Washout Ports

Nada

Tiecode said:

but if you watch Youtube

Click to expand...

First, don't do that.

Second, if you do, consider the possibility they have no idea what they're talking about.

Third, many, many decks come with them. If you already have the parts, it won't hurt anything to put them in as long as you do it right. Once you use it a few times and inspect the deck afterwards, you'll understand more about why so many people say they're a waste of time.

Fourth, once you start going through bearings and your deck starts rusting .....

soaking down the underside of your deck seems to be the opposite of what you want to do for long deck life. I had them on the Cub Cadet I had before my 425, tried them once. If they're not going to remove all the grass, and just leave it under there wet, it's not good for the long life of your deck.

Forget this gimmick. It came on my JD 48" deck and I'd never use it. Its less effective than a garden hose sprayer and only serves to wet down the corrosive clippings for the most part.

Think of it. If you used your garden hose from one side of the deck to spray under the deck, how much would you be able to get out? Yep, not much. AND what it can't get is left as just soaked and stuck corrosive grass clippings. You are better off just to leave the clippings as they are to dry, then periodically, and properly, scrape out the dried stuff.

My routine is to use the back pack blower to get as much off from under and above the deck as possible, park it as is, and let it dry, with a periodic scrape out with a plastic scraper. Once dry, it can be fairly easy to remove most of it. Seasonally I remove the deck and do a power wash, disassemble the bearings, do an inspection, cleaning, drying, and repacking.

Zero issues except the usual scrapes etc....

See how this works....Youtube BAD and stupid...Forums GOOD and smart!

Keep water hoses and pressure washers far away from your mower as fasr asn regular use.

Use leaf blower or compressor air gun to blow off grass top and bottom of deck..or scrape off bottom if it bothers you.

Nothing good comes from getting wet your spindles, bearings, idler pivot arm points etc.

^^^My Brother speaks the truth.

Yes, yes I understand. Will not use washout ports. Man did not believe the firestorm I started.

I just cleaned out my deck because I had to replace the spindles, not due to water but because they simply wore out. When I was scraping the caked up grass off the deck the grass on the surface was totally dry. The grass underneath the dried surface grass was completely wet and moldy/slimy, all the way down to the deck surface. I don't think you can keep moisture away from the deck and I am not sure the moldy/slimy grass is any good for the deck either. I don't use the washout ports on mine but don't think the addition of the water causes them to rust out any more than the build up of grass does. If I have to worry about the affect water has on my mower it would never leave the barn.

It probably won't have any real noticeable effect washing it off from time to time but it is much better to blow off the grass on top of the deck then it is to soak it weekly or even a few times a month with water. It is especially more dangerous if people use a pressure washer. If they get the nozzle in there to close they could force some water into a bearing and some designs however most of the time the pulley would block most of that from happening but there are a few there's an inch or so above with the spacer and it's not like you want to be spraying especially hard pressure washer water onto the Rubber seal of a bearing.
If you're going to hose one off then it is best to start back up and engage the blades for a few seconds to force some water out and blow it off.
Usually the only time my mowers see a water hose is when I first buy them and they are greasy and grimy and I am cleaning them up with engine Degreaser or super clean.
After that they are spotless so all I have to do is blow off the grass on top of the deck.

It is very common to have a layer of grass buildup on the underside of a deck of riding mowers and push bars. Most of the time at least in my climate it is very damp underneath there and this does increase the speed of rust. It would be smartest for someone with a brand new mower to spray three or four coats of Rust-Oleum before they put it into service or if it's an old one scrape everything off and blow it off well and soak it with a super wet coat of Rust-Oleum are similar paint. They make sprays to help release the grass and you could coat it with WD-40 or even or used oil or bar and chain oil for that matter but it would even attract more grass but at least the grass that there wouldn't be moist with water. He would have a petroleum product to help prevent rust..

Hello – Totally agree on the uselessness of the washout ports. I have had them on my last two mower decks (Craftsman & Cub Cadet) and they did just about nothing. I took them off in both cases.

