This would kick off a 100 post bash fest at gw. mg:

ROF ROF

Ive never used a power washer but i dont like the idea as you could get water in the spindles. its probably a slim chance but i dont gamble.

luckily the deck on the snapper doesnt get to bad underneath so i clean it every few weeks and i always use air to blow the stuff off the top when i,m done mowing.

 

I have grease zerks on my spindles, so I figure the grease would push any water out.

 

I have grease zerks on my spindles, so I figure the grease would push any water out.

I would be more worried about that 1 speck of water that didnt get pushed out contaminating the rest of the grease. probably silly on my part but thats how i think sometimes. ROF

 

i used my power washer on my deck.. damned thing... ripped the paint right off of the underside.....

 

You're supposed to clean your deck? Why? Here's an untouched deck with ~ 50 hrs. of use:

 

I put my deck on once a year to cut/mow my septic area. After I cut it and remove the deck again, I give it a good shot of compressed air and then knock off the looser stuff with a stick and then store it again until next year.

 

I don't mow wet grass unless i have to. But between the acorns and gum-balls and sticks i run over it does a good job at keeping the grass and dirt buildup off. I take the deck off at the start of the new mowing season to sharpen the blades and its aways clean.

 

Wish I could say the same, Jody. Today I mowed thick fescue that was probably 8 or 9 inches high and had a really high moisture content. I notice, though, in the spring when a mow my paths in my wooded area, the big dried out Sycamore leaves, twigs, and sticks really shine up things underneath.

 

I scrape after every mow. That's probably due to the far end of the property being low and moist. I pull the deck after every couple of mows and clean it off real good. That's when I give all three grease zerks a squirt. I also spray the underside of the deck with WD40 or silicone spray. One design feature on my deck that I don't care for is three separate skirts on the underside of the deck, right in front of each blade. They provide a great spot for grass to collect. I believe they're intended purpose is to prevent blowout under the deck, but I'm tempted to just unbolt them for good. I never use the deck wash ports. I'm convinced that any added moisture is unnecessary.

 

Didn't know you were SUPPOSED to clean the deck!! Probably have a family of illegals living in mine! :hide:

 

If I have to take my deck off I clean it which for some reason is more often than I'd like. :banghead3 Usually it's pretty clean as I try not to cut when it's wet. :fing32:

 

I give mine a shot of pam before I put it on to mow and it seems to work pretty good

 

I give mine a shot of pam before I put it on

i put mo-deck on mine.. it does not keep the grass off but i think it makes it easier to clean....

 

"The Hydro Principal" or "How To Maintain Mower Deck"

1. Remove deck, remove and safely dispose of used blades. Moisten accumulated grass with a plant misting sprayer filled with witch hazel. (Make sure you are spraying from at least 2' from spindle area)
2. When clippings are at proper moisture scrape gently with rubber kitchen spatula being careful not to abraid or cause any undue scratching of paint.
3. Any clippings remaining after gentle spatula application should be re-wet with a mixture of dish soap and water at the rate of 16:1 daubed on with cotton balls (not poly-cotton imitation).
4. When soap mixture is soaked in completely, remove last of remaining clippings with lense tissue or eyeglasses cleaning cloth.
5. With all above steps assure that no harsh liquid soap mixture accumulates on or within 5" of spindle area. For this delicate region use a mixture of Johnson's Baby Shampoo and distilled water at 60:1 water to shampoo.
6. When deck is free of all residue, dry entire deck with hair dryer set on "Low" or "Air Only". If using the "Low" setting assure that air flow is not directed towards the critical spindle area as not to soften heat and water resistant grease. (If cleaning deck when relative humidity is over 50% use "Low" setting as heat will reduce possibility of condensation in spindles.)
7. When deck is completely dry, rub entire undersurface of deck with a soft natural fiber cloth and medium jeweler's rouge in a small circular pattern. DO NOT RUB IN STRAIGHT LINES, as grass will accumulate on minute scratches in paint.
8. After necessary sheen is attained apply a liquid automobile wax that is approved by Ferrari or Lambourgini for their finishes. Do not apply wax in direct sunlight, flourescent lighting is best for this step.
9. Allow wax to season over night.
10. After at least 12 hours a light dusting of cooking spray is an acceptable sub-deck lubricant. If no cooking spray is available, K-Y jelly mixed 25% with lanolin and a teaspoon of Vicks VapoRub is an acceptable substitute.
11. Mount new blades or if new blades are not readily available sharpened blades are temporarily acceptable until new blades can be obtained.
12. Remount deck following manufacturers instructions assuring no improper words are uttered within 100' of hearing range of any small children.
13. After testing all safety circuits on mowing equipment (including RIOS for JD owners) machine is ready for use.

