fall off, and are MUCH HARDER to remove when I pull the deck and clean it in the fall when I store it. Leaving the clumps on also promotes rust because the grass build up is usually wet and holds moisture. And the deck does not cut as well with grass build up underneath.

Your first JD had a very thin sheet steel deck, and to get that 13 years out of it in a salt water atmosphere is pretty good, actually.

Don't cut the grass when it is wet, I haven't scraped the deck on my mower since I bought it used 10 years ago and there is little to no build up at all.

kalaukia37 said:

:confused2:HEY THERE GUYS! WHEN I BOUGHT MY NEW MOWER IN 2006. THE FIRST THING I DID BEFORE I EVEN BEGAN TO MOWER MY GRASS, WAS TO PAINT 2 HEAVY RUST PROOF PAINT UNDER THE DECK. MY FORST J.D. STX 33, IT WAS A GREAT MOWER, BUT I MADE THE MISTAKE OF ALWAYS WASHING THE DECK AFTR EVERY USE. WELL AFTER 13 YEARS OF FANTASTIC SERVICE, WHICH I USED IT EVERY WEEK BECAUSE I LIVE IN HAWAII, SO WE CUT OUR GRASS ONCE A WEEK. THE DECK RUSTED OUT.

WHEN THIS HAPPENED I DECIDED TO BUY MY J.D. 42 INCH. I GAVE MY OLD MOWER TO MY FRIEND WHO WELDS. HE WELDED THE OLD DECK, AND IT IS STILL RUNNING ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER. I AM A RETIRED MACHINIST. I KNOW WHAT WATER CAN DO TO METAL. I NEVER HOSE OFF MY DECK. I LET IT DRY. AFTER A WHILE IT DRIES AND JUST FALLS OFF. NO MORE RUST ALSO. JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

ALOHA , KALAUKIA37:laughing:

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Yea nothing as long as it is painted :laughing:

Duffer72 said:

Don't cut the grass when it is wet, I haven't scraped the deck on my mower since I bought it used 10 years ago and there is little to no build up at all.

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Easy for you to say, I mow 5 acres and there was one month earlier this year when we got 17, yes SEVENTEEN inches of rain.....how big a yard do you have that you can always cut it when dry? 200 square feet?

JDgreen said:

Easy for you to say, I mow 5 acres and there was one month earlier this year when we got 17, yes SEVENTEEN inches of rain.....how big a yard do you have that you can always cut it when dry? 200 square feet?

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JD, sounds like you need a Hovercraft!:wink:

+/- 2 acres for my lawn and a 120 yard golf hole fairway on the side along a power line easment.

JDgreen said:

While I enjoy changing the oil and greasing my tractor, as well as other tasks, I always have and always will dread the underside cleaning of my deck that is required about every 40 mowing hours.

The pictures show the mess from the second time this year, as my deck weighs 400 pounds and is a huge headache to remove and replace, I leave it on the tractor until removing it for winter storage. I drive the tractor up on a pair of car ramps, lock the parking brake, don old duds and safety glasses, then use a wood handled tool I made that had an old plastic ice scraper on the end to scrape off the big glass clumps, after propping open the discharge chute. Then it's time for lying on my side, using a 1400 psi power washer with a turbo nozzle to remove what is left. I always wish there were a removable port on the opposite side of the deck, to better scrape and blast away what is on that side.

So, does anybody have any ideas ona better, and less messy way to clean your mower deck? as I was finishing up, the two kids from next door came over, watching as I backed the tractor off the ramps. They wrinkled their noses, pointing at the wet green, disgusting mess, "What IS that stuff...??"

Click to expand...

I am lucky because I have a car lift in my garage. I use a chain to fasten the front end of the mower to an arm of the lift then can raise the mower vertical. This gives me full access to the underside of the mower deck and makes it easy to remove the blades and scrape the compacted grass out.

JDgreen said:

While I enjoy changing the oil and greasing my tractor, as well as other tasks, I always have and always will dread the underside cleaning of my deck that is required about every 40 mowing hours.

