Cleaning Mower Deck.

[wrldtvlr]

How often do you clean the underside of your mower deck? I have a 54 inch 3 blade welded deck, and 2 acres of grass that's quite dusty in spots. At the end of the cut, the underside of the deck is packed pretty solid with grass and dirt. Takes about an hour to clean it out. If I don't clean it out, the next cut is streaking and takes a lot of double passes.

 

[slomo]

I would stop mowing wet grass. Or cut it later in the evening when all the morning dew is gone.

What you describe shouldn't happen on dry grass. Your deck gets sand blasted when you mow. Should help remove the buildup.

Are you trying to mulch mow and the grass is too tall to be mulching?

 

[bkeller500]

I have had Toro's, John Deer's and Simplicity mowers and all of them will clog up with wet grass. As the summer heat dries out the grass, there is less build up but still a need to scrape the deck as needed. I found that cutting more often and taking off less each time helps the lawn look nicer and reduces the need to scrape the deck each time. Mulching makes it worse. Mowing late afternoon or early evening helps. Hi-lift blades will generate more Air movement which should help distribute the clippings better. Slow down and enjoy the ride as mowing too fast and overloading the deck creates both a clogged deck and a unsightly finished look. It's a ongoing battle until you figure out what works best for you.

 

[wrldtvlr]

Thanks for the comments - I have been mowing in the afternoon, so there's not been any external moisture. Blades are standard MaxPower- not mulch. Have lifted the discharge hood to get a better dispersion of cuttings. The two acres being mowed are a mix with spots of nice dense fescue, sparse grass, broadleaf weeds and dirt. The weeds have a lot of internal moisture that gets released when cut.The moisture combined with the dust build up cuttings under the deck. I'll play around with different things and see what I can come up with.

 

[slomo]

Thanks for the comments - I have been mowing in the afternoon, so there's not been any external moisture. Blades are standard MaxPower- not mulch. Have lifted the discharge hood to get a better dispersion of cuttings. The two acres being mowed are a mix with spots of nice dense fescue, sparse grass, broadleaf weeds and dirt. The weeds have a lot of internal moisture that gets released when cut.The moisture combined with the dust build up cuttings under the deck. I'll play around with different things and see what I can come up with.

Pasture grass can have some wide bladed weeds that hold a lot of moisture over common Bermuda lets say. Still shouldn't be clogging on you.

Try OEM blades again. Even better, your OEM blade style made by Oregon.

Stay away from mulch mowing blades (low to no lift). This applies to Gator blades and the like. Betting those maximum extreme overdrive wonder blades are causing this.

 

[wrldtvlr]

Thanks. I'll try the Oregon 98-151 standard blades later this season.

 

[slomo]

Most decks perform better either side slinging or mulching for example. Got to match the blades up for max performance.

Watching videos on these super tall overgrown HOA notice yards, look at the mowers and the rate of discharge from the deck. SCAG and Deer make some really $$$ nice ones. Hustler, Bad Boy, Big Dog not so much. Got to do what you can to get yours cutting super swell again.

 

[RolandW]

How often do you clean the underside of your mower deck? I have a 54 inch 3 blade welded deck, and 2 acres of grass that's quite dusty in spots. At the end of the cut, the underside of the deck is packed pretty solid with grass and dirt. Takes about an hour to clean it out. If I don't clean it out, the next cut is streaking and takes a lot of double passes.

I have a Walker diesel mower with two decks, but nowadays I use the 62" side-discharge exclusively. The Walker decks create a tremendous amount of lift, which is great for a nice-looking cut, but clippings build up like crazy. When the grass is long and juicy in the spring – or worse yet, if there is a lot of clover – I have to stop often because the tops of the blades start hitting the mush packed to the roof above them and the mower starts to struggle. But I have found that if I simply stop the blades it will fall down and I can continue. Needless to say, I scrape the deck out after every use. It tilts up, so the job takes only a few minutes with a wide putty knife. If I let it dry out, even overnight, it's a lot harder.

 

[Hal12]

Have a 48" snapper. Plugs real easy and so mowing is done mid afternoon, except for the 361 dixon.

I've sunk the blade in mud (ditches), mowed in standing water. Morning dew is nothing. The snapper?

Gotta be just about perfect conditions.

 

[neetan]

I have a 48" Hustler Fastrak SD, I clean each cut. It takes me 15min at max, wide blade scraper(2"min." a small tarp 3x5 with a 2x4 attached each side, roll it out and scrap with my lift. No do not get under it, use jacks. Cut dry grass, not wet but sum times you are stuck.