how do you guys clean your mowers after mowing

[ad356]

i pull my tractor up onto ramps, raise the mower up all of the way with the touch control. i then get underneath the mower with a couple of scrappers and go to town. i probably get 80% off all of the grass off, and i get ALL of the heavy wet stuff. i have virtually no gunky buildup underneath my mower. these decks are made heavy, made well but i think if you dont keep them free of gunk they will still rust away. do i get a little dirty doing this??? yes, do i care? no. i plan on keeping this mower for a long, long time. it would not be too difficult to source another mowing deck for a farmall cub, but why spend the money when i already have something in fairly good shape. the mower already has some pitting but it was like that when i got it. two years ago when i got it, i cleaned it up with a knotted wire wheel and sprayed it with my HVLP gun and im probably going to do it again at some point. i think if i keep it clean it should last me a lifetime, after all it's already 40 some years old and probably didnt get treated as i treat it.

i was wondering looking at the underside the areas where the grass tends to build up after mowing have no pitting. the areas around the outside of the blade travel path are the areas that are pitted. why? is that because the previous owner didnt bother to clean the mower and the grass builds up in those areas over time? perhaps the pitted areas are exposed to more abrasive action from the grass beating the paint off and then the grass builds up there mowing after mowing causing it to rust worse then the rest of the deck. at one point this deck probably had quite a bit of metal flaking off. it doesnt have any holes or thin areas, but that is mostly thanks to being made of some really thick stuff. the deck is still in pretty good shape but you can tell that its mowed some lawns and wasnt cleaned well in its past life.

when you dont clean them regularly every time you mow more crap gets stuck to it.

[Mike in Louisiana]

Last time i looked mine did not need cleaning.

THIS IS REALY NOT A GOOD WAY TO CHECK

[JG Strickland]

Back when I was doing lawn care, I would keep a light coat of silicone spray on the underside of my mower decks. This would allow for a quicker hose washing. The grass would fall off in clumps under water pressure, then I would run it till dry and reapply the spray. Make sure of course to have the key in your pocket or disconnect the spark plug.posting.php?mode=reply&f=1&t=85008&sid=9445919c8dcc63b5558b84fdaa479678#

James

[ad356]

that looks to be extremely dangerous for both you and the tractor, how did it happen?

[tmays]

that looks to be extremely dangerous for both you and the tractor, how did it happen?

You run that risk when you decide to pull a electric pole down

[ricky racer]

You get used to it after a while.....

[Urbish]

I used to have a push mower that had a male garden hose fitting sticking out of the top of the deck. You'd simply connect the garden hose and fire it up, letting the blades blast the water all over. It worked pretty good. I wonder if there would be enough water volume for this to work on a big mower deck....

[ad356]

lol, not out of my water tap. i live out in the country and i have a well. some water pressure but certainly nothing like you get off of "city water". my tractor fits right in around here, lol. the cattle outnumber people around here. actually its true i live in wyoming county ny and i have neighbors but not all of neighbors. its a small closely nit community. i like it, i can drive my cub down the street with no one bothering me (i dont very often but i can). tractors running up and down the street are commonplace.

[Larry in WNY]

After every use I use a garden hose to remove all grass from the deck. No buildup. Mower is turned off. Works great. I use a Ford 1600 with 60" deck and Cub Cadet 1812 for under trees and areas where the Ford is hard to maneuver.
Larry

[offrink]

Last time i looked mine did not need cleaning.

THIS IS REALY NOT A GOOD WAY TO CHECK

Just a question. How did this happen?

[Mike in Louisiana]

I was backing up and thought the pole was farther back (already down) and i backed up on it, Then those famous words rang out.

[Hengy]

Just happy that you lived to tell the tale, Mike!!

[pickerandsinger]

I was backing up and thought the pole was farther back (already down) and i backed up on it, Then those famous words rang out.

…I know those words and have used them on occasion on a couple of motor cycle crashes in my younger days…..Glad you lived to tell the story…But on the lighter side I had a dog that used to do that when I scratched his belly…... Dave

[offrink]

Glad you are safe! Amazing the traction these cubs have!

[Super A]

When I finish mowing, I park it in the shed. Then the next time I need to mow I go get it again. Grass buildup under the deck is an imaginary problem IMO.

Al