rustproofing deck maintenance

[peter lena 8,589]

@JoeM  looking at your deck situation , been doing this for years , without any issues or rot , regular inspection , light sharpening , lubrication soak down and sun dry out . just an idea , pete

 

[JoeM 7,871]

3 hours ago, peter lena said:

been doing this for years

How often do you clean it out?

 

I know that Kubota deck is pretty intense with the speed and the high lift blades. Plus it is not smooth and has plenty of places to catch material. I just think the manufactures do look much at cleaning and lean more toward design fitting the application. Only good thing it is about 11ga. thick. 

[peter lena 8,589]

@JoeM think that the most important question is , how easy is it  to drop the deck ?  or is there changes you can make to , installation and removal ?  on a horse its easy to drop and install. do you regularly clean it out ? do you dry it in the sun? have you ever oil soaked the bottom side ? know since establishing that oil slick base , grass has not been an issue . can you improve the underside " catch areas ?  hope you find something that will make it easier , pete 

[JoeM 7,871]

Yeah if is was like those smaller wheel horses, it would get cleaned more often. This is 900 lbs tractor 200+ deck, not to simple anyway you look at it. I need the FEL just to move it around and lift it to clean. Like I said twice a year, is about all it is going to get. 

The xi is about the same weight with the 60 (300LBS) inch deck. It is a little bit easier to remove but is it still a bear. 

I tried oils, gear oils, easy slide (was not too bad, less build up but worn through pretty much all over), polyurethane. For a while I would drain the gearbox and use the old oil to coat the deck going into winter. Worked kind of okay. I call it better than nothing.  

I know guys that clean their decks every time they mow. That is okay, but I'm not one of them!

Just wondering if that process is something that lasts a month or two.

[David414 289]

@peter lena Great advice on deck maintenance.  I have a new to me 42" rear discharge deck that has been neglected for years. The underside of the deck is a mess and quite rusty. My plan is to grind down all the rust form the underside then coat with rust-oleum rusty metal primer, then a top coat of rust-oleum.

After that, then you apply the oils you recommend to the painted surface? Or are you applying the oils to the clean unpainted steel deck?

Thanks

[oldlineman 1,481]

Just the bare metal I believe

[peter lena 8,589]

@David414 actually I rarely grind down the metal , what I would do is to use a good penetrating oil and scrub it down with a wire brush , minimizing  metal removal and scrubbing the oil penetrant into the finish, then let that dry , and recoat it with a heavy open gear spray . let that sit upside down in the sun , to set itself and feed that metal . I do not seal off anything , too often that holds moisture . oils feed the unpainted deck , when the metal stains black color , the oil is in it . let it sit upside down  in the hot sun to suck in the oil . do my decks at least a couple of times a year , last one in the fall , so it sits over winter upside down to draw in that  oil for months .  recommend  LUBRIPLATE  CHAIN AND CABLE SPRAY FIRST , GREEN CAN , AND EXTRA HEAVY OPEN GEAR LUBRICANT , BLACK CAN , OVER SPRAY AFTER FIRST OIL DRIES.  my pictures show what my decks look like , this combination ,works , i use it , pete 

[David414 289]

Thanks

[peter lena 8,589]

@David414, should have included this , pictures do it all, done this on all my decks , no rot or damage, lubrication addict, pete

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I'm still looking for the perfect way but until then I just clean off the grass and any flaking rust, hit it hard with whatever penetrant I have, wait a day or so and coat with used motor oil.  Sometimes I even used some grease in the corners.  I had a can or two of some graphite slide stuff that I intend to try sometime.  Cost a lot more than used motor oil...

[Goldnboy 910]

7 hours ago, DennisThornton said:

I'm still looking for the perfect way but until then I just clean off the grass and any flaking rust, hit it hard with whatever penetrant I have, wait a day or so and coat with used motor oil.  Sometimes I even used some grease in the corners.  I had a can or two of some graphite slide stuff that I intend to try sometime.  Cost a lot more than used motor oil...

Coating with used motor oil is a great way to remember to change the oil on your tractor and recycle too!

Edited October 16, 2021 by Goldnboy

[peter lena 8,589]

@Goldnboy  a couple of the decks i recovered , had rusty and bent blade enhancers , I  often refer to as rot boxes , because that's what they do , trap wet grass , never get cleaned out and rot the deck . mine were in rough shape , so i used a cutting wheel on them , finished with a smooth base where they were . never effected my cutting at all , and the decks stay clean . my cutting decks are clear of any blade enhancers , cut at highest setting , no pile ups at all , regularly check them out for anything . regular maintenance and touch up anything that shows' up .  think that hot sun , at 45deg angle with oil soak , is the deal , light touch up on blades , small fine file , lucas  hi temp chassis grease in spindles and pto drive bearings , makes things work with out effort . just stuff that works for me , once i zero in on a problem , make it go away , pete 

[Handy Don 12,177]

1 hour ago, peter lena said:

@Goldnboy  a couple of the decks i recovered , had rusty and bent blade enhancers , I  often refer to as rot boxes , because that's what they do , trap wet grass , never get cleaned out and rot the deck . mine were in rough shape , so i used a cutting wheel on them , finished with a smooth base where they were . never effected my cutting at all , and the decks stay clean . my cutting decks are clear of any blade enhancers , cut at highest setting , no pile ups at all , regularly check them out for anything . regular maintenance and touch up anything that shows' up .  think that hot sun , at 45deg angle with oil soak , is the deal , light touch up on blades , small fine file , lucas  hi temp chassis grease in spindles and pto drive bearings , makes things work with out effort . just stuff that works for me , once i zero in on a problem , make it go away , pete 

Pete, those internal baffles were there as an assist with mulching blades by keeping the cuttings in the blade path longer. If you aren't mulching, they don't add much, if anything, to the quality of the cut. And yes, they are a weak point in long-term survivability of WH decks!

[peter lena 8,589]

@JimSraj  notice the angular set up of the deck to the sun?  easy to  get something wedged under the deck lift carriage, the deck has been cleaned  , its been oil soaked , and its getting hot  facing the sun , make sense ?  break the moist grunge cycle , deck gets hot , dries out , draws in lubricant . let it sit there to follow sun , the hotter it gets the better , sharpen blades with a small fine file , minimize metal removal , gets a sharp edge fast , grease smear those fresh cut blades , draws in lubricant , stops rust . when you move deck , back down , lubricate those spindle bearings, use a red grease , hi temp , also lubricate the wheel mounts , and height adjustment lever cross rod , work easier ? lubricate all carriage movement points , make the rust run out . also do this oil soaking at end of season , so it sits in oil soak , upside down , for months , drawing in the oil , the metal will turn black , once its sucked in the oil . just what I  do , questions , just ask , pete