Lawn mower (tractor) maintenance - Anybody else do this?

[Duner Wi]

To heck with the deck underside, sounds like we need advice getting up.

For me, advice and exercises from a physical therapist made a world of difference. My back was screaming at me.

 

[NDIHC]

My main mower until I got a new one this year, was a 1969 IH Cub Cadet 125. Bought new by my grandmother. The 42 inch deck was removed, cleaned and blades replaced as needed. We have several sets of blades for it. There is no sign of excessive rust or rusting through at 57 years old. We have mowed around 5 acres of yard over most of those years. I couldn't tell you how many thousands of hours are on it.

 

[circus]

My back was screaming at me.

Me too, til adding another spring to the back of the recliner.

 

[JIM MN]

I second and third Graphite paint on a clean under deck. Been doing that for years. Easy clean-up. Coat deck right away in the spring, while clean and dry.

 

[Stroby]

If it's wet, I clean it after each mowing. Most of the time, I can go 3 mowings (about 1.25hrs each mowing) before cleaning. I watch the discharge, you can usually tell when the buildup is occurring as the clippings don't spread or go out as far. I use a front end mower jack and put a tarp under the deck. After I catch the junk, I haul it to the ditch.

 

[showcrop]

When getting under my Ferris for maint. such as blade removal for sharpening I have never found any build-up. I am 77 years old and 10-15 lbs overweight. Over my 43 years as a firefighter/EMT on the rescue, we had many calls of a general "fallen and can't get up" nature. I wanted to avoid that. A year ago a long time lady friend who is maybe ten years older, stated her age at the time and that she could still get up from the floor without using her hands. That challenged me. I have been exercising regularly. My work-out includes squats and lunges, and a number of exercises that I do lying on the floor. I get up from the floor every morning now without using my hands. You could too.

 

[stoughtonfarmboy]

When getting under my Ferris for maint. such as blade removal for sharpening I have never found any build-up. I am 77 years old and 10-15 lbs overweight. Over my 43 years as a firefighter/EMT on the rescue, we had many calls of a general "fallen and can't get up" nature. I wanted to avoid that. A year ago a long time lady friend who is maybe ten years older, stated her age at the time and that she could still get up from the floor without using her hands. That challenged me. I have been exercising regularly. My work-out includes squats and lunges, and a number of exercises that I do lying on the floor. I get up from the floor every morning now without using my hands. You could too.

That is impressive. I am also 77 but haven't paid attention to what I do with my hands when getting up from the floor. Usually on the floor to play with our great-grandson.
My exercise program is to stand on one foot while I put my socks on in the morning.
That, and bale hay.

Ken

 

[Texasmark]

Lots of comments. A lot of them I have/had shared.
I like 46" dual blade mowers, especially newer ones that seem to have the blades geared up to higher RPMs which helps to sweep the clippings out....even wet ones. The absence of the 3rd blade in the middle goes a long way in allowing clippings from the left blade to get swept out. Also, a big plus, is that this type mower uses a stamped deck with rounded corners, unlike the larger plate/welded decks that have lots of corners that accumulate clippings. I only had one Husqvarna that had deck bracket problems (due to the thin deck steel) and that was easily fixed with my welder.
I have a 61" 3 blade (welded deck, Ferris brand) that is a bear to clean out the conventional way. What works? I only cut in the afternoons. I keep the RPMs up. The buildup that occurs during the mowing season dries out over the winter and in the spring, deck/blade vibrations cause the dried, caked clippings to fall out. Has worked for several years now.

Early on I cleaned and repainted decks using a so called non sticking paint and that was really a waste of time and money. One thing that I found helping welded decks survive is the height of the mowing chamber. I find that decks in the 5" height area are a lot less prone to clog.

On the Ferris, I specifically bought it because I thought the springs would help me to have a smoother ride in the summer when the clay soil shrinks and is full of cracks. I took the front ones off. (opinion): The shocks located in the springs are totally inadequate and I would up with a smoother ride (front end quit bouncing so much) removing the front ones and putting soft springs on the rear of the seat....springs I noticed one day on Cub Cadet ZTs at Tractor Supply. I liked them so much I bought sets for all my riding mowers (5).

 

[Hobo,NC]

Lots of comments. A lot of them I have/had shared.
I like 46" dual blade mowers, especially newer ones that seem to have the blades geared up to higher RPMs which helps to sweep the clippings out....even wet ones. The absence of the 3rd blade in the middle goes a long way in allowing clippings from the left blade to get swept out. Also, a big plus, is that this type mower uses a stamped deck with rounded corners, unlike the larger plate/welded decks that have lots of corners that accumulate clippings. I only had one Husqvarna that had deck bracket problems (due to the thin deck steel) and that was easily fixed with my welder.
I have a 61" 3 blade (welded deck, Ferris brand) that is a bear to clean out the conventional way. What works? I only cut in the afternoons. I keep the RPMs up. The buildup that occurs during the mowing season dries out over the winter and in the spring, deck/blade vibrations cause the dried, caked clippings to fall out. Has worked for several years now.

Early on I cleaned and repainted decks using a so called non sticking paint and that was really a waste of time and money. One thing that I found helping welded decks survive is the height of the mowing chamber. I find that decks in the 5" height area are a lot less prone to clog.