The pictures show the mess from the second time this year, as my deck weighs 400 pounds and is a huge headache to remove and replace, I leave it on the tractor until removing it for winter storage. I drive the tractor up on a pair of car ramps, lock the parking brake, don old duds and safety glasses, then use a wood handled tool I made that had an old plastic ice scraper on the end to scrape off the big glass clumps, after propping open the discharge chute. Then it's time for lying on my side, using a 1400 psi power washer with a turbo nozzle to remove what is left. I always wish there were a removable port on the opposite side of the deck, to better scrape and blast away what is on that side.

So, does anybody have any ideas ona better, and less messy way to clean your mower deck? as I was finishing up, the two kids from next door came over, watching as I backed the tractor off the ramps. They wrinkled their noses, pointing at the wet green, disgusting mess, "What IS that stuff...??"

Click to expand...

I run a Husqvarna YTH2348 and clean the deck once a year whether it needs it or not. She's over 10 years old and 650 hours now and bears the years very gracefully.
When I give it its annual oil change I whip the deck off, remove the mulching blades, jet wash the underside and treat it with Waxoyl. I use my angle grinder to sharpen the blades, then reassemble. Job done.

I bought a yellow plastic gadget that I was going to build myself out of tubing. Works really good but one of the three nozzles got damaged. Cheap plastic!
The damage came from me dropping it not from the mower blades.
I just wish I didn't have to sit on the mower while it sprays as it takes about 15-20 minutes to get it really clean.
Paid about $22 for this cheaply made yellow gadget. Just wish it was more durable.
Larry

I use the thin wooden wedges used to shim doors and windows. A package of them costs about a dollar. If the width doesn't suit you, split it down the middle and you have a half-width scraper. Scrape early and often, as the crud isn't stuck very tight until it's had time to adhere to a surface.

I try to keep scraping to a minimum, so I try to mow dry grass.

Cleaning the deck and sharpening blades more often is the only reason I bought a Hustler Raptor with the deck that flips up to about 85 degrees. I let it cool off and try to stay away from the spindles. The steel deck stays roughly the same as the exterior temperature but the aluminum spindles can get a temp in the 100's. Appling cold water to the hot material is why I wait.
I have had some success with Wilmer's Deck Graphite applied by brush, not their spray can, to keep grass from clumping but it didn't last more than a month.

I also use my lift for mower service. Makes me smile how easy it is. I use nylon straps on the front casters. Raptor SD54.

I have not picked up my mower all the way vertical because of spilling gas and oil.
Did you drain fluids before doing this?
.
.
.

clubairth said:

I also use my lift for mower service. Makes me smile how easy it is. I use nylon straps on the front casters. Raptor SD54.

I have not picked up my mower all the way vertical because of spilling gas and oil.
Did you drain fluids before doing this?
.
.
.

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No it was designed that way. Its a Raptor Flip-Up.

https://youtu.be/a_CDOg18eV0

jmurray01 said:

With my push mower, I wait until it is almost out of fuel (for no leaking), tip it back on its handles, use an ice scraper for the grass, then give it a good plast with my jet hose attachment to get it gleaming :smile:

But then I only have a push mower and it doesn't take that long, unless you are obsessive like me!

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That's why I like my HONDA HRX with the NeXite deck. No grass sticks to the bottom of it, it's like cooking with a no stick pan!:laughing:

jmurray01 said:

If you don't want grass to stick, get a paint brush and some motor oil, and put a coat of it on the underside. That will stop most grass sticking :smile:

*Bows and scrapes* :laughing:
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And also have a chance of leaving some oil on your grass and killing it! HMMM:confused2:

JDgreen said:

Retired guy here, no real income except what I can sponge off my better half, Social Security is two more years down the road. Anybody got a freebie for this old guy? :laughing:

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No pension? What did you retire from, baby sitting?

BradSmith said:

This is a bit of a silly idea but thought I would float it out there. How about adding fuel injectors to the underside of the mower deck that spray cooking oil (or something lawn/yard safe) to prevent grass from sticking. Using this system one could perhaps even cut wet grass?

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or buy a Honda with the NeXite deck, grass stays away from the underside of deck like opposite polar sides of a MAGNET.