Swisher trail mower: keeping clean

[MarkLeininger]

I have a T60 trail mower that works great but the underdeck area gets so clogged with grass each time I mow that when I try to use it the next time the blades won't turn and the belts just burn until I scrape it all out which is a real pain. I think the problem is that the bottom of the deck is not very aerodynamic, so the grass piles up in the corners and then dries hard.

I've been thinking of making little ramps to back the rear wheels up when I park it so I can reach under it easily to scrape it out. Has anyone solved this problem or have any better ideas?

 

[Yankee]

I toss a chain around one arm of my RFM and lift it with my FEL. Tip it up is probably a better way to put it as two wheels are still on the ground. The cut is much, much better when the mower is clean.

 

[JackIL]

Mark,

I am a believer in cleaning finish mower decks while the grass underneath is still soft and moist. For years I used simple inexpensive automobile drive up ramps intended for doing oil changes. For a mid-mount mower deck I just drove the front wheels up onto the level ramp. This provided enough space to reach underneath with a putty knife and a water hose. You could back your trail mower up ramps like these and leave it attached to your tractor or ATV while doing the cleaning.

I have found that it is much, much easier to do the cleaning immediately after finishing the mowing than to do it after all of the crud has dried. Even one day of drying makes the cleaning job much longer.

Some people suggest not washing the deck out with water since they think it might cause the bearings to rust prematurely. I have not found this to be the case with my decks.

Now both of my decks are mounted out-front and flip up for easy cleaning and blade maintanence so I no longer use the car ramps.

JackIL

 

[slammer]

I hose my decks out after every mowing. No problems yet. Also how are you going to inspect the blades and housings and such if you don't do this? Seems a little crazy to me. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Then again I may be a little obsessive/compulsive! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Slam

 

[MarkLeininger]

Thanks for ideas. I leave it out in the pasture and don't have a FEL so I can't hose it or lift it. I talked to Swisher and they suggested pulling the front wheels up on car ramps to allow cleaning under it. They had some useful comments, one of which was don't back it up the ramps and leave it because that puts the spark plug low enough that oil can drain into the cylinder, past the rings and then you damage the thing when you start it. They also said don't ever hose any part of it including the bottom. They suggested compressed air if it's available for cleaning but don't point it at the bearings.

I think scraping right after each use will also help, if I can talk myself into doing it.

 

[hockeyhead]

I own a swisher t-60 "trail mower" and to say it is high mantenance is an understatement. It is a 60" side discharge, belt driven, with 3 lawnmower blades, finish mower with a 13hp B&S, I/C engine. I used it as as my other primary mower for 3 seasons towed behind an ATV, along with a 54" lawn tractor. I have not had it clog up so bad as to stop the blade, but it does not discharge clipping well at all. I improve this some when I notices that the plastic discharge chute was almost laying on the top of the grass not providing a big hole for tne clippings to come out. So I propped it up, with some improvement, but this is a very shallow deck compared to my lawn tractor and my rfm. Any way Mark check your out. The other problems will make this repay even longer lets just say I am convinced that buying this was not my finest hour.I hope yours treat you better

 

[slammer]

First off let me say that this is not meant to be disrespectful in any way. But Swisher, which is an old company that was once a great old company is not the same as it used to be. I do warranty work on their ZTR's and guys they are (IN MY OPINION) crap of the first order. Keep in mind that this is my opinion only. I have replaced trannies, bearings (what few there are), spindles, linkage parts, and other "stuff" on mowers with less than 6 hours on them. This is common for Swisher. This tells me that they have a real quality control issue and it's obvious that they have cheapened the mowers drastically. Note, I am speaking soley of their ZTR's here, I have yet to have a trail mower come in. Sorry if this is off topic but I thought I would share my experiances.

Slam

 

[MarkLeininger]

I would agree the overall quality is not great. I would like to have gotten the AcreEase, but couldn't swing the extra $1000 or so. I don't need to use this that much, I just have to keep the pasture down to prevent weed growth. So I'm hoping it will hang together enough to meet that need for a few years.

 

[sweettractors]

I have a Postmaster for mowing under fences for a discounted price. We used on the farm 1 season and then went to a sickle bar mower and dont need it any longer--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment LLC *Nice Used Swisher Postmaster First $350 Buys*

 

[slammer]

Mark, I did'nt mean to set you to worrying. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif If you keep it clean and greased and serviced it should last you a long time.

Slam