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Does coating the underside of deck really work?

#1

M

mechanic mark

Which underside deck coating works best?


#2

I

ILENGINE

Can produce good results, but any results that you get are very short term. In other terms it does work for a very limited period of time.


#3

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

I think like most paint/ coating applications ,proper preparation is key to anything lasting as long as possible


#4

R

Rivets

Personally I don’t think the cost of material and amount of time it takes to do the job is worthwhile. Same holds true for products sold to keep snow from building up on augers and chutes.


#5

bkeller500

bkeller500

Over the last few years, just for fun, I have treated the underside of several mower decks (including brand new never used) with several of the sprays and a few of the brush-on deck coatings. I have prepped older decks by scraping and scrubbing them clean and I have coated a brand new deck before its first use. And all of the results were short lived. I could get a couple of mowings with no build up and sometime just slight build up but after 4 or 5 mowings it is always completely gone. That doesn't mean it's a total waste of time. If you it helps and you have the time to spare ...go ahead. But it will need re-coating pretty quickly. It definitely helps with deck build-up and helps keep the deck from clogging but not for very long. The big benefit is ease of scraping the build-up after mowing. It is probably not worth it considering the time and effort required but since I have a MoJack lift, this year I may keep a can of the spray around and after one of my cleanings just give a quick spray to assist the next clean up. The applications help keep the wet grass from sticking but I have concluded that I need to scrap anyway. I saw no difference from spray coatings and brush-on coatings or from brand to brand. If someone has been successful with a coating, please share as we ALL would love to hear about it.


#6

I

ILENGINE

The issue isn't how well the coatings work and they do work. The issue is how to prevent the sandblasting from the grass, dust, dirt, rocks, and sand that immediately start eroding off the coating as soon as the blades are engaged.


#7

StarTech

StarTech

Users just don't understand how abrasive grass is. When I service office equipment the customers just could not understand how paper could wear a piece of metal out. You slide enough of it across anything it will wear. It just like how water itself can wear though stones.

I would think of us in the service have experienced impacts from near invisible grit hitting our skin and eyes. I even had to have a piece removed from my right eye surface that a magnifier to see. It felt like a grain of sand.


#8

M

mechanic mark

Thanks men for your input, I think my youngest son & I may give it a try this Spring. I will post results, thanks again.


#9

B

bertsmobile1

POR 15 chassis coat will stand up to the abrasion
Man bullets bounce off that stuff when fully cured
However it HAS to be done properly which takes a very long time to do


#10

H

hlw49

You think teflon paint would work?


#11

B

bertsmobile1

NO
Teflon paint is designed to prevent oily things from sticking like crayons cooked food etc
It will probably go some way to stop build up under the deck for a couple of months till it s abraided away
As Star has already said, the underside of a deck is the equivalent to a sand blasting cabinet
If the grass & grit can wear through 1/4" of steel hardened to 65 to 80 Rockwell on your blades what chance does a paint have
Just have a think about it
If it is hard enough to resist the abraison then it will not be flexiable enough to resist the abraison.
Add to that cut grass is very acidic so there is a chemical attack as well


#12

E

efred

Has anyone tried something like that spray-on bed liner, without the grit?


#13

J

johnboy647

I have always had JD riding lawn mowers. Currently have an X350-which I am well please with. The only solution that I have found to work without fail is to simply run the mower up on ramps, high enough to get under it and use a putty knife and clean the excess grass and dirt off the underside of the mower deck. This takes only a very few minutes. You must be careful to be sure the parking break is in place and also put a brick or other object behind the read tire to assure the mower cannot move.


#14

G

Gord Baker

I expect most decks are Powder Coated with no primer or proper surface preparation. The stamped deck and welded attachments need to be Sandblasted to SP6, then using an inorganic zinc primer and Hi-build epoxy topcoat done to manufacturers recommendations, you will have a durable coating. I would then apply Rhino Bed Coating to resist abrasion and keep it touched up as necessary.
All of that would likely be more costly than a new Deck!


#15

upupandaway

upupandaway

StarTech said:
Users just don't understand how abrasive grass is. When I service office equipment the customers just could not understand how paper could wear a piece of metal out. You slide enough of it across anything it will wear. It just like how water itself can wear though stones.
Click to expand...
True. Water carved out the Grand Canyon...

ps. The best luck I've tried is rubber roof coating. after 2 summers, some is coming off but I don't see rust unlike other options like paints, car undercoating,etc that come off quick.

My dad had a sandblasting business and blasting barely scratches rubber. The trick is how to make it to never come off the metal...


