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How do you clean your mower deck?


larry8200

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I use a LOT of elbow grease, putty knives, paint scrapers, chisels, compressed air, detergent, garden hose, wire and stiff scrub brushes... Has to be a better way. I've heard of special paints, oven cleaner, pressure washers... what works for you?
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In the fall I remove the deck, flip it over and remove the blades and sharpen them. Then I try and remove the worst of the caked on grass with a putty knife and follow up with a right angle grinder fitted with a wire wheel. I suggest having a fan blowing away from you when using the grinder. Finally I wash it down, let it dry and then paint it with an "EZ-Slip" graphite based coating that I get at the local farm store. Come spring, they're ready to GO! I have 4 decks, so I hope someone has an easier method of cleaning them.
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During the season, I'll look under the deck, and if there's significant buildup, I scrape the worst of it off with an old 1" chisel. I vacuum/blow off the top of the deck occasionally. I never use water. To me, water only make the remaining grass even wetter and leads to rust. At the end of the season, the deck that does the leafing, is clean and needs only a little wire brushing to be ready for next season. The decks that just mow, get scraped with the old chisel and wire bushed. Top of the decks get vacuumed/blown off. I used to use a compressor to blow the top of the decks off, but found my shop vac works better since the volume of air is greater.
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I have always hosed mine out after each use. Never had a rust issue and my deck is a 1972 model. I clean and prime it every fall after my last time using it.
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Well, after she has brought me a beer, and upon my detailed instruction and oversight, it really isn't difficult at all. It gets a little touchy when my beer is almost empty, but proper training insures that isn't an issue. :D And then I woke up from my deep sleep, and proceeded to take out the scraper and wire wheel..............
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quote:
Originally posted by Bull_79
What does everyone think of using duplicolor bedliner paint the underside of a deck good/bad?
I think that would provide superior rust protection but probably no easier to clean...
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I used Duplicolor bed liner under my 48" decks and 42" deck and it actually works really well for rust and buildup protection. Brandon
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The occasional scrape during the season as needed. Then in the fall after picking up about a thousand bushels of leaves, it is properly media blasted. Clean as a whistle.
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In the fall I use a large paint scraper which works most times, when that doesnt get it all i grease the deck and put it bottum up on my trailer, go to the car wash and use their power wash gun staying away from bearings, rinse it off and grease it again when i get home to hpofully push out any water that may have gotten in.
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Well since the leaves work so well I would try it but all my leaves go to the ditch before i can get to them so I might try putting some straw down and try that see if that will work as well
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I have seen little issue with it if I let it soak long enough. Wet it down real good, have dinner and come back and pressure wash(usually garden hose for me).
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quote:
Originally posted by UCD
Mulching dried fall leaves does the job.
Yup!! At the start of the season, I stripped down the inside of the deck and layed down a coat of Loctite Extend Rust Neutralizer. After that dried, I primered and painted the shell with Valspar Red oxide primer and then two coats of A/C orange enamel. I won't look at the shell until I pull it off this fall when it'll be time to put the snowblower on.
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