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Keeping top of deck clean

#1

W

woody1

I have a Husqvarna YTH22V42 from about 2010. It seems like I spend more time cleaning the top of the deck than I do mowing. Is this normal? Is there any solution to this? Or have other brands of mower perhaps solved the problem of heavy debris buildup on top of the deck? Thanks and regards, Woody


#2

D

deminin

I have a YTH24V48, and every time I mow, I spend a few minutes blowing all the debris from the deck...and entire mower...with my big leaf blower, when done mowing. Then, every month, or so, I hook the garden hose to the deck and wash the underside good. Keeping the deck clean, and the spindles lubed goes a long way toward keeping everything working properly.


#3

B

bertsmobile1

An air duster that is 4' long is what I use in the workshop as it will shift crud from everywhere without having me eating it .
Leaf blowers are the nest best but getting the debris from around the pulleys & under the covers takes a bit of doing


#4

Ken22

Ken22

I use both. The leaf blower gets the bulk of the grass out then I blow the nooks and crannies with the blow gun. I usually wash the deck and tractor with soap and water then Wash n Wax then a gentle rinse and wipe down. A little excessive but I enjoy cleaning units.


#5

7394

7394

Ken 22 said:
I use both. The leaf blower gets the bulk of the grass out then I blow the nooks and crannies with the blow gun. I usually wash the deck and tractor with soap and water then Wash n Wax then a gentle rinse and wipe down. A little excessive but I enjoy cleaning units.
Click to expand...

Ken 22- I use the Blower & then my Cali Duster. I NEVER use water. But mine gets paste waxed at end of each mow season (which makes blowing it off easier)...


#6

cpurvis

cpurvis

I have a Woods rear mount mower that collects a lot of grass under the belt covers. It's six nuts and washers to take off all three and then blow the clippings out with a leaf blower. On a yard tractor, you'll probably have less work than that to remove the pulley/belt covers and blow it out. After you've done that a few times, you'll have a better idea of whether it's worth it or not.


#7

Ken22

Ken22

I wash the hood and seat area on my tractors or seat area and floor plate on the ZTR. I do wipe the decks off. The rinse is with a pail. It is a good idea to keep it as dry as possible.


#8

7394

7394

Ken 22 said:
I wash the hood and seat area on my tractors or seat area and floor plate on the ZTR. I do wipe the decks off. The rinse is with a pail. It is a good idea to keep it as dry as possible.
Click to expand...

(y)

I drilled 6 holes (3 on each spindle cover) on my Z, so I can blow them out & visually see they are clean with out removal during mow season.


#9

B

bertsmobile1

cpurvis said:
I have a Woods rear mount mower that collects a lot of grass under the belt covers. It's six nuts and washers to take off all three and then blow the clippings out with a leaf blower. On a yard tractor, you'll probably have less work than that to remove the pulley/belt covers and blow it out. After you've done that a few times, you'll have a better idea of whether it's worth it or not.
Click to expand...

Belt covers are there to prevent the company being sued when the idiot operator steps on the moving bits or shoves their hands in there
Most of them can be modified wit a few caefully placed holes so an air duster or leaf blower can blow the debris out
Hundreds of posts here on such modifications


#10

Ken22

Ken22

7394 said:
Ken 22- I use the Blower & then my Cali Duster. I NEVER use water. But mine gets paste waxed at end of each mow season (which makes blowing it off easier)...
Click to expand...
I looked up what a Cali Duster is and I see some on Amazon. Thanks for mentioning it.


#11

7394

7394

Glad to help.. It is a great tool to make life easier imo. If you get one I think you will be well pleased with it. (y)

We use newer ones for the Harleys & vehicles.


#12

Ken22

Ken22

7394 said:
Glad to help.. It is a great tool to make life easier imo. If you get one I think you will be well pleased with it. (y)

We use newer ones for the Harleys & vehicles.
Click to expand...
I take the roof off my Jeep in April and have to wash the dust off near every time I take it out of the shed. Should save some time there.


#13

7394

7394

I would say so, the mrs has one for inside house dusting. She won't let me touch it.. LOL


#14

Ken22

Ken22

I wonder how many decks never get cleaned. I know of a few around here.


#15

7394

7394

Ken 22 said:
I wonder how many decks never get cleaned. I know of a few around here.
Click to expand...

Yep, I know of some around here as well. My Toro is nearing 6 years old & I feel it still looks almost new.

Neighbor just got a base Toro Z, one year ago & it looks like it was pulled from a field somewhere.

I was taught early on take care of your stuff & it'll take care of you.


#16

Ken22

Ken22

I cringe every time I go past a dealer and see all the mowers sitting in the sun and rain. I sat on a wet seat for two days after I picked up my mower last July.


#17

7394

7394

I hear ya. Guess I was lucky, My Dealer kept mine inside when they were checking on warranty valve adjustment.


#18

C

cruzenmike

Any riding mower deck that is not pitched properly has the potential to throw clippings out from the front edge and back onto the top of the deck. Be sure to check the rake of the deck so that the back of the deck is 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch higher than the front of the deck. This is done by measuring the front edge of the blade to the back edge of the blade when they are running parallel with the wheels. as for the grass on top I have never owned a mower that didn't get grass on top. After each mowing I would simply use my blower attachment on my Ryobi string trimmer to blow off the top and all was good.


#19

7394

7394

cruzenmike said:
Any riding mower deck that is not pitched properly has the potential to throw clippings out from the front edge and back onto the top of the deck. Be sure to check the rake of the deck so that the back of the deck is 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch higher than the front of the deck. This is done by measuring the front edge of the blade to the back edge of the blade when they are running parallel with the wheels. as for the grass on top I have never owned a mower that didn't get grass on top. After each mowing I would simply use my blower attachment on my Ryobi string trimmer to blow off the top and all was good.
Click to expand...

I would add to make sure the tires are aired up to spec prior to any deck adjustments on a level surface.


#20

K

keakar

woody1 said:
I have a Husqvarna YTH22V42 from about 2010. It seems like I spend more time cleaning the top of the deck than I do mowing. Is this normal? Is there any solution to this? Or have other brands of mower perhaps solved the problem of heavy debris buildup on top of the deck? Thanks and regards, Woody
Click to expand...
not really, just use leaf blower to blow it out before saving the mower each time.

dont use a hose, that just makes a big damn wet mess that traps moisture to cause rust

the circulation of the belts and pulleys creates a swirling of air that sucks in all the flying grass to settle under there, you cant stop it


#21

rhiebert

rhiebert

When I mowed my lawn with a Lawn Boy a few years back spraying the whole deck while it was still new with the AMSOIL product, M.P. Now while using a snow blower I spray this product onto the housing and blades so that the snow does not stick.


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