Footnote: Since the proper time of day to lubricate spindles, type of grease and amount of grease is a matter still to be determined by scientific study, you are urged to consult Tarot cards for assistance in proper proceedure for your brand and model of equipment. Remember, mower deck spindles are the testicles of your mower. Treat them with the care they require for proper and lasting service.

 

Harold, I sure hope you stick around this forum as long as I'm on this earth! Your posts provide more entertainment value than anything I could watch on TV. ROF

But you know, I do use a stiff plastic spatula to remove the build up whenever I do remove the deck .... it works very well. Unfortunately for me, there is enough moisture in the grass itself that there is almost always a little build up. And here in Washington, it's unavoidable mowing wet grass sometimes. And fortunately for me, the 54C deck is quick and easy to remove and reinstall.

 

I find myself doing it almost everytime I mow in the spring. Not much buildup except for at the middle back behind the two blades. It's just enough to cause a snake trail while mulching. During the summer and fall the dead leaves and grass seem to keep it clean.

 

Last year it was dry enough here that I cleaned (manually scraped) my deck twice. Once when the mowing season was heading to leaf pickup and then at the end when everything was cleaned up and the deck was off for the season. I'll bet there wasn't more than a quarter of a pail of stuff.

This year I got half a pail full last week alone when I finished the second mowing... It's finally been regular rainfall so far. I knew I HAD to clean it as it was starting to "buzz". I believe that manufacturers could go a looooong way towards making decks less prone to packing up. If the decks were stamped in the shape of a fully packed deck with curved and rounded tops there would be less need for cleaning and better air flow... But cost is a factor and JD for one hasn't redesigned their decks in how many years? (They redesigned the entire tractor line and just "adapted" the old decks to shaft drive for the upper end) Recently they added baffle weldments to help route clippings and a fancy monikers like "Convertible" and "Edge Cutting System". I never got an explanation of what an "Edge Cutting System" actually is.

I'll bet from one yard to the next and from one state to the next the exact same deck will collect **** differently due to conditions. I really don't do most of the steps I outlined earlier all the time but I'm a firm believer in the ol' hose an' nozzle cleaning method after mowing. I wind the deck up to about cutting speed and feed water under there with a hose from as many places as I feel safe reaching to. The blades do all the cleaning in most cases. I let the deck run for about five minutes or so to spritz most of the water droplets out. The rest evaporates. Centrifugal force keeps MY spindles clear of water via the slinger cups on the shaft and the sheer RPM of the spindles... Your results may vary... Action figures sold separately... Batteries not included... Check local laws before attempting deck cleaning by water hose.
:bannana:

 

OK, Im one of them "Bad" People. I like NEVER clean my deck. OK, if its off the tractor, and I happan to have some sharp pokey thing at the time, I will pick and jab the packed up stuff out.The Case decks are realy pretty good in that regard. There is only a few places where the grass kinda "Hangs out", and as HH says, it parabley there becouse its a dead aera anyway, and probably improves flow. Also being I mow over anything that the mower will roll over, there are a lot of sticks, stones, and dirt that does a good job cleaning it up.

