Mold and grass buildup on mower deck underside

[jonh]

I have a John Deere D140 with a bagger that I use for the first few mows of the season to prevent all the dandelion seed distribution. I know it's not ideal to mow wet grass, but sometimes that isn't an option, and the grass has to get done (even though it means stopping every few laps and unclogging the chute to the bags).

I went out to the garage yesterday after mowing the lawn and could smell the wet grass under the mower deck. I took it off and spent the next two hours with a putty knife and wire brush scraping the grass off. It varied in depth from almost a thin wax like coating, to about three inches in some spots.

I have scraped most of it off I do believe, but would like to do something to it to prevent this from becoming an every time I mow thing. And yes, I will attempt to get the lawn mowed late afternoon, early evening when it is at its driest, but again, not always an option, and I will be ordering some new high lift blades to hopefully help with moving the cut grass across the deck and up the shoot.

Not sure if I will have to remove the blades and then pulleys to do a proper sanding, priming and painting/treating, or if there is some magic trick I can just apply now?

Thanks in advance folks.

I have a Grasshopper Front mount which tilts up giving me access to the mowing area. Right up front I will admit that I'm a bit "****" in keeping my equipment clean but its an expensive mower. After EACH mow. I tilt the deck up and 1) scrape all to build up clippings off the deck. 2) I spray the underside with simplegreen 3) I pressure wash the simplegreen off and 4) after it dries I spray the underside with Plow wax.
It takes time but my machine is over five years old and it looks brand new.

 

[Dennis Mohn]

I have a John Deere D140 with a bagger that I use for the first few mows of the season to prevent all the dandelion seed distribution. I know it's not ideal to mow wet grass, but sometimes that isn't an option, and the grass has to get done (even though it means stopping every few laps and unclogging the chute to the bags).

I went out to the garage yesterday after mowing the lawn and could smell the wet grass under the mower deck. I took it off and spent the next two hours with a putty knife and wire brush scraping the grass off. It varied in depth from almost a thin wax like coating, to about three inches in some spots.

I have scraped most of it off I do believe, but would like to do something to it to prevent this from becoming an every time I mow thing. And yes, I will attempt to get the lawn mowed late afternoon, early evening when it is at its driest, but again, not always an option, and I will be ordering some new high lift blades to hopefully help with moving the cut grass across the deck and up the shoot.

Not sure if I will have to remove the blades and then pulleys to do a proper sanding, priming and painting/treating, or if there is some magic trick I can just apply now?

Thanks in advance folks.

Nothing you apply will stop the grass from building up. If you have no choice other than to cut wet, cut high, then recut. Better for the grass and your mower. I own a steiner and have an area that would lay wet all year if not mown. What I do is , cut high , use my garden hose to wash the underside of the deck, grease the spindles if I think it is necessary. By that time the grass has had time to dry out a little more or if not I go back the next day and mow again about one inch lower and repeat the cleaning process. A five foot deck for a steiner is about $3000.00. I do everything I can to maintain it because of the cost. In the fall I pressure was the underside of the deck and when it it dry I repaint it. I'm on my second deck in almost 20 years. I patch and repair what I am able until it needs replaced. I also never cut lower than 3 inches , for the mower, grass and for the bugs that live there.

 

[bigtiller]

I have a Grasshopper Front mount which tilts up giving me access to the mowing area. Right up front I will admit that I'm a bit "****" in keeping my equipment clean but its an expensive mower. After EACH mow. I tilt the deck up and 1) scrape all to build up clippings off the deck. 2) I spray the underside with simplegreen 3) I pressure wash the simplegreen off and 4) after it dries I spray the underside with Plow wax.
It takes time but my machine is over five years old and it looks brand new.

I like that feature on the Grasshopper.

 

[tomplum]

How about a few coats of an epoxy paint such as POR-15? Glossy (slippery) and hard as nails.

I'd even buy you a beer, root or otherwise if you experiment and get great results. My thoughts are that it would chip and the end would follow, but I've not seen anyone try that. Worth a try I'd guess. Basic enamels don't work. Powder coat , not meant to.

