Coating a lawnmower deck

[super99]

burnt motor oil

Burnt motor oil is a new one on me, if you burn it, it is gone isn't it?

 

[glennster]

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.

rustred, did you mean glyptal? that is the internal coating in gearboxes and engines.

 

[Watthour]

Does anyone but me use Tnemec 141 Epoxoline for this kind of stuff? It's a lot more resilient than POR, self-etching, and can be recoated. And that's the key. If you want a "one-and-done" coating, there probably isn't one. If you practice routine maintenance and touch up the deck once a year, the chances of a long life are much greater.

I've recently switched to S-W Duraplate B67 series, which is compatible, and maybe actually a little better durability. It still requires maintenance.

 

[Texasmark]

Not sure if this is the coating you mean, you can buy mower deck spray, I have used silicone spray, but the Simplicity mechanic told me to just use WD 40. Water displacement 40.

Just a side note. Years ago I read something about the formulas. I think my recollection is that it took them 40 attempts to get it right. Was great for wet distributor caps that you needed to dry out/Displace (the water) to get the engine to run. BTDT.

 

[Texasmark]

I 've seen small decks that have a fitting for a garden hose. Run the mower and turn on the water. Big decks may need more than one fitting. I assume it would have to be done before the grass dries. I would greas it after to push any water out of the bearings.

I've been there and its a waste of time unless you hit it immediately when you finish mowing....and don't have a lot of debris to remove. I've even installed those washout adapters on decks without such with limited success. Placement is probably important so I copied the OEMs placement that use such.

 

[Texasmark]

The biggest issue with decks rusting out isn't the paint getting blasted off, but wet soggy grass caked in the deck that takes days/weeks to dry out. Most of us know that damp conditions really promote rust. If the grass can be cut when it's dry, rather than after watering or a rain storm, that reduces caked grass underneith. As others have said though, its a pretty harsh enviroment under there.

As we all know spring grasses are the worst but you either deal with it or you can't find your way from your truck to your front door.

 

[rustred]

rustred, did you mean glyptal? that is the internal coating in gearboxes and engines.

yes thats the stuff . it was a bit of help but not ideal .

 

[HFJ]

my riding mower is 33 years old. it's on its second engine but original deck. i fear that deck may not have much further left to go. that will be a sad day, that Craftsman (made by Murray) has certainly earned its cost, even with the extra engine, several times over.

Been a KUBOTA dealer for 28 + years and have seen many folks try ever thing in the world and for most part total waste of time. Deck life is predicated by the type soil like sandy or clay, then how high or high low one mows.

you've got me curious now. what soil type lends itself to long-lasting decks? my lawn is 99% clay. i wonder if that helps, as it tends to stay put.

 

[MJMJ]

Super sandy soils are like sand blasting the deck every time you mow. But thats probably the biggest outlier. Frankly, I think some have way too much time to think about things if keeping the bottom of their mower deck clean is a priority.

 

[DoubleO7]

my riding mower is 33 years old. it's on its second engine but original deck. i fear that deck may not have much further left to go. that will be a sad day, that Craftsman (made by Murray) has certainly earned its cost, even with the extra engine, several times over.



you've got me curious now. what soil type lends itself to long-lasting decks? my lawn is 99% clay. i wonder if that helps, as it tends to stay put.

A thick lush lawn and/or clay ground that when dry is maybe dusty, is not going to erode a deck via erosion.
My "yard" is in basically gray beach sand, grass is sparse. My mower is a golf course fairway mower so the deck is a tad thicker than consumer grade. I have run it seven seasons here from mid March to mid October. I have never once scraped stuck or accumulated grass out of the underside. The high lift blades suck up enough sand to blast the underside. I also never mow unless I can drag my feet thru the grass without getting them wet.
When it was new thirty years ago, there were optional low lift "sand" blades available.

 

[ESVADuke]

Burnt motor oil is a new one on me, if you burn it, it is gone isn't it?

Its what we always called the used oil drained out for change, it is burned in the sense it has oxidized, heated in the engine, full of blow by combustion products.