Now my push mower? That a diferent thing. It packs up BAD!!! That I clean when it starts hacking up "Grass balls" [ack ack ackkkk peuuuuuueyyy] then its time to clean. Big screw drivers, and a puddy knife are my tools of choice.

 

I "clean" my mower deck only when I need to get to a fastener underneath for some reason. However, I will stop and clear the discharge chute if it gets plugged and doesn't clear on its own in a minute or two- does that count?

 

I drive up on ramps and hose it off darn near every time I use it .. :fing32:

 

I go over the entire tractor, including the MMM with an electric blower after each mow'n. This does a pretty good enough job of getting all the dry loose clippings out. I also use a Cyclone Rake about every other mow'n and it does a very good job of sucking any & everything out from under the MMM. About midway trhough the mow'n season I'll drop the MMM, remove & sharpen the blades and use a pressure washer on the MMM.
For winter storage I'll pressure wash the MMM then "paint" on a coating of use motor oil.

Oh and HH, you forgot "Member FDIC"

Volfandt

 

I don't mow wet grass unless i have to. But between the acorns and gum-balls and sticks i run over it does a good job at keeping the grass and dirt buildup off. I take the deck off at the start of the new mowing season to sharpen the blades and its aways clean.

:ditto: that, same here Jody, I've never had to clean under the deck thanks to the same as you said :fing32:

 

Not a choice for my needs but put down once a month.

Early in the spring, grass wet from either rain, ground moisture and always high moisture content, I need to pull the deck and manually clean after each mowing. As the season progresses and things get dried out, I need to pull the deck less often. By mid-season, no need to pull the deck until fall rains return. If I let the grass on the top of the deck dry for a few days, a blower will remove most of it.

Anything less than pulling the deck and manually cleaning and deck won't get cleaned and trapped moisture in the grass will contribute to deck RUST.

I don't worry about moisture on the deck as if it turns, it has a grease fitting. Exception is front center and rear full width rollers. There are 12 grease fittings on my deck and shaft.

 

My first rider was Murray 14/42 back around 1990, it used to get a thorough cleaning with the garden hose after each mowing.The spindle bearings went out early in its second season. When I replaced the bearings, I added grease fittings just for good measure.
Shortly after the rebuild, we were at the Murray plant in Lawrenceburg TN on a visit and I asked one of the QA guys why they didn't have grease fittings on the spindles and explained my short lived bearings, and my opinion of the quality of their components . He looked at me and said "You wash it after every mowing don't you". He explained how the water is drawn into the warm spindle just like flux when soldering.
Now, my Snapper gets a scraping at blade sharpenings.

 

"He explained how the water is drawn into the warm spindle just like flux when soldering."

I would have to put that gem in the realm of pure PIFFLE! Water just doesn't have the properties to swim upstream past grease seals while a spindle is spinning 2500 RPM or more. Perhaps if submerged in water as the bearing is cooling and there is a vacuum forming by hectocyphalic reduction... maybe. When greased correctly the bearing and cavity holding the grease should not have room for water.

Have we all not hi-pressure steam cleaned or water blasted (with cleaner additives) gasoline and diesel engines with all their various and sundry "seals" and "OH-rings" without mishap? Have we all not run through the wetness of a driving rainstorm and through hubcap deep puddles with our wheel hubs and driveshaft universals? Wet grass provides more water per acre than washing under the deck when you are done. I've heard of people that mow wet grass but I've never really seen one.

Any manufacturer worth their salt should provide grease fittings for applications like a mower spindle. How much do they COST YOU when THEY leave them out and you have to replace them in 2 years with spindles having fittings...

You shouldn't have a spindle failure in two years of home mowing for any reason other than faulty parts, manufacturing defect or external damage. Don't blame the USER for a failure of a cheaply made part or poor part application! (in my always humble opinion)
:bannana: