Deck maintenance

[Tiger Small Engine]

$367.00 for a 12oz can @Home Depot.

$20 per can on Amazon for Slip Plate, which is a spray on graphite. The point is, that mowing dry grass is the key. When you have to mow wet then scrape deck with paint scraper. Many decks that come in for tune ups are absolutely packed with grass. I have never used any products that are applied to underneath the deck to prevent buildup. It is a temporary solution at best.

Any good leaf blower will blow more than an air compressor air gun. You can blow your mower off all the time, however, some mower designs simply gather more debris under the engine shroud than others. Ideally, remove engine shroud once a year and check and clean. I see several engines each year that are close to overheating each year once engine shroud is removed and cooling fins are cleaned.

 

[Skippydiesel]

Any good leaf blower will blow more than an air compressor air gun. You can blow your mower off all the time, however, some mower designs simply gather more debris under the engine shroud than others. Ideally, remove engine shroud once a year and check and clean. I see several engines each year that are close to overheating each year once engine shroud is removed and cooling fins are cleaned.

"Any good leaf blower will blow more than an air compressor air gun."

Leaf blowers deliver high volume air, at relativly low pressure - A compressor delivers high pressure air, at relativly low volume. The compressed air will do a far better job, on a mower, blasting dust/chaff out of every nook & cranny - simple physics!

I used to remove my engine air shrounds every year - now every second year. This change is due to using compressed air after every mowing - I found it to be so effective that when I removed the shroud annually, there was little if anything to clean.
It's not just the engine that gets an air blast, it's the whole mower - using the gun directed into every possible chaff/dust collection point

 

[slomo]

You have my admiration Slomo - you realy look after your mowers(s). Just a home owner trying to keep my Snapper fleet slaying some grass.

Some points;

• I doubt a backpack or any "leaf" style blower will come close to a more focused high pressure air blast from a compressor. I have both and agree a focused blast is better than more volume.
• Many "throttle" style cables will be damaged by adding lubrication - you need to know if your cables have an inner teflon(?) liner or not. I have old mowers. Most are the coiled outer sheath with the cable in the middle.
• Using a blower to clear dust/chaff from cooling fins may not be as effective as compressed air or better still, removing the air shroud and manually cleaning the fins. Agree.
• Any persistent anti water/moisture treatment will help in minimising the effects of corrosion - go for the most cost effective. Silicone spray is an anti-moisture goo.

 

[slomo]

I see several engines each year that are close to overheating each year once engine shroud is removed and cooling fins are cleaned.

Yup. Take your mower and scalp your yard. You will have clippings a plenty or I do on my yard. Tifway Bermuda is tiny bladed Bermuda. Has mountains of clippings each spring.

Baggers and scalpers need the fins cleaned more often than once yearly. Only takes a few minutes to pull the shroud off and clean some fins.

 

[Skippydiesel]

Have you ever pulled the metal engine shroud and cleaned the top of the block and cooling fins? This is a yearly maintenance item in ALL engine manuals. Neglect this and you are looking at engine damage.

Check out what I wrote, for your answer