Newbie just bought first lawn mower RZT 50, needs love

[BukitCase]

I used to have a tendency to charge full speed into blackberry patches til it died, then re-start, back up and repeat - got a LOT of flats (imagine that ) so I bought these

Marathon Tires Flat-Free Lawn Mower and Cart Tire, 13in. x 5.00-6 | Flat Free Lawn Mower Wheels| Northern Tool + Equipment

I had to add a couple big washers on each side to make up the difference in hub width, but NO more flats - yeah, they ride a little rougher but I can live with that instead of constant flats (with or without tubes) -

Now that I have a 6 foot flail for one of the REAL tractors, I've given up the Kamakaze act (mostly) Steve

 

[Farmingusa]

Thanks all for the info so far! :thumbsup:

Today I attacked the deck, removing all the spindles, idler pullys, etc etc. I used a wire wheel attached to a drill and shined all the rust up pretty well. I used some course steel wool, blew debris away with blower, and cleaned with acetone and a rag. I used rustoleum self etching primer and put a couple coats on.

I found a rattle can of cub cadet yellow at tractor supply. Figured I'd use this for the top of the deck, should I use something different for the bottom of deck? Also got a can of mo deck from tractor supply.

I looked locally for SAE 30, which is what the manual recommends. All I could find is generic name stuff from wally world, Castrol HD, and pennziol, all conventional. Was hoping to find an SAE 30 oil in synthetic but was unsuccessful. I thought synthetic would be better for here in FL, think so? What oil would you use? Should I run any kind of engine cleaner before changing existing oil? Any additives at all?

Also picked up a battery from Walmart, the more expensive one with I believe 275 CCA's. This mower is missing a battery holder I think....

Also, do I need to buy some kind of blade holder tool to install the blades??

 

[rcbe]

farmingusa - you've done a good job on the deck - both sides. The rattlecan yellow will do just fine over the primer on top and you can spray under if you desire. But, won't be long that the grass cuttings and other stuff will take that paint and primer back to bare metal. Lots of people have tried all sorts of finishes under their decks with mixed results at best... usually best just to make sure you put machine up with deck as clean/dry as possible (scrape if necessary) - and in the fall, make good use of the dried fallen leaves - they do a great job of scouring out the underside.
Oil - for your needs down there in warm Fla, would stick with the 30 weight dino oil. Castrol is a well known brand and there are other good ones.
Batt holder - s/b able to order one from CC if you've got a parts list for your machine or mebbe be able to use a generic one from an auto parts store.
Blade holder tool - if yer talking about something to hold the blade while tightening down the mounting fasteners, a simple length of 2x 4 wedged between the blade and the deck underside will do neatly. Just make sure you don't mount any of the blades upside down (very easy to do) and watch for the center blade to be shorter than the 2 outboard blades (on some decks). Good Luck

 

[whizdbiz2]

Sounds like you are doing a good job getting it back into shape. Does the hour meter actually work? It seems like you have a lot of wear and tear for just 98 hours. On the Slime issue, I've not had any issue with later taking the tires off, unless you do it right away after putting it in. I found it all dry in my fronts when I changed them.

 

[Hill Billy Bob]

Having 50 plus years of experience with engine owning and maintaining....in everything from mowers to tractor trailers, I sure wouldn't recommend running a straight 30 weight oil in your engine. This chart was taken from Kawasaki's site.....take note of high temperature operating limit they suggest. In Florida, a 30 weight (or a 10w30) isn't going to cut the mustard.



On any engine, most wear occurs at start-up. A multi grade (10w40, 15w40), will flow, and begin lubricating, quicker....reducing wear.

I just serviced and put my mower away after completing it's 11th year of use. Always use a 15w40 dino oil....and I'm in upstate NY..... mower now has 1,130.4 hours on it, and still runs strong, doesn't require any make-up oil between changes, no drips, leaks, smoke...

Do a bit more research before using a 30 weight in your climate

 

[rcbe]

OP - gotta say that Bob is right on advising 10w-40 vs 30w for your engine. Stays pretty warm year round down in yer neck of the woods...