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In my opinion, spraying PAM on decks to prevent grass/dirt buildup underneath the deck is an urban legend. I tried several products by a company called ZEPLON that was purported to be a teflon-based "dry lubricant" on my previous Craftsman lawn tractor's deck when it was brand new.....worked for a while but no joy:0(
To use "real teflon" you need to have a contract with Dupont as a Licensed Industrial Applicator(costs major $$$). Yeah, it seems like they would have come out with mower decks with a teflon coating(or maybe Emron....airplane paint) where grass dirt simply would not adhere but alas that's not a priority(or expense that could feasibly be passed on to the consumer) by ZTR manufacturers. I think most will find that the PAM doesn't protect against buildup after a few sprays:0(

Sooooooooo, agree or disagree???? And, is there really any "proven" method/coating material that will prevent any grass/dirt accumulation underneath a ZTR mower's deck(or any mower design for that matter)????

dj,

Are you a pilot? "No joy" is a term that I've only heard from pilots, usually OLD pilots.

Larry

MBDiagMan said:

dj,

Are you a pilot? "No joy" is a term that I've only heard from pilots, usually OLD pilots.

Larry

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Nope, not exactly sure where I picked that term up...but it seemed to make sense the first time I heard it:0)
I notice you list Bad Boy in your profile. Do you own a Bad Boy ZTR? If so, what model and what do you think of it? I almost pulled the trigger on a 54" Outlaw last fall, but to be honest the only real problem I had with it was that massive 5gauge deck....I had polio in my right leg and try as I might I simply could NOT do any kind of deck adjustment on that Bad Boy because the deck was so dang heavy:0(
My Gravely has a 7gauge deck and it's very heavy duty as well, but for some reason it's deck lift system design let's me adjust it even with my "weak leg muscles". That was one of the main reasons(plus the price) that I went with Gravely.
P.S.
I am old though(fixin to retire @ 62)....maybe that's it:0)
P.S.S.
You, on the other hand, based upon your avatar and equipment listed(cessna) appear to be an airplane pilot. So tell me, I've always heard that the dominant paint that is used on aircraft is Emron paint because of it's extremely slick surface properties(which lends to a low drag coefficient, therefore less wind/surface resistance). Would a ZTR mower deck painted underneath with Emron paint indeed be a solution to the infamous grass/dirt buildup??? Again, though, it is my understanding that due to the hazmat properties of Emron paint that special equipment, skills and possibly restrictions come into play if painting something with it(you couldn't just fire up the air compressor in your garage and spray paint your deck with Emron). Is that correct?????

I have a Bad Boy Lightening Z that I bought in 2004 or 2005. It is a wonderful machine. It has a liquid cooled 26HP Kawasaki and a 48" deck. It is a little clunky handling compared to some other ZTR's that I've run, but is bullet proof in its construction. It would seem to be ideal for your situation, since it has an electric deck actuator that works great.

It is seriously ocerpowered which works out well for my use during certain times of the year. I have a part time ranch on the Red River in Northeast Texas. I have lots of fence trimming after shredding the pastures and baling the meadow. The Bad Boy is adequately rugged with its 1/4" fabricated deck and big, heavy spindles.

I have shot automotive paint in the past, but never shot any Imron. I know that it is best done with a fresh air hood or oxygen, but all modern paint falls in this category.

I think that it is popular for GA planes due to its solvent resistance and thin coat making for less weight. I'm not sure if it would make the inside of a deck less susceptible to buildup or not. The powder coating under the deck of my Bad Boy has seemed to resist buildup quite well, but it might have more to do with the tall spindles allowing lots of room above the blades.

BTW, the no joy term is sort of fading out of pilot speak with the younger generation. In the old days, which I am old enough to be familiar with, when traffic was announced and you are required to acknowledge whether or not you have it in site, "tally ho" means that you see the aircraft and "no joy" means that you have not visually located it. I am older than you, so I thought that maybe you were an old geezer airplane driver like me.

Larry

Simple yet just mow when the grass is dry i never have a problem with grass sticking and i use rubber undercoat on my decks.

jakewells said:

Simple yet just mow when the grass is dry i never have a problem with grass sticking and i use rubber undercoat on my decks.

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Are you talking about the black rubberized automotive spray undercoating like you buy at Autozone??? And it works well??
I never thought about trying automotive undercoating.

I've tried using Moly Dry film Lube, H2. Only because we seem to have a case laying around and no use for it. (i think the chemsearch sales woman really did a number on my boss). It didn't work well and any benefits were short lived. i think the time and money associated with doing something like that typically don't out way the associated cost of labor and materials. i think your best bet is regular cleaning of your mower deck. if you keep your deck relatively clean than build up shouldn't be a problem. I say fiction.

Cakey is absolutely correct about the best solution being a thorough cleaning immediately after wet mowing. This is a very practical approach for some mowers that have easy access to the bottom of the mower deck. For many midmount ZTR's, however, this can be quite difficult, especially for those having trouble physically getting underneath.

This is why I REALLY wish that my Grasshopper had the power deck. I have a floor jack that raises the deck relatively easily, but my mid mount Bad Boy is only accessible by lying on my side with a piece of metal strap as a scraping tool.

The undercoating might work good, but I would think that the surface would have to be Spic & Span clean in order for it to stick.

Larry

MBDiagMan said:

Cakey is absolutely correct about the best solution being a thorough cleaning immediately after wet mowing. This is a very practical approach for some mowers that have easy access to the bottom of the mower deck. For many midmount ZTR's, however, this can be quite difficult, especially for those having trouble physically getting underneath.

