Keep mower deck clean?

Unruh · Jul 21, 2013

I'm wondering if anybody here knows the magic trick to keep the mower deck from building up a dark mass of leaves between the blades and the deck. If you do, spill it!

Anonymous-0 · Jul 21, 2013

it's a pain, but,scrape with a putty knife each time you're done mowing.

Mark-Mi · Jul 21, 2013

Yes, the answer is sitting on the stool.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 21, 2013

I drive over to the hydrant and raise the deck all the way up and use a pistol grip nozzle and wash it out right away while it is still wet.

Will Herring · Jul 21, 2013

I scrape every few mowings, unless I cut an exceedingly wet time then I scrape when I'm done.

Joe W. · Jul 21, 2013

Yeah, I use a putty knife too after about every 3 mowings. As I get older it's getting harder and harder to roll around on the ground under the mowing deck.

jm. · Jul 21, 2013

I have had folks buy a new unit at the store and request that we Teflon coat the under side. Have no idea if it helped or not. Have also had customers say o it is a good one , I wash it ever time I use it (when they were trying to trade in)
and in reality washing a deck is not good for bearing , belt or metal. Blowing off with an air hose is much better in my mind.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 21, 2013

Some people say they use Pam cooking spray on the deck, before they cut... No idea if it helps..

SweetFeet · Jul 21, 2013

Unruh,

I swear this is true...

My dad sprayed the underside of his deck with PAM cooking spray - before mowing, to make it easier to scrap the crud off. Thinking possibly WD-40 would be a shop-equivalent to the PAM. (We have never tried either one.)

Anyone else ever tried this?

Gene Davis (Ga.) · Jul 21, 2013

Find a good deep mud hole and drive into it. It will clean out the underneath and also will tell you if the engine is up to snuff as water is extremely hard to move and you will hear the engine bellow. That's the way I do it any way.

todd hamilton · Jul 21, 2013

Run mulching blades with fins on top of the blades, it will keep 85% of the crud off. Just blow the top of the deck off with leafblower when done mowing.

Nebraska Cowman · Jul 21, 2013

Never. But I only cut dry grass. And I buy a new mower every 20 years and throw the old one out.

OH - 961 · Jul 21, 2013

Pam will help for about 1 or maybe 2 cuttings. Have to have the deck really clean when you put it on, though.
It wasn't worth the trouble to remove the deck to power wash it underneath every other mowing. I don't think there is a magic cure for them building up.

Myron

JD Farmer · Jul 21, 2013

175 PSI 80 gallon tank air compressor with an open fitting soldered to a piece of 24" X 1/4" steel line...stick that baby under there after mowing and blow it clean. That's what I do.

spacecadet9 · Jul 21, 2013

I've wanted to try Slip Plate on the mower deck. I see they are now advertising a formula for that specific use.

Dean · Jul 21, 2013

Bingo.

I never cut wet grass and my 20+ year old Kubota deck is nearly as good as new aside from loss of paint underneath.

Dean

ss55 · Jul 21, 2013

I've had the best luck with graphite paint like Slip-Plate (?). Brush-on or spray-on will last a season or two for me.

Pam and WD40 work OK for under mowers and on snow shovels if I let them dry before I use the tool. They do wear off quickly. If I try to use the tool wet, then grass and snow stick much worst then before.

D beatty · Jul 21, 2013

I scrape mine every so often and spray it with oil in fall for winter.I have very little trouble with build because I mow when grass is dry. One summer I tried washing it every time with hose I but put three sets of new sealed bearing that summer. Dealer said not wash it out with water ( sealed bearings aren't as sealed as you would think) .

bison · Jul 22, 2013

i use scraper made from a 4' piece of rebar with a 4" 90 degree bend on each end with a short piece off 2" flat bar welded to one of the bends as scraper, the other end is used for handle.
I clean the underside of the deck from each side of the mower after each mowing,much easier to keep clean than after the crud has dried up.
Anyway you do it is a PITA.

Two Dogs · Jul 22, 2013

Most of you say don't do it, but I cut grass wet (no dust) and elevate the mower nearly vertical with a boat winch doohicky contraption I made and hose it off. Ten or twelve years and no rust out, no bearing failure, no belt replacement, and a clean mower and deck for my effort. TDF

Anonymous-0 · Jul 22, 2013

Google Mo-Deck, light oil that you wipe on the underside of the deck, after pressure washing.

Red1 · Jul 22, 2013

(quoted from post at 16:45:18 07/21/13) I'm wondering if anybody here knows the magic trick to keep the mower deck from building up a dark mass of leaves between the blades and the deck. If you do, spill it!

I've a dixon 361 with a stamped deck...hardly ever needs cleaning out vs the snapper with a welded deck that traps grass in the corners.

Bryan inIowa · Jul 22, 2013

Install a garden hose fitting in the deck . Run the blades turn on the hose and in couple minutes clean as a whistle !

GVSII · Jul 22, 2013

(quoted from post at 21:47:53 07/21/13) I scrape mine every so often and spray it with oil in fall for winter.I have very little trouble with build because I mow when grass is dry. One summer I tried washing it every time with hose I but put three sets of new sealed bearing that summer. Dealer said not wash it out with water ( sealed bearings aren't as sealed as you would think) .

Don't know why a dealer would say don't wash.Many mowers come with an adaptor on the deck that a hose can be connected to so that the deck can washed without lifting the mower.

D beatty · Jul 22, 2013

I had actuality a lawn mower dealer and a bearing dealer both tell me that . They say the new sealed bearing aren't sealed as good as the old ones. Most dealers won't say anything they are in the business of selling parts. My 44" deck cost $40.00 for a set of bearings + my time to tear down and rebuild. I haven't replaced a sealed bearing in the last 6 years since I stoped washing decks out with water. The only deck I wash out with water is a deck that has greaseable Timkem roller bearings which create a grease seal so water can't get in. All the new deck I have seen that you can use a hose have greaseable bearings.

Pete in MD · Jul 22, 2013

I did what Bryan suggests. Got a brass fitting from a hardware store with hose thread on one end and 3/4" pipe thread on the other end. Cut a 3/4" pipe coupling in half to use as a "nut" under the deck. It does a great job cleaning the deck.

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