Cleaning and Maintenance on deck

[TheMurf]

I pulled the deck off my BX this afternoon for some cleaning and grease.. I cleaned it with some simple green and rinsed it ,drying it off with a towel. The underside I scraped and sharpened the blades by hand with a sharping tool and file.

Question= Is there any method you guys use to clean the underside of the mower deck ? Do you power wash the crud off or scrape it off by hand? Is there a particular cleaner you like for getting the caked on grass off ?

Maybe there is a easier way than scraping that junk off the bottom of the deck?

 

[will721]

To my knowledge there isn't an easy way other than cleaning between mowings. Once the grass builds up and hardens chemicals aren't really gonna penetrate enough to make a difference. If the deck has one of those hose fittings clean it between mows. Bonus if you're one of the very few with a hot water spout. But at the end of the day I usually just power wash and scrape when I service the blades or deck.

 

[TheMurf]

Thanks Will721.. In the 32 hours I have owned my BX since I bought it new , this is the third time I had the deck off the machine for cleaning and maintenance, grease, etc..I'm thinking of letting it soak with a degreaser to soften up the crud then scraping it and hosing it off. I'm also thinking of trying a wire wheel on my hand held drill to clean it off..

That caked on crap is a pain in the ass to get off..Thanks for your reply..

 

[Flintknapper]

To my knowledge there isn't an easy way other than cleaning between mowings.

^^^^^

This.

I clean the deck on my Zero Turn immediately at the end of a mowing session.

I never let 'build up' occur or let it dry on the deck.

I have a ramp I drive the front up on and can usually remove everything with just garden hose pressure. I never put my equipment up....that it isn't ready to use the next time I need it.

Not tractor, not mowers, chainsaws, trimmers, etc.....

 

[will721]

I wouldn't wire wheel. You don't want to remove the paint if you can help it. They make poly wire wheels you could try but rust is always what kills decks first, if they are serviceable anyway. Keep bare steel to a minimum.

 

[TheMurf]

Thanks guys.. I scrape and clean the deck after every 10 hours of use. The service manual recommends grease at every 10 hours so when I pull the deck off to grease it, I clean it and sharpen the blades while I'm at it. The ramps would allow for some basic cleaning but to get at the zerk fittings, you really have to pull the deck off.. I did undercoat it which help to protect it.I will not use the wire wheel.. I will soak the bottom with some Simple Green and water, let it sit and scrape it by hand.. Thanks again for the advice, always learn something here.

 

[RCW]

I’ve had a BX2360 with MMM for 11 mowing seasons now. It also has a snowblower for winter months, and a FEL when I need it.

I’ve never taken my mower deck off for “cleaning” during the mowing season. It’s cleaned up after taken off in Fall, or more commonly in the spring.

I grease it every 10 hours maximum. Always change oil in gear box every spring.

While not a commercial machine, the BX and its attachments are pretty stout.

I don’t think I need to yank the 250+ pound mower deck out from under my tractor regularly during the mowing season.

If I bought a Cub Cadet from Lowes, yes….

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I tend to grease a lot, IMO PMs are very important. That being said I don’t clean the underside of my deck, but I also don’t pick up sticks…I mow only when dry (I have hilly property and I don’t risk mowing when wet) and I mulch whatever machine will drive over. This is not just my lawn but also trails in my woods and small saplings as necessary. My dealer has repeatedly commented that they don’t understand how my underside of deck is always so clean and what what I use…my response is wood chips. I have no way to prove it, but in my opinion when you chop up sticks you are sort of (not the same) sand blasting or shot peening the underside…not exactly I understand that….but you are forcing abrasive material to the surface of the deck and that will help keep it clean. But think about cut grass hitting your leg vs a wood chip…that going on under the deck and it’s going to help keep stuff clean. I think not mowing when it is wet does the most help and probably the most important part though as it does not clog up or stick so much. Leaves the shoot better for that matter. Personally I would not wash it if I wasn’t going to grease after washing / drying…I am not sure that makes sense or not but I can’t imagine a better way to keep water/soap out of the area that needs grease than to force out the old grease and whatever else with fresh new grease.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I have a steel Ibeam in my garage and a electric hoist to lift the front ends of riders for deck servicing. In 35 years(1/2 my life) I've seen a LOT of rotted out decks from neighbours,some will overfill a 5gal bucket with wet,compacted grass, which when removed exposes the rotted/rusted deck (even though top side looks fine ).
I always cut highest setting and late afternoon when grass is DRY. Hacking 2-3 inches of wet lawn can't be 'right'.
When I bought my BX23S, 1st thing sales guy asked, do you want the MMM ? hmm, $2500 !! I'm still running an MTD CC rider 25 years old for GRASS cutting duty..the BX23S is for playing with DIRT,rocks, compost,hauling stuff.... Besides at 70 I don't crawl under tractors as easily as I used to......
If I did have a new deck, I'd get it 'rhino' coated before the 1st cut.

