I want to install a deck washport on my 60" deck. I have on hand a John Deere washout setup that I planned to use. Not opposed to buying a different setup if there is a better one available for my deck.
A couple questions before I start drilling. First is where should the port be placed in the deck for best results? Second is this even a worthwhile addition? I do try to wash the underside but probably not as often as it could be. Hoping that this will make it easy enough that it gets done more often.
I use to clean with wash out port underside of deck but stopped because water left over time will create rust. I try to mow when grass is dry before or after lunch.
Proper use of a wash port requires you to have a spot with a tap out of view where you can run the mower for 55 minutes of more with the tap turned on full & engine running .
Then without turning off the mower turn the water off them move the mower over a hard dry surface then let it run another 5 minutes or longer before shutting down
If you don't use a wash out port properly then you will emulsify the grease in the spindle bearings causing premature failure .
People stress out about grass build up under their decks when in most cases it is beneficial as it streamlines the air flow particularly on fabricated decks .
The grass dries out sets hard and prevents rust because the bacteria in the grass take all of the available oxygen out of the air .
No oxygen = no rust, you know rust is Fe2O3, no O no rust ( soft flakey rust is 2 Fe2O3.6H2O )
the bacteria on the surface make the deposited clippings hydrophobic so the clods of clippings become very protective .
Where clippings are dangerous and will destroy the deck is on the top of the deck, where they are loose packed so become a sponge and hold water onto the steel promoting rust & galvanic corrosion around the spindle housings .
Going into my 12th year repairing mowers
Was a metallurgist in a previous life so know the mechanism of rusting quite well
In those 12 year I am yet to find a single deck that rusted out from the underside
Have repaired at least 50 that have rusted through from the top.
The grass discharging is quite abrasive all by itself even without the dirt, dust sticks & rocks .
Look at how smooth & polished the discharge opening gets,
So to build up the clippings have to be in a low air velocity region, mostly around the blade spindle and in a couple of corners where the air does not actually flow.
So their build up is not the problem that those with no understanding of air flow under the deck make out it is .
Lawn care contractors of course have to keep the undersides clean, but that is a hygine problem so they don't shift weed seeds amongst their customers
Yes I avoid spraying water on ANY of my machines anymore if possible. Tractor, mower get blown off with compressed air.
Learned this from the Harley guys as any water left in the cracks will cause future rusting problems. They usually blow off their bikes after washing them.
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