Mowing Cleaning mower deck

[Hematite]

Tractor Supply:
This is the oil based formula RB9512:
EZ-Slide Graphite Based Coating, 12 oz. Aerosol - 2120034 | Tractor Supply Company
:thumbsup:

They also have the quarts.

 

[Kubota-guy1911]

Here are 3 pics of what I made to wash out the bottom of my mower deck. 1/2" black pipe with a garden hose adapter on one end and a 3/16" hole drilled in an elbow on the other end. I have a ball valve on the end of my garden hose. If you don't, add one to the pipe before the garden hose adapter is screwed on.

Thanks Brian on the tip to upload pics.
kj

 

[6thgpSF]

I did a mowerdeck on an old craftsman this winter but haven't tried it out yet,I bought the quart size at a farm & home center called Orscheln.If you get on ez slide web site they will tell you the nearest place to you were it's sold.you can't get it online but they do respond to your e-mail.My brother works for american yearbook and applied some to concrete floor where a lot of glue gets spilled and he said it works great scraping the glue off the floor. russ

 

[AlbertaDan]

Has anyone ever tried to undercoat the mower deck? It may sound expensive but a rubberized coating may work. The same stuff they use to line pickup beds may work. It has a kind of soft springy consistency and may stand up to the abuse that mowings give the bottom side.

 

[Red Beast]

whitey (post #17) used a rhino rubberised coat with effect.

 

[bigdad]

Brian,

I have had more than reasonable success with Slip Plate/EZ Glide type products over 35 years. It isn't 100% effective as there are certain places on every deck that really get hammered with "stuff" and it removes the coating. For the most part though, it works for me. You can't beat the stuff for hard surface to hard surface wear. Where oil and grease draw dirt and sand, this stuff is dry. I like it for plastic\nylon rollers like anti scalp rollers too.

I powerwash my deck at the end of the season. (I don't have time or energy to remove the deck completely through the season so periodic scraping is important.) Once the deck is dry, I brush paint the coating on as heavy as I can get it on. Two coats. BTW, the stuff drys real fast. I coat all of it, blades etc. I occasionally use the spray can for small stuff, but it doesn't go on heavy enough for the deck.

After it's dry, I grease everything real well making sure that the spindle cups are full etc. Grease last as the coating doesn't like to stick to goo. Then I take the tension off of the belt and stow it upright for the winter.

I sure am impressed with that washing pipe device and the idea of the bed liner application. I may just have the whole deck top and bottom squirted! Big thanks to the Gents that shared those ideas.

Got another coat of Slip Plate on fri, sat, and sunday.. I will see how it holds up this summer..

Brian

 

[Hematite]

I did the nasty job of cleaning the rust, etc. off and painting the bottom of the deck. The cleaning took MUCH longer than expected. I used the EZ-Slide spray cans to coat the steel.

I would recommend, instead, to use a quart can and paint it on with a brush. That's what I will do in the Fall. The spray cans produce a very uneven surface texture that I don't like. We'll see how it holds up over the Summer.

 

[thatguy]

Here is what my deck looked like after 3 fresh coats of slip plate this spring..

Brian

 

[Red Beast]

that looks schmick Brian.

 

[Gittyup]

I just avoid water like the plague. I'm of the opinion that washing after every use is more harmful than good, unless you have a way to dry it all over very fast. There are too many pockets that will hold the water. My mower deck has never been washed. It's now in it's 17th season and no rust of any significance. It is stored indoors, and I simply scrape off the main crust each spring when I sharpen the blades. It isn't necessary nor worth it to be so meticulous about it.

Treat my tractor the same way. I've washed it maybe 4 times in the 16+ years I've owned it. When you wipe off the dust, the finish still looks almost new, and no rust anywhere.

I did use slip plate the first season. But, quickly came to realize that it was a waste of time and money. Don't know about the bedliner option. Probably good if you get it applied such that it will not trap water.

I do, however, use fluid film on all nonpainted (irridited steel) parts, applied from a spray can about twice a year. Those aren't rusting either.