What is your undercarriage cleaning method?

[Indy443 30]

Hi guys-

 

I am looking for the best way to clean out the underside of my mow deck after a mowing. Aside from removing the deck each time, what techniques are used to get a hose to clean all the stuck grass out? I've used some auto ramps to get the front end up off the ground, but that only gives about a foot of clearance to get the hose under there. 

 

What do you do? 

 

Thanks!

[Pickle 43]

I remove the deck and use a common hand scraper.

[Indy443 30]

So deck off after each mow? 

 

I mow on average about every 5-6 days. Sometimes the grass is bone dry and fluffy, other times it's more sticky. I have taken the deck off and cleaned it completely numerous times this season, but just curious if there are better/other ways of doing it so you don't have to take the extra time to remove/clean/put back on the deck after each mow.

[grinchsr 626]

I also remove the deck and hand scrape.  Your deck will last a lot longer.

[Tankman 3,518]

Yearly I remove the deck, a thorough cleaning and paint.

 

During the year, ramps, hose and a long handle barbecue brush 'n scraper.

 

The annual thorough cleaning lasts me a season. Up 'n over on saw horses, clean, grease, perhaps a new drive belt for the hard working Stallion's mower deck. 

 

I do blow, back pack blower or vac, under the deck after each use. Tractors are always indoors when not in use!

[swarfeater 49]

ramps and powerwash, takes < 5 mins.

[Don1977 604]

I've used the hose this year because we had wet grass all summer. I usually take it off or jack it up with the floor jack and scrape. I clean it with a small side grinder with a wire brush and paint every couple of years.

[Indy443 30]

I will vigorously clean the deck when it comes off for good in about a month. What are your painting techniques, and what kind of paint are you using for this?

[Tankman 3,518]

I will vigorously clean the deck when it comes off for good in about a month. What are your painting techniques, and what kind of paint are you using for this?

Underside of the deck I use any Rustoleum I have. No one'll see the color and who cares?

 

New on the market, black rubberized, bitumen spray looks good too. I tried a can on a leaking shop vac. Worked great and, I'm thinking of usin' some on my pickup undercarriage.

 

Bitumen is a waterproofing product made from tar. Was originally used to waterproof boat hulls. Perhaps you've seen some of the commercials, guy with a rowboat, screen door bottom. Sprayed and floated.

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

And now the FLEX-SEAL comes in WHITE TOO! ... but WAIT! there's MORE!  order NOW and we'll DOUBLE YOUR ORDER!...

I wonder how many 'takes' it took to get that boat to float?

 

My recommendation would be POR 15 coating.

 

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=por+15

[wh79d160 52]

I jack up the front of the tractor w/a floor jack & use my pressure washer or the fire hose nozzle I got from northern tool on my garden hose. After washing, I let the deck run for 5 or ten minutes to dry it. I pull & service my decks in the winter. After cleaning & drying, I spray them w/a clear called No-mo, I think. Really helps keep the grass from sticking.

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

Someone needs to invent a GTB ... Garden Tractor Bidet ...

[dcrage 627]

Ahhh -- Does I never have done anything during the grass season, maybe when I have it off in the winter count?? -- I guess the 37" SD is well built -- It is just the past year or two that the first paint has started to flake off -- Now for a little "truth in advertising" here -- Plenty of bare spots in the yard which kick up a goodly amount of dust/debris and does a good job of scouring the inside of the deck

 

On another line of comment; I hope Duff sees this thread and posts his pictures of his "cleaned" deck -- I know he made use of used motor oil

[Chevydave 25]

I also take it off once a season for cleaning. I used POR15 2 years ago. A little does come off if you don't use the metal cleaner after you wire brush the deck clean.

Last winter I cleaned what POR 15 was comming off, used the metal cleaner and coated the worn off spots.

During the year I jack it up and clean off the loose stuff.

[Butch 194]

I just power washed mine and it did a great job. There was a lot of rust under the built up grass. I wonder how long until it rusts through or leads to cracking around the spindles.

I'm going to guess these tractors will outlast the decks. Wonder if I should plop down the $1400 now and buy a new deck. They won't be getting any cheaper and they won't be

in stock forever.

