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Cleaning, degreasing and detailing your mowchines - please add

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LBO

· LBO
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
your tips and tricks. One I learned was good for helping to bring back a faded orange lawn- boy
commercial fuel tank - SEAFOAM! Took a cotton cloth, added generous amounts of SEAFOAM,
and Presto! Nice orange tank again.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)


Great for cleaning stained mufflers and corroded aluminum engine parts. Etches the aluminum and magnesium and makes The finish look like new. Just don't get it on paint as it is acid. Would work great on the deck that has been stripped before applying primer as well.

Here it is just foaming away on a muffler plate. The plate should be near white aluminum when it's done.
 
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#3 ·
I use Easy Off on white wheels - it restores plastics and even the surface rubber to almost new.
 
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#4 ·
I buy Greased Lightning at Lowes in a 5 gallon jug, and apply it with a 1.5 gallon garden sprayer,,,

I seldom need the pressure washer any more, just the GL and a hose,,, :fing32:

I use it on each car engine at least once a year,,,,

this truck is 16 years old,,

Image
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
I was cleaning white wheels today on a newly acquired Toro 22043. They are not self cleaning - so I will use the easy off. Thanks for the tip, G. All will need to put Mag cleaner and Greased Lightning on my shopping list.
 
#6 ·
Gunk Foamy Engine Brite works great to degrease. I have used Westley's Bleachy White on wheels. Also have just mixed up bleach and water in a bucket and let the wheels soak over night. Bill
 
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#7 ·
CADplans said:
I buy Greased Lightning at Lowes in a 5 gallon jug, and apply it with a 1.5 gallon garden sprayer,,,

I seldom need the pressure washer any more, just the GL and a hose,,, :fing32:

I use it on each car engine at least once a year,,,,

this truck is 16 years old,,

Image
Click to expand...
You probably know this already, but I'll add this here for anyone looking to buy GL.

GL is very caustic, it WILL etch glass and bare metals. Dont put it on your glass, uncoated wheels, uncoated metal parts etc.

Simple green does not have *quite* as much bite as GL, but its non caustic and safe for all surfaces.
 
#8 ·
I always hose off my mower after every use. Every now and then I will spray some Mean Green degreaser on it, or just get a bucket of hot water with a squirt of Dawn. My Craftsman is only 23 years old, but the little girl still looks as nice as the newer mowers.



L8R,
Matt
 
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#9 · (Edited)
Probably the same stuff for cars or other machines. Carb cleaner for anything that isn't painted or made of plastic but covered in grease/oil. Used aluminum polish and a rag to shine up the paint on an old mower deck before. Also use aluminum polish to polish plastics. Krylon Plastic Fusion satin black paint for painting small stuff. WD40 to clean/darken black plastic (WD40 has 100 uses, ask google). Red marine grease instead of brown grease. I have heard of people spraying PAM cooking spray on the underside of the deck to prevent grass from sticking but haven't tried that yet. Goo Gone for removing gunk left behind from stickers/decals. I also use black plastic disposable gloves from advance auto just to save time cleaning hands of grease/paint.
 
#10 ·
I also use Mystik JT-6 red grease. I put a dab on the axles every year after cleaning them off. I keep my gun filled with it for taking care of my mother-in-law's John Deere X475 tractor. Overkill? Probably. But it sure doesn't hurt anything.
 
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#12 ·
Thanks! The only new things on the mower are the spark plug, the muffler, the blade, and a carb rebuild kit. Everything else is there from '92. The paint is stained a bit because over the winter when my Aunt still had it, a bottle of motor oil was sitting on the front and got knocked over. Besides that, I'm missing one little black hub cap on the other side.
 
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#13 ·
I hose mowers after use and then will either use Wesley's Bleche White or Purple Power. I'll let it sit for a few minutes then hose off. WBW also works great on LB white plastic wheels. My last step is to blow the water off mowers with my blower. Putty knives also work well to remove mud/ gunk from under deck areas.
 
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#14 ·
I use super clean foaming degreaser whenever I acquire a new mower. IT cuts everything with minimal scrubbing, but can peel the weaker paints. It once took the paint out of the ford emblem on my truck grill that the clear had came off. luckily I was replacing it that day.

Sea foam is great for gooey carbon like on my m series deck exhaust hole.
 
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Discussion starter · #17 ·
Used Easy Off lemon scent on Lawn-Boy 10520 today. MAGIC !!! This works better than any wheel cleaner I have used. Dirty brown wheels came back brilliant white! Hardly used any elbow grease. Amazing! Thanks, George.
 
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LBO
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