[Howdy Do]

I'm considering buying a "deck wash kit" for my mower. This time of year I have trouble with the clippings clogging up under the deck. The grass is full of moisture no matter what time of the day it is here. Has anyone had any experience with these kits? Is one place better to drill than another? Thanks: Dave :tango_face_smile:

 

[spokes100]

IMO the deck washing systems whether factory installed or aftermarket don't really do the job. I have the same problem here in CNY, mowing grass that's never really dry. Grass is probably more than 75% moisture even when we think it looks dry. I don't hose off my deck everytime I mow, maybe every third time. At any rate the deck washing systems I've seen were at 2/3 of the way from a spindle on the opposite side of the discharge opening.

 

[RT3360]

They remove some grass, but aren’t worth adding. It’s better to keep water away. Blow the top off after each use and scrape with a plastic scraper every few times mowing. Raise the front of the tractor with a tractor lift, or lift with a chain fall and block with jacks - then scrape with plastic scraper to avoid paint damage.

 

[robhay2]

I use the wash "system" on my Cub when the grass is a bit too damp. Scrape off grass clods first with a wooden dowel. Then blast each side with deck wash for about 30 seconds per side, blades running full speed. Finally move the mower to the driveway, blades spinning full speed, for about 3-4 minutes while I go pick up and toss the clods in the woods. The blades will dry out the underside. Granted this is a 60" ZTR moving a lot of air. Other models may need more/less dry time.

 

[Yard Nazi]

I watched an interesting video on UTube the other day about the deck wash port. It happened to be on a John Deere rider. The trick was to lower the deck down as far as it would go to keep the water under the deck. Wasn't perfect but did get a lot of the stuff out. The trick is to do it every time so the grass doesn't get dry and caked under the deck. You can just as easily direct the hose water stream down towards the pavement so the water splashes up toward the blade. More labor intensive than just hooking the hose to the deck however. Bill

 

[tomw0]

I have little faith in a deck wash access port that allows you to connect a garden hose to flush out the underside of the deck. I do not think they work as well as one would expect.
I would sooner drive the thing up on ramps, and use a hose and nozzle so I can see what's there, and what's getting removed. Just adding water to spinning blades won't guarantee a clean underside.
The best thing for longest deck life is to remove damp/wet clippings as soon as possible so the metal is not subject to long periods of being wet. Dry impeded corrosion as the 'electrons' can't travel as well over dry, so the oxidation takes longer.
No matter what coating is used, the grass & weeds in my case, will abrade the coating leaving relatively bare metal. Leave the grass on, and corrosion will occur.
I think it's a long-term battle, rather than a 'one shot' to keep corrosion limited.
tom

 

[TobyU]

You will be better off to keep the hose and pressure washer far away form the deck.
Spindle bearings, idler bearings and pivot points will last longer if you do.
Blow top off with compressed air or leave blower. Scrape bottom off with putty knife or plastic scraper. An old car window ice scraper works well too.

 

[Country1966?]

I used to be really good about cleaning out under my deck almost every time I would especially if it was wet.

Then I bought my current mower which is a gravely ZT HD 60 in and the first few times I mowed with it I would check underneath the deck and there would be nothing.

One thing I noticed was whenever I mow around my pine trees I would hit pinecones and they would make a lot of noise underneath my deck and then a large amount of grass would come loose I think those pine cones were cleaning my deck out.

I do have to clean it out tomorrow though I've been mowing a LOT of wet grass

 

[X300owner]

Took the wash port off, was snagging grass underneath. Useless device, just a sales gimmick. Makes the deck rust so they can sell you a new one. I scrape and wash under my deck once a year when I pull it to grease spindles and sharpen the blades.

 

[larrybl]

I watched the same youtube

even after 5 minuets with the deck down it still requires extra cleaning. I use a mower lift and bbq spatula. this works great for me.