This is why I REALLY wish that my Grasshopper had the power deck. I have a floor jack that raises the deck relatively easily, but my mid mount Bad Boy is only accessible by lying on my side with a piece of metal strap as a scraping tool.

The undercoating might work good, but I would think that the surface would have to be Spic & Span clean in order for it to stick.

Larry

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Larry,

You need to invest in a Mojack...best $200 I've spent on my ZTR yet!!! Sure came in handy last weekend when I installed my new mulch kit:0) See link below for info:

Shop MoJack Tractor Lift at Lowes.com

P.S.
Yeah...the lamest response I've seen from the manufacturers was the decks where you attach a garden hose and it sprays the underside clean(theoritically...I've never owned one).......can they spell R-U-S-T??????

Something I saw in another thread in a post by user Ric pointed out that grass blades themselves are made up of/consist of 70%-80% water. Maybe that in and of itself negates any possibility of a viable solution of complete prevention of grass clipping buildup underneath a mower deck.

Try TSC Tractor Supply for your mojack there $99 there

MoJack® EZ Lawn Mower Lift - Tractor Supply Online Store

djdicetn said:

Something I saw in another thread in a post by user Ric pointed out that grass blades themselves are made up of/consist of 70%-80% water. Maybe that in and of itself negates any possibility of a viable solution of complete prevention of grass clipping buildup underneath a mower deck.

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There's nothing your going to spray on a deck to keep grass from sticking. People keep trying everything under the sun but never find the answer. We may not like it but it's the nature of the beast.

Ric said:

Try TSC Tractor Supply for your mojack there $99 there

MoJack® EZ Lawn Mower Lift - Tractor Supply Online Store

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Yeah, I read that in another thread(I seem to remember something about it being a clearance price...that TSC was going to discontinue carrying them), but when I went to my "local TSC's website" they were still $199(just like Lowes). Seems like you could print off that link and take it to Lowes and make them honor their "price match guarantee". Maybe that's not good for an "online price" though.

Ric said:

There's nothing your going to spray on a deck to keep grass from sticking. People keep trying everything under the sun but never find the answer. We may not like it but it's the nature of the beast.

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I tend to agree, but if someone happens upon something that REALLY worked.....they could get rich(of course they would want to share it with all of us free.....right:0)

I'm not sure whether it has to be a specific kind of "metal", like the frying pans, etc. but if it were possible I wish the manufacturers would enter into a contract with Dupont Chemicals to put a "real Teflon" coating underneath the decks. It just "seems like" that would work.

Once a year I spray paint the bottom of my deck (after a good cleaning) with a coat of high gloss white paint and a coat of clearcote then a few layers of wax its not perfect but it makes it easy to clean.

This is what I have done for years let the grass dry and Harding on the deck now you have a barrier that keeps water off the deck and no mora grass sticking to the deck. Someone else on here does the same thing just can't remember who.

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

MBDiagMan said:

Cakey is absolutely correct about the best solution being a thorough cleaning immediately after wet mowing. This is a very practical approach for some mowers that have easy access to the bottom of the mower deck. For many midmount ZTR's, however, this can be quite difficult, especially for those having trouble physically getting underneath.

This is why I REALLY wish that my Grasshopper had the power deck. I have a floor jack that raises the deck relatively easily, but my mid mount Bad Boy is only accessible by lying on my side with a piece of metal strap as a scraping tool.

The undercoating might work good, but I would think that the surface would have to be Spic & Span clean in order for it to stick.

Larry

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I would think that even if the undercoating sticks, it is not a smooth finish, and grass would stick to the undercoating.

It seems as if grass is abrasive. On my old GT, I painted under the deck with POR-15 Chassis paint. While it was pretty in-destructible on my car chassis, it wore away after about 4-5 mowings...:thumbdown:

Bruce

Why not make a "deck shower" out of lawn sprinklers? Just mount it to a board, hook up your water hose and drive over it a couple of times an use a mirror to see if its clean enough :wink: I,m sure that would clean it after a few times using it after your done for the day:drink:

Tombstonebilly said:

Why not make a "deck shower" out of lawn sprinklers? Just mount it to a board, hook up your water hose and drive over it a couple of times an use a mirror to see if its clean enough :wink: I,m sure that would clean it after a few times using it after your done for the day:drink:

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Or get a mower with a deck washout port, but some say they don't work.


(http://www.sharpeslawn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/tcz_washout_ports_lg1.jpg)

I've never found that the feature some decks have where you hook a garden hose to the top and it is suppose to clean the deck, works very well. In my experience its only good for getting your deck wet, which isn't good for much....

Cakey said:

I've never found that the feature some decks have where you hook a garden hose to the top and it is suppose to clean the deck, works very well. In my experience its only good for getting your deck wet, which isn't good for much....

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Yeah, it's like which is the lesser evil.....rusting out your deck from the deck washout contraptions, or take a chance throwing a belt from the grass/dirt buildup:0(

djdicetn said:

Yeah, it's like which is the lesser evil.....rusting out your deck from the deck washout contraptions, or take a chance throwing a belt from the grass/dirt buildup:0(

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If I am out mowing on wet days and there is a deep puddle I run my mower through it does a good job cleaning

exotion said:

If I am out mowing on wet days and there is a deep puddle I run my mower through it does a good job cleaning

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Over the summer I don't bother cleaning my mower (other than the underside of the deck) because I get stuck out in the rain pretty often and it does a good job cleaning my equipment (and myself). Look at these pictures!