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I recently purchased a Husqvarna LGT24k54 with a 54" deck and having some difficulty being able to keep the underside of the deck clear of clogs of grass and dirt. That water cleaning gizmo is crap. I previously had a snapper which was easy since I could just stand it on its end. I love the Husky but it seems to attract more clogs of grass of dirt and grass than the snapper. I read about the mojack but it is a little expensive. The car ramp stands seems a little less stable. Anyone have an alternative that is safe and a little less expensive than $200.00 with shipping

I have a MoJack and love it. And I also tried to keep the underside of the deck clean. But I've since given up. I've found that the grass will build up a little bit and not any more on the deck I have now, so I don't worry about it.

I have no problem with my expensive setup... A 1" poly rope around a good sized limb, and one of those el-checpo $20 cable comealongs on my 89 mod. 60" wheel Horse zero, or my 61" Husky zero...
That's how I change blades and clean out the underside of the deck...
The rope has been in the tree for over 20 yrs., so before I do anything under a mower I jump up & down on it to make sure everything in goin to hold...lol...
Have a good one...Tater...

luggage said:

That water cleaning gizmo is crap.

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Are those hose hook ups not any good...??? I have been thinking about adding those to my deck, so you are saying they don't seem to work too good...???
Thanks and have a good one...Tater...

Tater said:

Are those hose hook ups not any good...??? I have been thinking about adding those to my deck, so you are saying they don't seem to work too good...???
Thanks and have a good one...Tater...

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I think how well the wash out port works depends on the mower deck and how it moves air through it.

My John Deere Z Trak with 54" deck cleans out good but it has very little to clean because it blows the grass out instead of sticking to the deck.

I know labor is not fun but, REMOVE THE DECK and scrape away the compacted grass off the deck with a plastic drywall putty knife.
You may need a big screwdriver are a metal putty knife also. That grass is acidic and eats away at your deck. I have not tried a pressure washer yet, has anyone here?
Then oil the bare metal. I want to try to paint graphite on the bottom of the deck for this year, and yes those in deck cleaners suck, but they are better than nothing if you turn the deck on to assist in the cleaning and are late for dinner or MacGyver reruns.

Clogging on most decks is the result of cutting when you either have a lush, thick lawn or are cutting when the grass is too wet. Moisture in the grass causes it to stick to what ever it comes into contact with. That being said, I use a floor jack to raise the front of the tractor and then lay on a nice piece of carpet to get under with a putty knife. To some this may not be the easiest way to do it, but has worked for me for over 30 years.

Does anyone paint or use something the bottom of their deck for less grass sticking?

When I do a refurbishment I do the underside of decks with 2 coats of POR 15 Chassis guard.
After 7 days bullets bounce off it.
Some decks I did 3 years ago still have the POR 15 intact.
Both above the deck & below the deck.
However is done above the deck you must top coat it with a heavy enamel as it is not UV stable.
Downside is it is a long process and if not carried out exactly as instructed it will peel off.

As for pressure washers, not a good idea.
The water will get inside the spindle housing and cause premature bearing failure.

And Taters cleanng method will work with almost any tractor type mower.It is not a particularly good idea with ZTR's because the engines are mounted the other way round and you end up with oil everywhere where it should not be.
So for them it is up on some ramps and flat on yer back with the plastic puttey knife.

I heard of using graphite paint under the deck as a finish coat to help the grass not stick as easy. Any validity to this?

I have been using the hose port on the Accel 42" Deep Deck but was told that using this port would cause problems with the spindle housing at some point. Has anyone had this problem? Not sure what to do now. Just leave it after each cut and each month clean it by scraping or chance the spindle housing issue and assume John Deere wouldn't add this feature if it was going to cause problems. What do others think?
Thanks

well about time to take the deck off and clean the spindle to look for wear. Do your spindles have grease ports? If so LOAD them up, it gets hot and a high temp grease helps a lot when that cold water hits it after a long mow. To protect the spindle just paint it well every year or apply oil. oil and aqua do not mix!

Nothing works better than compressed air. Get a good air compressor with a blow nozel add a length of tubing to the end and blow it out. Wet grass under a deck stays wet and rots your deck. The wash port doesn't work as well as manufactures claim... Remember we are now a throw away and replace nation . As long as it exceeds their warranty most manufactures feel they done their job. That changes a little when you step up to commercial equipment. I have many items on my trailer with 5 year commercial warranty on them .

