Repainting mower deck

[PAguy 8]

I am working on repainting my mower deck. I have taken it apart and started working on sanding and priming. My question is should I paint the underside of the deck and if so what type or paint would be best. I was not certain with grass build up and so on but I also want to prevent rusting in future. 

 

Thanks, E

[Racinbob 12,209]

You'll get a lot of opinions because there are a lot of things that work. I used Por 15 on the underside of mine a couple years ago and it's holding up real well. Grass will still build up but it comes off much easier.

[SylvanLakeWH 29,260]

 

Good paint makes clean up easier. Also reduces rust potential down the road...

 

[Solze1267 202]

Por15 is an amazing product for under deck but remember to use the cleaner and metal prep. it will work without them but the long term is better if you follow the steps. I have done it both ways and have had better luck using their cleaner and metal prep. Also if you do use it put some plasti wrap or wax paper between the lid and can or you might have to cut it open the next time you use it!

[oliver2-44 10,967]

POR 15 works good. Tractor Supply stocks a paint  called Super Glide" that also works well. a my local store it's not with the other paints but is over in the tractor equipment isle.

Edited April 29, 2017 by oliver2-44

[ohiofarmer 3,383]

 i am not going to put down POR15, but I am truly impressed with how durable the ari-guard coatings work with no special metal prep. i took the time to do the best i could and washed the thing with detergent after removing all the flaky rust. I have a MTD deck that was left outside with old grass residue, and the rust was peeling off in layers. I kept pecking away at it until it was solid but still rusty.  I used the agri-guard on it with a cheap chip brush and could not believe the coverage and hardness. Two days after application, a wire brush in a drill barely dulled the shine. I used the black color on the deck underside, but if you want to put the coating in the sunshine, the aluminum color has U-V stabilizers. A one quart can will coat a big mower deck [underside] twice, but if you want two coats,you have to do it before the first coat is fully cured. It stayed put 100% after mowing for the season. Great for battery trays as well

http://www.agriguardcoatings.com/

 

 $30 for a quart of black color and $40 for the aluminum

[PAguy 8]

Thanks for the responses very helpful. I am going to look for the por-15 today. 

[Tankman 3,523]

Decks are cleaned after mowing, Two ramps live at my barn doors, ready to go.

 

My Horses live indoors when not at work.

Decks are always cleaned, compressed air, hose, power washed. Whatever.

Decks always off in winter, one at a time set up on long saw horses. Makes them easy to turn over.

Cleanly wire wheeled, no rush. then the underside is painted with Rustoleum Rust Reformer Aerosol, inexpensive.

Underside is then painted with any color paint on my shelf, can't see under there anyways.

Topside cleaned and painted as required, Rustoleum Regal Red. Inexpensive and always on the shelf at Home "Cheapo".

Greased spindles and drive belt if needed. Huskee Kevlar belts always on the shelf at TSC. Inexpensive too, never had one fail.

I sometimes replace hardware, stainless steel on the shelf at Lowes. Always Never-Seez on threads.

Gives the Grandsons something to do.

[Lee1977 7,369]

Clean and give the spindle housing a good coat of paint as the acid in grass will eat them away.

[ohiofarmer 3,383]

I run the deck without the pulley guards on the deck top. The grass stays dry and then use a cheap garage sale leaf blower every time as it only takes a moment.  I keep a power pull hanging from the ceiling to lift the front end for maintenance. Air impact wrench is great for blade removal, but i hand thread them putting the nuts back on the spindles at least three turns so as to not cross thread anything.

 

 I took off the slide that has the idler pulley and made a formica full skid plate for under the slide. Polish the slide to a mirror finish and put waterproof silicone grease underneath and the dirt stays out.  The idler acting as a constant force shock absorber is much better than one seized up with dust and grass clippings turned to glue from power washing.   I bought a deck with a fractured cast iron center pulley that was probably fractured from the idler being glued in place. They are expensive to replace.

 

Now we can get aftermarket spindle bearings for the old cast spindles as well as the double d blades, so the old decks can last forever. It seems like the steel in the old decks from the sixties does not rust as easily as the ones from the nineties, but that is just from limited observation.