[boovuc 1,090]

After mowing wet grass, it gets cleaned out by "feel" using a scraper if required. At the end of the year, it is removed and every bit is cleaned off then sanded and painted and the cycle starts over again.

Dry grass mowing and it just gets put away. The 48" deck I have had for 25 years has never needed a repair and isn't close to needing one.

[leeave96 487]

Here's my clean the deck stratigy:

 

1.  Try to mow when it's dry - but often that's not an option.

2.  Never take the deck off to clean it during the season - only after the mowing season is done and then service and paint the underside of the deck with slip plate.

3.  Occasionally when mowing away from the house and the tractor is on my trailer, I will stick my hand under the deck and pull off some grass clumps - especially around the front edge.  Easy to get under the deck when on the trailer from the sides.

4.  Accumulate spare decks/shells so when the inevitable rusted out deck comes - I got a spare or two.

 

FWIW - sometimes I wonder is the real maker of rust on these decks is not so much wet grass (with annual maintenance) but chemicals and fertilizers we put on our yards.

 

Good luck,

Bill

[BOWTIE 226]

I CLEAN MINE EVERY TIME I MOW. I USE A OLD STEAK KNIFE WITH A 5"-6" BLADE. I SCRAPE MIANLY AROUND THE REAR ADJUSTMENT AREA WHERE THE GRASS BUILDS UP AND THE FRONT OF DECK, THAT'S WHERE THEY RUST OUT. AT THE END OF SEASON I TAKE THE DECK OFF AND PRESSURE WASH.

BOWTIE

[rjcap 13]

During the mowing season I drive the tractor up and on to some 6x6 treated timbers that line part of my driveway and lay down on my side and hose off as much of the underside of the deck as I can. Even though this is my first full season with the WheelHorse I have alway done the same thing with my other equipment too.  

 

Also, a big POR-15 fan here for the underside of the deck. Over last winter I scrapped, wire wheeled and ground the deck both top and bottom and coated it liberally with POR-15. I then painted the top of the deck red to match the machine. POR-15 is expensive, messy and has absolutely no shelf life once you open the can, so be prepared to use it all. Wear gloves or be prepared to have paint on you for a few weeks.

[Duff 206]

Thanks Dave (dcrage) for the acknowledgement! Don't know where I put those photos, but what I do is scrape and wash my decks (37SD, 42RD, and a 46" and 48" deck on two green tractors) then apply bar and chain oil (because it sitcks so well) to the underside of the decks at the beginning, once or twice during, and really well at the end of the season before storage. After each mowing I simply lift the deck to the high carry position under the tractor, engage the clutch and run it up to about 3/4 throttle, then ***carefully*** (emphasis on carefully!) direct my garden hose up under the deck around the sides and let the spinning blades create a "pressure washer" situation. When I do take the deck off I'm invariably pleasantly surprised at how clean (and rust free!) it is. I am running Gator blades on all my decks and the extra chopping action may help increase the pressure washer effect, but that's just a guess.

 

Cheap, easy and apparently effective!

 

~Duff   

  

[wh79d160 52]

It's actually called MO-DECK " so slick, grass won't stick"

[Tonyp 284]

I remove the deck at least twice a year, scrape, clean and repaint the bottom. I generally will not cut grass if it is wet, I'll wait. But if I have to then I remove the deck and clean it. I also repair any rust holes with sheet metal if need be...done that a few times !  

 

 

 

The deck can last a lifetime with the proper maintenance, not a lifetime without. It's just one of them things we gotta do....I'm going on 25 years with mine now...

[Chevydave 25]

Wow, never heard of MO-DECK. Just placed an order can't wait to try it out.

[546cowboy 301]

When I saw this post I thought someone wanted to know how to get the frame and underside clean. Then I see it's cleaning the deck. Well I have to admit I don't get carried away cleaning my decks mainly because I rarely mow with my horses since I got my Woods with the deck out front. I do clean that one but I have an overhead chain hoist that I lift the deck up with. Then it's scrape, scrape,scrape and power wash. In the past I did put a chain around the front axle and lift tractors up to clean the decks.