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Looking For Advice on Maintaining Mower Deck

#1

M

mzdrati

Hi- I am looking for advice on techniques to clean the underside of my mower deck. I purchased a brand new mower (a first for me) - a 2020 Hustler Raptor SD and I am really enjoying using it. It has slashed my mowing times in half, and I am happy with it's operation and ease of maintenance. One aspect of the upkeep that I am concerned and unsure about is cleaning the underside of the deck. This is a side-discharge mower (I am not using the optional mulching kit that is available from the manufacturer). I am cautious to never cut wet grass, and I am never cut more than a 1/4" off off the grass at a time, in an effort to reduce the possibility of grass sticking / collecting underneath the deck. I clean the underside (briefly) after each use to remove anything that is obvious and large and use a leaf blower on and under the machine to help remove anything that might still be there- but the underside of the deck (and the rubber discharge chute) is now coated with a hard shell of grass "juice" I'll call it. I have tried to scrape it off with a plastic scraper (I also tried using an expired plastic credit card- since I was thinking if a scraper would work- it'd have to be flexible to contour to the shape of the deck). Neither worked. To give you an idea of the tenacity- I can scratch it off using my fingernails in some places, so I know it could come off, but that is not something I'll be doing, as it would be painful, and would take forever.

Is there any harm in leaving it on the metal? I would guess it will promote corrosion, so I am looking for advice on a technique for removing this stuff. Since it's also on the rubber chute (which is flexible) some flaked off when I twisted the chute, so I collected it and took a picture of it (it's the dark colored material angled on top of the white tubing).

20210803_110259.jpg

I asked the Hustler Dealer that sold it to me, and they told me that they power wash the decks when they do maintenance, but Hustler Customer Service told me NOT to power wash the underside of the deck, unless I also intend on replacing the spindle bearings. I tend to believe the manufacturer, as my previous Craftsman DTY4000 lasted 14 years (I sold it recently, and it's still going as far as I know) and followed these same practices- so I'm keeping the Raptor away from water as much as possible.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.


#2

M

mzdrati

As an aside- I took this debris and separated it into 4 or 5 small pieces, and sprayed each one with a different cleaner (Simple Green, Castrol Super Clean, an ammonia-based window cleaner, CLR- stuff i had around the house that I thought might soften or help dissolve it) but nothing seemed to have any effect. I didn't spray any of it on the underside of the mower deck (obviously the degreasers could damage the bearings in the spindles). I was just looking to see what if anything would degrade this hard shell.


#3

B

bertsmobile1

You can blow the clipping off after every mow with compressed air ( not water ) or leave it there
It will dry out and become protective
Decks never rust out from the bottom
They rust through from the top where the clipping are loose enough to allow moisture & oxygen in.
So keep the top clean and don't worry about the bottom till it builds up to a point that it is affecting the cutting or discharge of the clippings .
Try to mow late in the afternoon when the grass is dry .
This will lessen the amount of build up .


#4

M

mzdrati

Thank you so much, Bert!!! I do cut the lawn in the afternoon ONLY specifically to reduce the possibility of wet grass sticking to the deck. I also try to cut it before it gets too tall, to reduce the amount of grass that is being discharged out onto the lawn.

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Thanks again!


#5

H

hlw49

bertsmobile1 said:
You can blow the clipping off after every mow with compressed air ( not water ) or leave it there
It will dry out and become protective
Decks never rust out from the bottom
They rust through from the top where the clipping are loose enough to allow moisture & oxygen in.
So keep the top clean and don't worry about the bottom till it builds up to a point that it is affecting the cutting or discharge of the clippings .
Try to mow late in the afternoon when the grass is dry .
This will lessen the amount of build up .
Click to expand...
We that ain't exactly right I have a Husqvarna that the paint on top of the deck is perfect and rusted through for the bottom up. Not my mower one I acquired to fix up and sell. If you leave it on top of the deck it will build up and become a blanket to hold the heat in and keep the only air it can get to help cool the bearings in the spindles and belts..


#6

H

hlw49

mzdrati said:
Hi- I am looking for advice on techniques to clean the underside of my mower deck. I purchased a brand new mower (a first for me) - a 2020 Hustler Raptor SD and I am really enjoying using it. It has slashed my mowing times in half, and I am happy with it's operation and ease of maintenance. One aspect of the upkeep that I am concerned and unsure about is cleaning the underside of the deck. This is a side-discharge mower (I am not using the optional mulching kit that is available from the manufacturer). I am cautious to never cut wet grass, and I am never cut more than a 1/4" off off the grass at a time, in an effort to reduce the possibility of grass sticking / collecting underneath the deck. I clean the underside (briefly) after each use to remove anything that is obvious and large and use a leaf blower on and under the machine to help remove anything that might still be there- but the underside of the deck (and the rubber discharge chute) is now coated with a hard shell of grass "juice" I'll call it. I have tried to scrape it off with a plastic scraper (I also tried using an expired plastic credit card- since I was thinking if a scraper would work- it'd have to be flexible to contour to the shape of the deck). Neither worked. To give you an idea of the tenacity- I can scratch it off using my fingernails in some places, so I know it could come off, but that is not something I'll be doing, as it would be painful, and would take forever.

Is there any harm in leaving it on the metal? I would guess it will promote corrosion, so I am looking for advice on a technique for removing this stuff. Since it's also on the rubber chute (which is flexible) some flaked off when I twisted the chute, so I collected it and took a picture of it (it's the dark colored material angled on top of the white tubing).

