Coating a lawnmower deck

[Tony in SD]

I personally would not waste my time or money on undercoating. i just power wash the underside of my 7 foot mower after each mowing. Mower is 20 plus years old. Still works like new.

 

[JohnRowehl]

Those fittings aren’t worth the pennies they cost. Its completely worthless. All it does is run water over the blades, thats it. You’re better off just driving through a puddle with the mower on.

I’ve had a 38” Cub Cadet with one washout port and a 54” deck with two ports. They do not do a complete job. There are certain places that don’t get enough force to get it all off. Yes, it is the spinning of the blades that propels the water around. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Keep the deck lowered to the ground for it to work right. I always do it as soon as I’m done mowing.

 

[showcrop]

It makes a tremendous difference whether it is stamped or welded. welded decks need virtually no care.

 

[Blackhole49]

I went down the rabbit hole of media blasting and coating my deck with por 15 many years ago. Total waste of time and money. YMMV.

I won't say total waste of time for me, but also not worth the effort. The stuff flakes off in large chunks similar to what you'd expect with powder coating.

I'll go one step further and say total waste of time. Many years ago the city I worked for had 3 of these leaf collection trailers. We spent a lot of time and money sand blasting and coating the inside of one with POR 15. Didn't last one season (5 weeks) and this use is nowhere near as abrasive as the the under side of a mower deck.

 

[Rkh]

If you mow your lawn wet, that makes a big difference to.

 

[rustred]

Anyone come up with a proven coating for the underside of a cutting deck.

i have coated a couple of mine with that red coating for inside gear boxes, forgot the name now. but it hardly made any difference . the grass still stuck and have to wash them out. i think stainless steel would be of more help than any coating. there is nothing proven i have found yet.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I tried coating a mower deck with that "slip plate" paint they sell at Tractor Supply. Figured it was a waste of time, but I did it anyway for science. The coating didn't last long; the dust and rocks peeled it off like a sandblaster.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Years ago I got a can of "4 in 1 Epoxy Enamel", don't know if it's still available, not commonly seen on shelves. I used it to coat the underside of a fiberglass Scout body I was working on. It made a good, slick coating that was not brittle. I always thought it would be good on a mower deck but never tried it. I can't say how it would hold up as I never finished the project and eventually sold it. The can is still on the shelf, maybe I'll try it this season.

 

[johnlobb]

I've used a product called "Modeck". It does seem to work to some effect...It's better than nothing...

 

[ESVADuke]

burnt motor oil

 

[Texasmark]

I used spray on graphite last time I worked on mine, not sure if gave any benefit or how long it has lasted. My JD 420 60" deck still cuts very well though.

I used spray on Graphite too, after I removed the deck, flipped it over and spent a lot of time cleaning. Applied 2 coats. Results: Not worth the effort.

 

[Texasmark]

I used spray on Graphite too, after I removed the deck, flipped it over and spent a lot of time cleaning. Applied 2 coats. Results: Not worth the effort.

What works is a 46" conventional mower with a stamped deck (nice and smooth internal contours) which only has 2 blades, not the clogging 3rd blade and welded deck on a lot of those with sharp corners that just love to collect and hold clippings... I have 2 of them and in the spring, like right now, they are all I use. Then immediately when finished, I use use a power sprayer shooting water under the deck (very carefully) with the blades running at a good speed to get the lifting action of the blade tips to assist in washing out the deck. Piece of cake and takes just a few minutes.

 

[J.Wondergem]

I went down the rabbit hole of media blasting and coating my deck with por 15 many years ago. Total waste of time and money. YMMV.

I did the same thing, now every time I get done mowing I flip it up and scrap it out with a wide puddy knife.

 

[Janicholson]

I'll go one step further and say total waste of time. Many years ago the city I worked for had 3 of these leaf collection trailers. We spent a lot of time and money sand blasting and coating the inside of one with POR 15. Didn't last one season (5 weeks) and this use is nowhere near as abrasive as the the under side of a mower deck.
View attachment 65566

POR 15 converts rust. it is not a paint at all. when put on a sand blasted finish or sanded or just fresh clean mill finish steel, it has nothing to convert and is worthless. Try it on a rusted surface (with no flaking rust) and it works. Jim

 

[Mule Meat]

Fluid Film

 

[J.Wondergem]

Fluid Film

Do you mean human?

 

[SARG]

A futile concept that's not worth the time.

 

[WayneB]

Anyone come up with a proven coating for the underside of a cutting deck.

MY ANSWER: POR-15
I clean the under-deck, use a rotary brush, and descale. Wait 24-48 hours. Let it rust up a bit. Then, I apply POR-15 paint with a brush. Last about 5 or more years. Cleans up easy with hose, when washing down. I use black color. I have yellow, red and orange. There are still other colors available too.

 

[DoubleO7]

Anyone come up with a proven coating for the underside of a cutting deck.

For what purpose?
To stop corrosion?
Stop grass from sticking?
Stop erosion due to sandy yard?

 

[MARK ROBKE]

What I think makes the biggest difference keeping the bottom clean is blade tip speed. I doubt any thing else will do much good, or last very long. I ran some John Deere diesel all wheel steer mowers for a month or so mowing very tall grass. These mowers never needed cleaning under the deck. They cut great. I believe the blade speed was very high.
I also had a friend who bought a 4-blade disc (just like a disc mower except 4 blades instead of 2) which replaced the normal blade. He did not have to clean under his deck either. Mark.