#16

W

wekjo

bkeller500 said:
Over the last few years, just for fun, I have treated the underside of several mower decks (including brand new never used) with several of the sprays and a few of the brush-on deck coatings. I have prepped older decks by scraping and scrubbing them clean and I have coated a brand new deck before its first use. And all of the results were short lived. I could get a couple of mowings with no build up and sometime just slight build up but after 4 or 5 mowings it is always completely gone. That doesn't mean it's a total waste of time. If you it helps and you have the time to spare ...go ahead. But it will need re-coating pretty quickly. It definitely helps with deck build-up and helps keep the deck from clogging but not for very long. The big benefit is ease of scraping the build-up after mowing. It is probably not worth it considering the time and effort required but since I have a MoJack lift, this year I may keep a can of the spray around and after one of my cleanings just give a quick spray to assist the next clean up. The applications help keep the wet grass from sticking but I have concluded that I need to scrap anyway. I saw no difference from spray coatings and brush-on coatings or from brand to brand. If someone has been successful with a coating, please share as we ALL would love to hear about it.
Click to expand...
I used a product called fluid film protection, available on amazon. I was satisfied with it. I was seeking to make the inevitable build up come off easier, not to prevent it. So twice a year I clean the deck and put on another coat. Speeded up the cleaning process, did not stop the build up itself. I think about any silicon spray would do about the same.


#17

northcreeek262

northcreeek262

I agree that too much time spent on coatings is wasted time, and I have done most. Now all I do in fall is, pressure wash the undersides and coat it with a spray of WD40 and it's ready for spring....(y)


#18

StarTech

StarTech

johnboy647 said:
I have always had JD riding lawn mowers. Currently have an X350-which I am well please with. The only solution that I have found to work without fail is to simply run the mower up on ramps, high enough to get under it and use a putty knife and clean the excess grass and dirt off the underside of the mower deck. This takes only a very few minutes. You must be careful to be sure the parking break is in place and also put a brick or other object behind the read tire to assure the mower cannot move.
Click to expand...
Now that's using your noggin. I rather be on the dumb looking side but I double up on the jack stands here. Only had one to fail but was enough to make me think twice about trusting them fully.


#19

H

Hal12

In the spring when I'm getting the mowers ready, when the front is in the air so I can
access under the deck. I'll scrap/power wash as best I can and take some old cans
of spray paint, maybe several different ones. And spray the underside...really cover it
well. Prolly lasts through 3 - 4 mowings.


#20

M

Mike1937

bertsmobile1 said:
POR 15 chassis coat will stand up to the abrasion
Man bullets bounce off that stuff when fully cured
However it HAS to be done properly which takes a very long time to do
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion but when I looked for the POR 15 Chassie coat, I don't see which one you have suggested. Is it the Bed liner & undercoating or topcoat or the 3-step rust preventive system?
Thanks, Mike


#21

S

skipper124

After about every mowing I scrape and brush off the clumped on grass and paint brush some used motor oil on and have not rusted out a deck yet and it's cheap!


#22

T

TwinL

What I find best is in the fall I power wash deck completely clean , do service , once totally dry spray with "new" oil ,(you can use a brush as well), I have a rack set up to drain the empty oil jugs , I do numerous decks each fall , I had two customers who bought the same identical riders in the same year , the one had me service the deck every fall , the other didn't his deck within 5-6 years had rust through , those hose attachments are junk makers all they do it soak the grass which has acid base to start with , I have my own personal Kubota which is 30 years old deck looks like new did it every fall , as they say the proof is in the pudding .
mechanic mark said:
Which underside deck coating works best?
Click to expand...
I


#23

A

AdamE

What are you trying to achieve? Longer lasting deck or easier to clean?

I just stopped using a 1996 Cub Cadet 2165 for mowing that I mowed 2+ acres with for 24 years. It has an 11 gauge deck and after most mowings, I cleaned it out by hand to get the big clumps out so as to keep air flow okay. I never made it a priority and there was usually a lot of wet grass stuck to the sides after I was finished. Something that I ran over finally punched a small hole in it and I knew it was getting thinner from rust so I bought an Exmark. But, it still lasted me a QUARTER century!

I wouldn't over-think it.


#24

B

bertsmobile1

Mike1937 said:
Thanks for the suggestion but when I looked for the POR 15 Chassie coat, I don't see which one you have suggested. Is it the Bed liner & undercoating or topcoat or the 3-step rust preventive system?
Thanks, Mike
Click to expand...
You are trying to prevent rust from the underside which is not usually a problem
99.99999999 % of pressed decks that rust through do so from the top down and usually around the spindle .
In any case , yopu are preventing rust so it is the 3 step rust treatment
The furane resin base the paint is made from is the hardest, most abrasion resistant on the planet
Down side , it is not UV stable which should not be a problem on a deck , but is a problem on the side rails of a chassis so the rust paint needs a top coat .
The next best stuff for abrasion resistance are the aircraft paints from places like Aircraft Spruce but take you thich wallet when you go shopping there .

The best thing you can do is simply brush off with a stiff nylon brush after each use
Dunny brushes or wheel brushes work really well ( customer showed the dunny brush trick )
coating the underside of a deck, unless you mower sits outside on wet grass all year is akin is akin to Alaska Elephant repellant


#25

B

bertsmobile1

AdamE said:
What are you trying to achieve? Longer lasting deck or easier to clean?