The most ingenious thing a saw was a guy's deck that he inherited from his dad or gramps when they passed. He had meticulously done a bed liner under a rider deck. Prepped down to the shiny steel. I dunno that it did much for the sticking issue, but was done to preserve the housing. Which it did, but at some point shrunk / cracked enough that it held a blade. Which was years after it was done. Has little to do with this thread , but a good story.

 

[balloonman]

I have a John Deere D140 with a bagger that I use for the first few mows of the season to prevent all the dandelion seed distribution. I know it's not ideal to mow wet grass, but sometimes that isn't an option, and the grass has to get done (even though it means stopping every few laps and unclogging the chute to the bags).

I went out to the garage yesterday after mowing the lawn and could smell the wet grass under the mower deck. I took it off and spent the next two hours with a putty knife and wire brush scraping the grass off. It varied in depth from almost a thin wax like coating, to about three inches in some spots.

I have scraped most of it off I do believe, but would like to do something to it to prevent this from becoming an every time I mow thing. And yes, I will attempt to get the lawn mowed late afternoon, early evening when it is at its driest, but again, not always an option, and I will be ordering some new high lift blades to hopefully help with moving the cut grass across the deck and up the shoot.

Not sure if I will have to remove the blades and then pulleys to do a proper sanding, priming and painting/treating, or if there is some magic trick I can just apply now?

Thanks in advance folks.

Most commercial mowers swear by using used motor oil, in like a 1 gallon sprayer. only lasts about two mowing's but grass doesn't stick to it. I do it on my Kubota BX 2230 with a 60 inch heavy duty deck. Very pleased with the results.

 

[WinterDeere]

Most commercial mowers swear by using used motor oil, in like a 1 gallon sprayer. only lasts about two mowing's but grass doesn't stick to it. I do it on my Kubota BX 2230 with a 60 inch heavy duty deck. Very pleased with the results.

I'm not sure how much it matters, but used motor oil has some pretty nasty carcinogens in it, stuff you might not want running off into your well at the rate of a gallon a season. All of those corrosive combustion deposits that come from blow-by, etc.

Might be worth using new oil, and even something sticky like chainsaw bar oil or way oil that will cling better to the deck than spent motor oil.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

So, in other words, you've never used it?

Only 250 hours
.

 

[arrow]

I have a JD x590 with 48" deck and it collects a lot of grass and has to be cleaned frequently. Cutting wet grass is a real problem. Does anyone know if a mulching kit would eliminate grass buildup?

The purpose of the baffles on a mulch kit, is to keep the grass contained in an area so as to be repeatedly cut by the blades thus making the residual smaller.
Grass indeed can get stuck in the passageways, underneath the mulch collars and eventual exits as these pieces become finer and finer.

 

[arrow]

Make sure u have a Miller while having fun

I have a Hobart. A Lincoln also can be used.
There are some Buds that are wiser than me however.

 

[hube2]

Best laugh I've had since the snow melted away.

I live on a small farm, with over 50 acres of hay. Sometime around mid-May, those hay fields are covered with dandelions, and a few days later the seeds are disbursed as nature intended. A waste of time and money to try to stop it, as by the time the hay is ready to cut the dandelions are gone.

I have learned over my 75 years that fighting with dandelions in my lawn is a futile endeavor. I have learned to appreciate the beauty of the yellow mixed with the green (John Deere colors!) when they are in bloom, and to live with the seed heads later. Life is too short to fight battles you know you can't win.

In addition to this, dandelions attract native bees, especially bumble bees. that are good for my garden. I actually avoid mowing when my lawn is full of yellow flowers. I have bumblebee nests scattered about my property hoping that they will move in. I also mow as tall as possible so the I don't mow off the clover flowers.

Anyway, I just try not to mow when it's wet, which this year as been impossible so far. Wettest spring I can remember in the 28 years I've been here. So I've been taking the deck off and scraping it out. There is nothing going to stop wet grass from sticking and building up. It's easier to just deal with it as needed. Just like not worrying about the dandelions, I'm not going to waste my time trying to prevent something that is impossible to prevent.