View attachment 57922

I asked the Hustler Dealer that sold it to me, and they told me that they power wash the decks when they do maintenance, but Hustler Customer Service told me NOT to power wash the underside of the deck, unless I also intend on replacing the spindle bearings. I tend to believe the manufacturer, as my previous Craftsman DTY4000 lasted 14 years (I sold it recently, and it's still going as far as I know) and followed these same practices- so I'm keeping the Raptor away from water as much as possible.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Water sprayed on the deck and away from the bearings is not an issue. They make a product called mow deck that helps keep grass from building up on the underside of the deck. I have often thought of painting the bottom of the deck with Teflon paint but have yet to try it. My Dixie chopper has fans on each for the spindles that blows the grass off and keeps the top of the deck relatively clean. The fans also help cool the spindle bearings and belts. I do blow it off to clear the areas where the fans don't reach. I clean the bottom of the mower with a scraper I have seen different people use to remove the staples when the tear out old carpet pad and put down new. Ground it down to be able to scrape the front area that has a lip on it to help with blow out. I do this to every mower I service where I work, you should see some of the stuff I get out from under decks. Got a blue tarp out of one. wire, fishing line. landscape cloth, plastic bags, that kind of stuff.


#7

B

bertsmobile1

hlw49 said:
We that ain't exactly right I have a Husqvarna that the paint on top of the deck is perfect and rusted through for the bottom up. Not my mower one I acquired to fix up and sell. If you leave it on top of the deck it will build up and become a blanket to hold the heat in and keep the only air it can get to help cool the bearings in the spindles and belts..
Click to expand...
The only time they rust through from the bottom up is when the deck has been sitting flat on the ground.

You don't need much of a break in the paint for corrosion to start.
Good powder coat chemically & mechanically bonds to the metal surface , but like most good things , it is expensive
Most modern powder coat is basically shrink wrap and not bonded at all so as soon as the metal is exposed it will rust.
The rust releases hydrogen which lifts the powder coat just enough to allow water to wick in and from then on the process is self sustaining.
And ye they can rust through from the bottom but it is very rare because as state the grass starts to rot and in that process consumes all of the air & water
Without both air & water you can not have rust which is a galvanic redox reaction.
So if you used the wash out port badly, so did not remove the clipping completely and left a thick block of saturated loose packed grass then perhaps it would promote rusting.
But doing nothing and allowing it to cake solid is protective .


#8

H

hlw49

Anybody ever try painting the underside of a mower deck with teflon paint?


#9

B

bertsmobile1

POR 15 is about the only thing I have tried that holds up for more than a few seasons.
We forget that you remove paint & rust with sandblasting and that is exactly what happens under the deck


#10

H

hlw49

bertsmobile1 said:
POR 15 is about the only thing I have tried that holds up for more than a few seasons.
We forget that you remove paint & rust with sandblasting and that is exactly what happens under the deck
Click to expand...
True did you ever try teflon paint.


#11

B

bertsmobile1

No
The under side of the deck does not get much UV exposure so the POR is fine there .


#12

H

hlw49

bertsmobile1 said:
No
The under side of the deck does not get much UV exposure so the POR is fine there .
Click to expand...
ty


#13

K

ken2

Decks will rust out from the bottom side. The grass under the deck will hold moisture and fertilizer residue. Most riding mowers these days have a washout port. You hook a garden hose to and turn the deck on. It does a fairly good job of cleaning it out. I mow a cemetery with a 32" Toro. I mow in the morning hours starting around 7 in the spring and early summer. The grass is any where from 8 to 12 inches tall. As soon as I get back to town I clean out the deck with a garden hose and nozzle. Then turn it on to dry it off. The bottom of the deck is 99% clean of any grass or grass juice. Doesn't hurt the bearing either.


#14

B

bertsmobile1

Not quite so Ken
For rusting to happen you need air & water
When grass packs in solid under the deck the bacteria consume all of the air & the water much faster than the steel deck can
You will get some light rust at the edges of the clumps
I regularly clean decks that have not been touched for decades and my own decks are never cleaned underneath.

The absolute worst thing you can do is use a wash out port as the water pools under the deck and gets sucked up into the bearings.
I love them because I charge $ 50 a spindle to replace the bearings and on a good growing year I will do at least 100 spindles a year.
Nearly all of these will be on new or near new mowers, in fact I did the same mower 3 times in one season for an owner who just would not listen .
Compressed air is the best thing to use to clean under a deck as it does not promote rusting nor premature bearing failure.
Now wash out ports are a "lazy" item and like most lazy items has to be used properly .
This means washing out over a surface that can take the water, like grass then moving the mower over a solid surface and leave running with no water for at least 5 minutes then shutting down, leaving the mower in the sun to dry out .
And when that is all done, you still need to blow out the top of the deck to get rid of the loose grass that doe allow plenty of air & moisture so will accelerate rusting plus when really dry becomes a fire hazard.
Now I am newby to mower repair having only been in business for 9 years but in that time I have repaired around 50 pressed decks where they have rusted trough from the top down .
I am yet to repair a deck that has rusted through from the bottom up except for a single MTD that was stored outside under a tarp with the deck sitting flat on the grass


#15

7394

7394

Anyhow, here's what I do, Never use water on mine anywhere. I keep a car ramp in back, & run the mower up it, get on my piece of cardboard & give the underside a quick but thorough scrape. Or in my shop lifted w/floor jack & jackstands. I have fashioned some various non-metallic scrapers to suit my needs.

And my Leaf blower for the outside of my Z. And FWIW: aim the blower down the engine opening, to help keep the cylinder fins clean till end of season.


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