I saw the knock off MoJack at Harbor freight this week for $99 and there was also a 20% off coupon on one item. Do not know how good they are but worth a look. Shipping is $6 .
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=lift

Rivets said:

Clogging on most decks is the result of cutting when you either have a lush, thick lawn or are cutting when the grass is too wet. Moisture in the grass causes it to stick to what ever it comes into contact with. That being said, I use a floor jack to raise the front of the tractor and then lay on a nice piece of carpet to get under with a putty knife. To some this may not be the easiest way to do it, but has worked for me for over 30 years.

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Best way! I do the same except I have a WB. I simply lift it myself and place a log, cinder block, jack stand, etc. and start scrapping.

Check this out ....... under $100.00 ....... My neighbor has one, ... got with a 25% off coupon too !
I use it all the time , safe ,easy to use and comes apart for storage too !

http://www.harborfreight.com/high-lift-riding-lawn-mower-atv-lift-62325.html

They have 3 or 4 different model numbers so if they don't have 1 check the others.

Yes, we loan tools back and forth, it's NOT a one-way thing !! .....:cool2:

sjm1027 said:

I have been using the hose port on the Accel 42" Deep Deck but was told that using this port would cause problems with the spindle housing at some point. Has anyone had this problem? Not sure what to do now. Just leave it after each cut and each month clean it by scraping or chance the spindle housing issue and assume John Deere wouldn't add this feature if it was going to cause problems. What do others think?
Thanks

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Well imo, mower Mfgrs makes spindles & like to make money, so I NEVER use that water port. Doing so on hot spindles is like inviting water to enter the spindles.

sjm1027 said:

I have been using the hose port on the Accel 42" Deep Deck but was told that using this port would cause problems with the spindle housing at some point. Has anyone had this problem? Not sure what to do now. Just leave it after each cut and each month clean it by scraping or chance the spindle housing issue and assume John Deere wouldn't add this feature if it was going to cause problems. What do others think?
Thanks

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OK so let me explain what happens when cold water meets hot spindle. The metal cools very quickly. That in turn creates low pressure inside the spindle which in turn sucked anything outside the spindle to the inside of the spindle. Now that can be dirt, grass, or water. None of which is good for a spindle. So if you are going to use the wash port let your mower spindle cool off for at least an hour before you use water. Then when done cleaning deck move mower to dry spot either in yard or on driveway and run for 20 min until underneath is completely dry.

If the bearings are that HOT, whatever temperature is considered HOT, replace the bearings.

50 degree difference is more than enough to cause that issue so no you don't have to replace bearings if they're hot. Rapid cooling is all that is needed.

Actual numbers is what is needed then and not " I think it feels hot ".

The spindles only need to be at a higher temp than ambient and as they cool normally or quicker from water, they will suck in moisture.
My Ingersoll GTs have sealed bearings on the deck spindles and they get moisture in the spindle housing between the bearings. I have installed grease fittings so I can pump in grease to fill up the void space between the bearings. I stop pumping when I feel the slightest amount of resistance on the grease gun. This grease fills the void and reduces the intrusion of moisture. I never power wash or use water under the decks. I also replace these bearings at 500 hour intervals.
Both my Scag Tiger Cub and Hustler X-ONE have tapered roller bearings in the spindles and are greased every 50 hours or so.
The collection blower bearings on my Scag get greased every 8-10 hours and the inner bearing gets hot to the point of thinning the grease to a liquid, that is hot!

I installed a 800lb electric hoist in my garage to raise the front end high enough for easy access to underside of deck. Works for me and my 76 yr. old bones.

I use a hoist(from TSC)to lift the deck, then I scrap the deck with plastic scraper. After which I coat underside with Oil. The oil is what retrieve from oil changes, paint it on the deck. I have used the trick on a John deere for 14 years and it was awesome. Since I am sure you all (EH!) Change your own Oil. I Ideas that are easy are usually the best. I wipe the machine with the oil, I do the deck and and the ROPS. If you ever have a chance try it, oil will not allow the rust to work thru, Just recoat often.

I use a G6 Gator blade on my Honda 21" and I've never cleaned under the deck unless I was mowing thick grass in the rain. :laughing: The blade has so much lift that it blasts the clippings and debris off the bottom of the deck, especially when I'm mowing a sandy yard.

For Riders, Z or tractor, I always make sure the deck has the correct slope to the front, this keeps my deck way cleaner. I have mine set for 1/8" fall to front.

And for any other grass, I use my ramps, I keep in back under my deck, which is where I finish mowing. It's really like a pit stop, once you have your routine down.