On the Ferris, I specifically bought it because I thought the springs would help me to have a smoother ride in the summer when the clay soil shrinks and is full of cracks. I took the front ones off. (opinion): The shocks located in the springs are totally inadequate and I would up with a smoother ride (front end quit bouncing so much) removing the front ones and putting soft springs on the rear of the seat....springs I noticed one day on Cub Cadet ZTs at Tractor Supply. I liked them so much I bought sets for all my riding mowers (5).

Even a Ferris needs a quality suspension seat, shock's alone are not gonna cut it.

 

[Duner Wi]

Some might like the flip up deck feature for cleaning and storage.

 

[da.bees]

Even a Ferris needs a quality suspension seat, shock's alone are not gonna cut it.

That's also true for commercial trucks. My older brother asked if I'd like to ride with him on a 300 mile delivery for the company he worked for. We pulled out at 4am and by daylight I was near beat to death. I asked hth he could stand that day in day out. He laughed, bounced up and down in the suspension drivers seat then said "I always thought this old truck rides pretty comfortably". It was an old COE cab with next to no pad in passenger seat bolted to floor with no kind of springs or suspension. From then on I turned down his invitations unless it was a long nose sleeper cab.

I'm glad I test drove a few friends' z-turns before buying one. I'll just keep my old lawn tractor thank you. Them box store z-turns are for young fellers and glutens for punishment. Easy riding z-turns cost more than I spent for a utility tractor with fel and box blade.

 

[Dusty MI]

That's also true for commercial trucks. My older brother asked if I'd like to ride with him on a 300 mile delivery for the company he worked for. We pulled out at 4am and by daylight I was near beat to death. I asked hth he could stand that day in day out. He laughed, bounced up and down in the suspension drivers seat then said "I always thought this old truck rides pretty comfortably". It was an old COE cab with next to no pad in passenger seat bolted to floor with no kind of springs or suspension. From then on I turned down his invitations unless it was a long nose sleeper cab.

I'm glad I test drove a few friends' z-turns before buying one. I'll just keep my old lawn tractor thank you. Them box store z-turns are for young fellers and glutens for punishment. Easy riding z-turns cost more than I spent for a utility tractor with fel and box blade.

I like my Simplicity Z-turn. It is variable speed our lawn is rather rough, I just drive a comfortable speed.

 

[NDIHC]

I like my Simplicity Z-turn. It is variable speed our lawn is rather rough, I just drive a comfortable speed.

No way will I ever go back to a garden tractor for mowing. I used to use my 70, 125 and 126 Cub Cadets along with a couple of Cenex branded mowers. What used to take me a day and a half with them I can now do in a few hours with my zero turn. Even my dad, at nearly 91, switched to a z turn about 4 years ago.

 

[Fawteen]

I've had occasion to (attempt to...) drive a zero turn. I expect it's a case of "practice makes perfect" but I couldn't get the dang things to go in a straight line, much less maneuver around things. Then there was backing up...

My "tractor" is hydrostat so matching speed to conditions is no problem.

 

[tech5201]

Husqvarna TS354XD. Big lawn tractor or small garden tractor, depends on your point of view. 54" 3-blade deck.

Got the replacement blades in this afternoon and mowed 3/4 of an acre or so of grass. Green, but not wet.

Got done, hoisted it up with the mower lift and scraped most of a 5 gallon pail of clippings out from under the deck. I do it at least every other time I mow. My thinking is that wet, decomposing grass stuck to the steel deck is going to promote corrosion. Have done it for years and yes, it's a pain in the butt, but my last deck lasted 28 years and my grandson is still using that mower.

I tried hitting it with the pressure washer which worked, but created a slimy mess that was more trouble than just scraping it in the first place.

If your deck setup is level or lower in the back, it'll create excessive mush compared to 1/4" down in the front.
Measure at the blade tips, not on the deck edges.

 

[Mcrafty1]

I have a1995 JD L190 that I've never cleaned the underside of the deck and it still works fine, I bought a new JDX390 during the kung flu because the transaxle was failing on the L190...It final gave up the ghost but was in too good shape to retire so I bit the bullet and bought a new transaxle for it and now have the two and the wife and I cut the grass in half the time. I only clean the top of the deck on both and only when they get excessive amounts of buildup of grass clippings. I've had two other JD mowers in the past and they never got cleaned either. I replaced them when they started to need tires and belts but never had deck problems other than belts on any of them.

 

[ole fred]

If your deck setup is level or lower in the back, it'll create excessive mush compared to 1/4" down in the front.
Measure at the blade tips, not on the deck edges.

That's the best advice I've seen in a long time.

 

[Texasmark]

Even a Ferris needs a quality suspension seat, shock's alone are not gonna cut it.

Mine came with the deluxe seat but recalling it wasn't suspension. I'd have to move up another $1k to get in that neighborhood and $7k for a lawn mower, 10 or so years ago, was high enough for me.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

I've had occasion to (attempt to...) drive a zero turn. I expect it's a case of "practice makes perfect" but I couldn't get the dang things to go in a straight line, much less maneuver around things. Then there was backing up...

My "tractor" is hydrostat so matching speed to conditions is no problem.

I hate that backup kill switch on my Cub Cadet Zero turn.. Wish I could find out where it is and disconnect it.

 

[Texasmark]

Mine usually does that when the blades are dull. Last replacement blades I got, I had to sharpen them before putting them on the mower.

Probably because a sharp blade will chip....add some thickness to the cutting edge helps to eliminate that. Agree with you on sharp blades. I keep them sharp and avoid mowing GRAVEL!