I am in the minority that cleans my deck after each use. Scraper, wire brush (if necessary) and garden hose. In 18 years of using this routine I have replaced only one spindle bearing, so the water has not hurt mine. However, I do check the spindle seals and replace as necessary in the off season – last winter they all looked good. Also, no paint ever, it’s a waste of time; bare metal (if it’s a decent alloy) on the underside of a deck used regularly will not rust. Caked on grass (and in the case of my property, mud) rusts decks. The Cub Cadet deck below gets average use (1+ acre per week) and is 10 years old.

Not saying this is the best way to go, as it does add a half hour to my mowing job – on an hourly basis my time would paid for a new deck by now. I would not argue that everybody should do this, it just works for me. Cheers.

pfreiburger said:

Hello – Totally agree on the uselessness of the washout ports. I have had them on my last two mower decks (Craftsman & Cub Cadet) and they did just about nothing. I took them off in both cases.

I am in the minority that cleans my deck after each use. Scraper, wire brush (if necessary) and garden hose. In 18 years of using this routine I have replaced only one spindle bearing, so the water has not hurt mine. However, I do check the spindle seals and replace as necessary in the off season – last winter they all looked good. Also, no paint ever, it’s a waste of time; bare metal (if it’s a decent alloy) on the underside of a deck used regularly will not rust. Caked on grass (and in the case of my property, mud) rusts decks. The Cub Cadet deck below gets average use (1+ acre per week) and is 10 years old.

Not saying this is the best way to go, as it does add a half hour to my mowing job – on an hourly basis my time would paid for a new deck by now. I would not argue that everybody should do this, it just works for me. Cheers.

Click to expand...

That's beautiful but it would rust if you weren't wire brushing the surface off often.
I would at least PAM it or the release spray or WD-40 etc but as I tell my customers with no starting issues that say they don't use stabilizer....
"Keep doing what you're doing. It's obviously working for you."

TobyU said:

That's beautiful but it would rust if you weren't wire brushing the surface off often.
I would at least PAM it or the release spray or WD-40 etc but as I tell my customers with no starting issues that say they don't use stabilizer....
"Keep doing what you're doing. It's obviously working for you."

Click to expand...

Good advice, I try to remember to to do that over the winter. It does keep the rusty sheen from developing. And yes, I do try to remember to use fuel stabilizer as well. Thanks.

pfreiburger said:

Hello – Totally agree on the uselessness of the washout ports. I have had them on my last two mower decks (Craftsman & Cub Cadet) and they did just about nothing. I took them off in both cases.

I am in the minority that cleans my deck after each use. Scraper, wire brush (if necessary) and garden hose. In 18 years of using this routine I have replaced only one spindle bearing, so the water has not hurt mine. However, I do check the spindle seals and replace as necessary in the off season – last winter they all looked good. Also, no paint ever, it’s a waste of time; bare metal (if it’s a decent alloy) on the underside of a deck used regularly will not rust. Caked on grass (and in the case of my property, mud) rusts decks. The Cub Cadet deck below gets average use (1+ acre per week) and is 10 years old.

Not saying this is the best way to go, as it does add a half hour to my mowing job – on an hourly basis my time would paid for a new deck by now. I would not argue that everybody should do this, it just works for me. Cheers.

Click to expand...

I love keeping my equipment clean...I just couldn't imagine doing that every time I mowed! Props to you man!

Thanks, but part of it is out of necessity. I have a problem with too many partial grass areas that creates a coating of clay soil that dries like rock if it’s not scraped off (no it does not fall off when dry). It’s been real wet this summer and I have actually been trying to mow when the lawn is damp. It keeps the dirt down and the wet grass comes off easily – and the Gator blades do well with damp grass. Also, the Cub Cadet 50” suspended deck is a snap to R&R – if it takes more than 2 minutes your dogging it. It’s not light, but it is handle-able, not like a fab or a ground contact deck. Besides, I need the exercise. Cheers!

We're getting a little off the original subject here... but I wanted to share that I've found cold galvanizing paint (I use Roval) an extremely tough under-deck protector and rust preventative. It'll kill any light remnants of anything that's there after a good stripping and help stop new rust from forming. It takes paint well, providing a really good combination of hardness and slickness with a good color layer(s) down on top.

It's a little expensive but has proven well worth it, at least for me. I have to mow in the wet quite often (especially this year holy cow) and don't scrape the deck(s) each time, and it's holding up real good.