 

[Sawdust&Shavings]

On my BX MMM, I only mow when grass isn’t wet and I have no grass build up on my mmm at season’s end. I wait until morning dew is gone and 2 or 3 days after a rain … I never need to scrape the underside over an entire season. I do occasionally use a leaf blower on the top of the deck to keep it clear of debris,

 

[mikester]

I pulled the deck off my BX this afternoon for some cleaning and grease.. I cleaned it with some simple green and rinsed it ,drying it off with a towel. The underside I scraped and sharpened the blades by hand with a sharping tool and file.

Question= Is there any method you guys use to clean the underside of the mower deck ? Do you power wash the crud off or scrape it off by hand? Is there a particular cleaner you like for getting the caked on grass off ?

Maybe there is a easier way than scraping that junk off the bottom of the deck?

One of these in an air hammer does the trick for me. Water just makes an ugly mess and is hard on bearings.

https://www.amazon.com/Sabre-Tools-Thinset-Removal-Pneumatic/dp/B09T5W7X8L/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=air+hammer+chisel

 

[fried1765]

^^^^^

This.

I clean the deck on my Zero Turn immediately at the end of a mowing session.

I never let 'build up' occur or let it dry on the deck.

I have a ramp I drive the front up on and can usually remove everything with just garden hose pressure. I never put my equipment up....that it isn't ready to use the next time I need it.

Not tractor, not mowers, chainsaws, trimmers, etc.....

I have not cleaned under the deck of my SCAG for two seasons.
Haven't looked under there, but am sure it is a caked on mess.
I need to pick the machine up high enough with my EA forks, to hit it hard with some Hotsy high pressure hot water under there.......soon.
Hot water under under pressure, does a great job cleaning most everything.

 

[SDT]

I pulled the deck off my BX this afternoon for some cleaning and grease.. I cleaned it with some simple green and rinsed it ,drying it off with a towel. The underside I scraped and sharpened the blades by hand with a sharping tool and file.

Question= Is there any method you guys use to clean the underside of the mower deck ? Do you power wash the crud off or scrape it off by hand? Is there a particular cleaner you like for getting the caked on grass off ?

Maybe there is a easier way than scraping that junk off the bottom of the deck?

I simply scrape the dried debris from the underside of my deck each fall upon removal, sharpening, etc.

After 30 years, so far, so good.

No, I do not mow wet grass.

 

[lynnmor]

I run my zero turn up on a ramp and wash the deck out getting most of the clumps. Every other mowing I flip up the deck and scrape, then spray with Fluid Film. I have no clue how some can go any length of time without a proper scraping. I am on my second walk behind, in 52 years, that is used for a considerable amount of trimming, it gets tilted and washed out every mowing and scraped at the end of the season, then Fluid Film applied.

I bought this ZT because of the deck tilting feature:

 

[imnukensc]

Some of you fellows must mow a lot of wet grass. I have never needed to scrape dried grass clumps and crud from under the deck of my 2380 in the 5 (6?) years I've owned it. I can grease every zerk with the mower still attached to the tractor. The only zerks that give me trouble are the universal joints for the mid PTO shaft.

 

[fried1765]

I run my zero turn up on a ramp and wash the deck out getting most of the clumps. Every other mowing I flip up the deck and scrape, then spray with Fluid Film. I have no clue how some can go any length of time without a proper scraping. I am on my second walk behind, in 52 years, that is used for a considerable amount of trimming, it gets tilted and washed out every mowing and scraped at the end of the season, then Fluid Film applied.

I bought this ZT because of the deck tilting feature:

View attachment 107286

Good feature...good choice!
My (Kawasaki) SCAG ZT does not tilt up, and I sure do wish it did, but at $4200 new (2020) I made that choice.

 

[TheMurf]

Thanks again guys..I never cut wet grass either. Even though the grass maybe slightly moist mildew from overnight being cool. I never thought to use a air hammer gun to clean the junk. I do have one in my tool box, next time I pull the deck off I will give it a try. At 64 pulling and flipping the deck is a chore. But I can still handle it for now anyway. I'm fanatical about maintenance on everything. Can't help it.

 

[mikester]

It's a trade off for me. I'm sandy soil. If I cut when it's dry I'm covered with an inch of dust and coat the inside of my lungs too. After a rain there's no dust but I have to scrape the deck more often.

 

[imnukensc]

If I cut when it's dry I'm covered with an inch of dust and coat the inside of my lungs too.

That's why I wear an N95 dust mask when cutting grass. Also have to clean rad screen, radiator, and air filter half way through cutting and after.

 

[DustyRusty]

Bought a Zero Turn mower a couple of years ago, and the neighbor does the lawn cutting. He buys the gas for it and does the PM also. I offer to pay for parts, but he says no. When he wears that one out, I will buy another, and as long as he keeps cutting my grass, we both have a great deal.