 

[Howdy Do]

I watched the same youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpURLWPNI1o&t=494s even after 5 minuets with the deck down it still requires extra cleaning. I use a mower lift and bbq spatula. this works great for me.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice. OK, now I'm "torn" should I or not? As my dad used to say to and about me, "A fool and his money are soon parted", yet progress is made by experimentation right? :tango_face_glasses:

 

[RT3360]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice. OK, now I'm "torn" should I or not? As my dad used to say to and about me, "A fool and his money are soon parted", yet progress is made by experimentation right? :tango_face_glasses:

I guess I’m confused. If the grass is dry, you don’t have to do anything. If it’s wet, jack it up and scrape it. Spatula works, but plastic windshield scraper works and you probably already have one that might not be good enough for the car anymore. So you get it done and haven’t spent anything, but a little time. Sounds like a win to me.

 

[Howdy Do]

I guess I’m confused. If the grass is dry, you don’t have to do anything. If it’s wet, jack it up and scrape it. Spatula works, but plastic windshield scraper works and you probably already have one that might not be good enough for the car anymore. So you get it done and haven’t spent anything, but a little time. Sounds like a win to me.

I'm sorry, I guess I didn't mention that I'm somewhat handicapped and crawling around or under the mower deck is impossible for me. I do have a "chain hoist" in the shed but I'm looking for a shortcut to clean under the deck. :tango_face_smile:

 

[RT3360]

I'm sorry, I guess I didn't mention that I'm somewhat handicapped and crawling around or under the mower deck is impossible for me. I do have a "chain hoist" in the shed but I'm looking for a shortcut to clean under the deck. :tango_face_smile:

Sorry, that changes things.

Can you sit or lay on a mechanic’s creeper? They might make it so you can use your chain hoist and roll up to the tractor.
There are stools on wheels as well if getting up and down are a problem. Either of these choices should be approached with caution, use jacks to make sure you stay safe.

Are you in a wheelchair? I’ve seen tractor lifts that raise the tractor to where you can get right at the deck or under tractor. There’s a young man at the local lawn equipment shop that’s in a wheelchair, but knows stuff and gets the work done too.

You might even barter with a friend or neighbor kid to help you out for the 15-30 minutes it takes. Time together - Kind of a good way to grow a friendship.

Who knows maybe you need a big pile of pine cones to drive into. Just be careful where the discharge chute is pointing. :tango_face_grin:

 

[Butch73]

I wonder if there is a manual chain hoist with tripod kit out there suitable for raising my snapper RER 33" to it's rear bumper.
The mow jack will only partially raise the mower to about a 45 degree angle and you'd still not have the same access as
you'd have if it were on its rear bumper. At my age, I can just barely raise the snapper on its bumper and wonder in years to
come if I'd be able to raise it all the way up ergo the chain hoist question.

 

[tomw0]

Have not seen a chain hoist & tripod, but would think a 'come along' jack could be used. I think a rafter or ceiling joist, or a 2X8X36 or X54 connecting 2-3 joists with a 'eye' threaded in could spread the load without worry of damage. Depending on the building construction, using a thick board attached to several joists would give them less load than several people standing on the floor above.
Once you get past a certain point, the load decreases as the machine approaches vertical. It is just that area from 45 to 60(guess?) that is difficult. A come-along would not even be breathing hard with the load from a Snapper. IMO, a tripod & chain hoist are overkill. If you wanted more control against swivel or sway, either a pair of come-alongs or a cable and length of pipe with hooks/fasteners at both ends could be used to insure the Snapper did not wiggle off the hook(picturing a snapper wriggling and wiggling to get away.. back to the lake...) or have instability problems. Lots less expense than a tripod/hoist. I think an 'adjustable engine hoist bar' used to remove engines and balance them on the hook could be used as an alternative. A few bucks, but you'd be sure you could get the thing balanced and raising without concern for instability.
tom

 

[Howdy Do]

I wonder if there is a manual chain hoist with tripod kit out there suitable for raising my snapper RER 33" to it's rear bumper.
The mow jack will only partially raise the mower to about a 45 degree angle and you'd still not have the same access as
you'd have if it were on its rear bumper. At my age, I can just barely raise the snapper on its bumper and wonder in years to
come if I'd be able to raise it all the way up ergo the chain hoist question.

I've used this chain hoist for several years and it works well. I have it hung solidly from the roof trusses in my garden shed. I lift my snapper until the rear bumper touches the floor and at this angle I find it easy to push it to it's full up position. I hope this helps? :tango_face_smile:

https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/1-ton-triple-geared-chain-hoist/A-p1580240e