Advice on deck cleaning and blade changing

[oosik]

Some of you guys might be able to clean the snot from under your mower decks the way I do. Every spring I chip a LOT of small pines. I have GREAT piles of pine chips all over the property. I drive my JD G100 mmm up and on top of a pile of chips. Fire up the blades - lower the deck.

The first time I did this - WOW - what a wild sound. Wood chips flying everywhere. About five minuets of this - the underside is clean a a whistle. The pine chips do no damage to the blades.

Change the blades - long handle ratshit wrench and a whole lot of grunt.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a chipper. That is worth considering. Pretty big chips and chunks though.

 

[cdaigle430]

Yard and lane take about 4 hours to mow and is far from smooth or level. There are some significant side slopes as well.

I know that mowing while the yard is damp isn't the best, but at times I don't have much choice.

Currently have a Husqvarna GTH52XLS that I have to pull the deck in order to clean and change blades. This wasn't too much of a problem in the past, but due to injuries I now have limited mobility.

I've been considering a ZT or a front mount with a 'flip up deck' to make the job easier.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah as for changing the blades the only way to go is impact wrench and a 2x4 to hold the blade.

 

[CobyRupert]

I too only clean my decks at end of season or if I have the deck off and up in the air for a blade issue. And then only a cursory cleaning.

I think mine are usually "cursory" cleanings too. Usually I'm standing there cursing "Why did the wife mow the g*d d*mm wet grass, then leave the mower caked with 3" of sh#t for me to clean when all she had to do was wait 2 ing hours ?!"

 

[Gem99ultra]

Many thank oosik, for the 'pine chip' cleaning mention. I had been wasting my time in the past with a scraper, cleaning the under-deck of my GTH26V54LS, and all the time I had little piles of wood chips laying around.

Earlier this week I had to mow wet grass. Deck was caked up something horrible. In less than 3 minutes, letting the mower run while on top of one of the wood chip piles, it was as clean as a whistle! Your suggestion is right on, and a major time saver. THANK YOU, again.

PS A nice side benefit is that the wood chip pile quickly gets turned into very fine chips; better for flower bed covering.

 

[Graybeard315]

Erda, the "entry level" commerecial ZTRs will make your life so much easier. I was mowing 4 1/2 acres with a JD3320/72" belly mower and am now mowing in 1/2 the time, trim around trees and with a cleaner cut. My choice was a Ferris ISX800Z ZTR 52" deck which mows a 3" cut in 5" or so grass at 8mph. Cleaning the blades or changing them I just pull the FEL up, add car jacks for safety. Using an impact wrench and 2x4 sounds like a good idea I will have to try. Good Luck

 

[4570Man]

Hustler makes a flip deck ZTR but I wasn’t a big fan of the idea. Apparently most others weren’t either because the local dealer stopped carrying them. If that feature was important I’d have a Kubota F series or a Grasshopper front deck. I have a ZTR mid mount mower and it’s not hard to deal with. I use a floor jack or a loader and lift the front and put a jack stand under it. Spinning the blades off with a cordless impact takes about 30 seconds. The deck hardly ever needs cleaned. I usually hit it with a pressure washer a couple times a year.

 

[morris lipham]

I use a mower/ATV lift you can get from Harbor Freight for about $75. Also use a cheap air impact wrench to remove blades.

 

[atsah]

I put a chain on it to my loader and lift it almost vertical..

 

[SPYDERLK]

The cleanest I ever got the deck on my F-935 was to mow down a bunch of willows that were about 2 feet tall and had been burnt the previous fall. The burnt willows were dried out and when I went through with the mower they cleaned off all of the stuck on grass.

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Yeah ... seriously --- You can pile up a bunch of small tree trimmings and mulch them. Win win ... Rather than work hard in lieu of smart.​