CLEANING A MOWER

[lawn mower fanatic]

What is the best way to clean the underside of the deck of a push mower?

 

[Lawnranger]

Tip the mower with the carburetor up. Use what ever means is necessary to remove the debris that is accumulated on the deck. For instance, if the green grass clippings can be removed with normal water pressure from a garden hose then use the hose. If the debris is caked and hardened on you may need to use a 1"-2" scraper and follow up with a wire brush.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Ok thanks, all I do is use a scraper.

 

[Blade Runner]

Besides the other good comments, I would say, FIRST, remove spark plug wire(s) from sparkplug(s) before going anywhere near the blade(s).

No matter how you gain access to underneath, never tilt mower where the aircleaner is down toward the ground. Best to clean it as soon as you can after mowing while grass gunk has not had a chance to setup like 3m auto tape to the underside:biggrin: Use water, brushes, paint scrapers etc (I have had to use a wire wheel on a drill before).

After cleaning and its dry, it can help to spray something "slick" under the deck, such as Pam cooking spray or anything that will stick to it but helps keep surface slick (and not flame up from a spark or high heat)...one guy I knew tried RainX for windshields, I think.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

I was just wondering, is it OK when you spray the underside of the deck that the belt and stuff that is exposed in the center get wet?

 

[Lawnranger]

Besides the other good comments, I would say, FIRST, remove spark plug wire(s) from sparkplug(s) before going anywhere near the blade(s).

Excellent point! Safety should always come first. I have cleaned so many mower decks and I automatically disable the spark plug that I didn't mention it - duh. Sometimes you know and do the things you should but don't always remember to type them out.

 

[Lawnranger]

I was just wondering, is it OK when you spray the underside of the deck that the belt and stuff that is exposed in the center get wet?

Water will not harm the belt but I would make sure that everything is dry after cleaning. For instance, you would not want a wet belt up against a metal pulley for an extended period of time where rust could set in. If you use water, simply leave the mower out on your driveway for a while and then go back and start it up for a minute, shut it down and let it set for a while longer and repeat until everything is dry. If you have an air compressor you can dry the belt/pulleys/etc with air but as mentioned in a previous post, disable the spark plug before lifting the mower.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Thanks, everyone, for the advice!!

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

I just wanted to post back in this thread to tell you what I use now. I got a new putty knife when I bought my Honda HRX mower that is made especially for cleaning mower decks. It works better than the one I had (the one on the left in the picture) since the new one (on the right) has curved edges.

 

[Ric]

What works for me is a continual cleaning. When I'm through mowing I take the mower back to the trailer and hook the handle under the trailer and when I'm done cleaning the drives and walks with the blower I just do the underside of the mower or mowers that I use. Do every time you use them and they stay clean and it prevents any type of build up.