I just stopped using a 1996 Cub Cadet 2165 for mowing that I mowed 2+ acres with for 24 years. It has an 11 gauge deck and after most mowings, I cleaned it out by hand to get the big clumps out so as to keep air flow okay. I never made it a priority and there was usually a lot of wet grass stuck to the sides after I was finished. Something that I ran over finally punched a small hole in it and I knew it was getting thinner from rust so I bought an Exmark. But, it still lasted me a QUARTER century!

I wouldn't over-think it.
Click to expand...
Problem is decks are getting thinner and lower grades of steel are being used


#26

J

jhm

bertsmobile1 said:
NO
Teflon paint is designed to prevent oily things from sticking like crayons cooked food etc
It will probably go some way to stop build up under the deck for a couple of months till it s abraided away
As Star has already said, the underside of a deck is the equivalent to a sand blasting cabinet
If the grass & grit can wear through 1/4" of steel hardened to 65 to 80 Rockwell on your blades what chance does a paint have
Just have a think about it
If it is hard enough to resist the abraison then it will not be flexiable enough to resist the abraison.
Add to that cut grass is very acidic so there is a chemical attack as well
Click to expand...


#27

J

jhm

Don't waste your time & money using spray can paint. It won't last.


#28

D

Diamond Jim

I have used undercoating, car. Spray it on after your. cleaning process . Put on one coat on and let it dry before dry before you spray on the next coat. I have sprayed up to 5 coats using the undercoating and it did the job. It looks just like it did after 2 years.


#29

D

Diamond Jim

Diamond Jim said:
I have used undercoating, car. Spray it on after your. cleaning process . Put on one coat on and let it dry before dry before you spray on the next coat. I have sprayed up to 5 coats using the undercoating and it did the job. It looks just like it did after 2 years of use. Hope this helps you and you get the problem solved
Click to expand...


#30

D

Diamond Jim

Mike1937 said:
Thanks for the suggestion but when I looked for the POR 15 Chassie coat, I don't see which one you have suggested. Is it the Bed liner & undercoating or topcoat or the 3-step rust preventive system?
Thanks, Mike
Click to expand...


#31

D

Diamond Jim

I purchased the body undercoating and it is as thick as you can imagine. I have used it on many other jobs.
..


#32

O

oneoldsap

What I have found the spray on non stick products do , is make the deck easier to clean . I mow about a dozen lawns per week . I Clean , and Sharpen once a week (scrape and pressure wash) on the weekend . After letting the deck dry completely , I spray it liberally with no stick , put the Blades back on , and repeat . Keep paint on the deck at all times . Needless to say , the lesser lift a blade has , the less it fowls the deck , and throws stones . I run a Gator G-6 Blade , most of the time . I'd like to CeraKote a deck , but haven't figured out how to bake one yet !


#33

O

oneoldsap

Hal12 said:
In the spring when I'm getting the mowers ready, when the front is in the air so I can
access under the deck. I'll scrap/power wash as best I can and take some old cans
of spray paint, maybe several different ones. And spray the underside...really cover it
well. Prolly lasts through 3 - 4 mowings.
Click to expand...
Do what you're doing in the fall , instead of letting the grass rot out your deck ! Decks cleaned before storage will last longer , as will decks cleaned more frequently ! I service mine every week .


#34

M

Mike1937

bertsmobile1 said:
POR 15 chassis coat will stand up to the abrasion
Man bullets bounce off that stuff when fully cured
However it HAS to be done properly which takes a very long time to do
Click to expand...


#35

Ron3

Ron3

Just buy a mower with a good heavy fabricated deck ,remove build up grass after each mowing and it will last longer than the rest of the mower.


#36

R

Ranchito

efred said:
Has anyone tried something like that spray-on bed liner, without the grit?
Click to expand...
I have used the bed liner for the last two years with good results. Three years ago I sand blasted the rust from the 10 year old deck and primed and painted. Realizing that would not work, the following year I pressure washed and used Rustoleum bed liner spray. Results were impressive, so the following year I again used the pressure washer and bed liner. This is done after removing the deck, a 5 minute operation. Considering the cost of a replacement deck plus truck freight, this is the way to go.


#37

bkeller500

bkeller500

Ranchito said:
I have used the bed liner for the last two years with good results. Three years ago I sand blasted the rust from the 10 year old deck and primed and painted. Realizing that would not work, the following year I pressure washed and used Rustoleum bed liner spray. Results were impressive, so the following year I again used the pressure washer and bed liner. This is done after removing the deck, a 5 minute operation. Considering the cost of a replacement deck plus truck freight, this is the way to go.
Click to expand...
Will the bed liner spray hold up when you do a occasional deck scraping if it gets loaded with wet grass. Will scraping remove the coating easily?


#38

SARG

SARG

Short answer in my experience ----------- NO. ( 1 ZT , 4 tractors & about 6 push mowers )


#39

R

Ranchito

I haven't tried scraping the underside during the mowing season, rather using a water stream instead. The bedliner is mostly intact when the deck is again removed for service. Here the mowing season is 12 months, so I think the bedliner is a good, easily applied coating giving 12 months of protection.


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