Mowing No such thing as easy clean mower

[megotatractor]

Hi, I'm sure I am not the only one who has seen the "easy clean" water connection on mower decks. I remember my Dad's Jacobson/Ford lawn tractor (1975) came with a plastic garden hose fitting on the mower. However it never worked, the mower never got clean no matter how long I left the thing running with the water hooked up and flowing. In fact there are aftermarket devices that claim to clean the mower deck this way. And so I am afraid I have regressed in my laziness this summer. As easy as it is to remove the 62c deck on my 2210 (on a flat LEVEL surface) I had decided to try placing a lawn sprinkler underneath the deck and running it wide open for a few minuts after mowing.... Three weeks after doing this it seemed it was time to sharpen the blades. And so it was with great distress that I discovered a layer of dark, concrete-like material caked onto the bottom of my deck. Seems water quite effectively hardens any dirt that is there. So I will go back to the weekly removal and scraping and power washing routine.
For the record I did encounter one example of an easy clean deck in my mowing career. When in my early teens Dad had decided to test out a used General Electric lawn and garden tractor. It was rated an equivelent 16hp, had a 6 speed gearbox, a forward/reverse toggle switch, a "go" pedal, and brake. It had a very nice ride with its load of perhaps 500lbs or more of golf cart batteries. As I recall must have been about a 50" or larger mower deck mounted on a pair of struts out front, had three motors on it -one for each blade- and plugged into an outlet on the front of the tractor. There was an electric winch that raised the front deck nice and high for transport and the top gear was very very fast. Anyway, with the front mower deck raised fully one could simply grab hold and lift it easily to a completely vertical position for the easiest maintenance I've ever seen. Paying attention, JD??? Hello?

 

[gary_dsc]

I also remember the GE mower and have always wondered why a Grasshopper like setup could not be offered on a tractor. As long as the appropriate interlocks for safety are present, the mower would be easy to clean and the footprint of the tractor wouldn't be too much larger than without a mower.

 

[VTtractorguy]

I agree. The hose hookups seem to be useless. On my X540s 54c deck, it only works on the blade right next to it, and even at that, it doesn't do a great job. It's useless on the others. There is no substitute for reaching in with my right arm up to my shoulder under the deck to clean out the grass. I'm trading the 540 this week for a 2305 with the 54c deck which I think is virtually the same as the one on the X540. I am contemplating adding two more hose hookups to the new deck to see if that helps.

Anybody have comments on how well the 62c deck cleans with the hose hookups? If it's good I may get that deck.

 

[megotatractor]

gary, I had given it some thought and it seems it should be easy to mount a 54c or 62c deck out front. Since the quick tach system has a pto extention already and these decks already have the right speed gearboxes mounted in the correct position.. one might only need some sort of frame to hang the deck from. I just don't have the resources or know how to do it.

 

[prosperity]

Maybe it's just me, but I feel there is something very wrong about spraying cold water on hot spindle bearings........

 

[KevPH1]

Hot spindle bearings!!!

Anyone else, think this condition is a problem?

Maybe a little grease would help.
What's causing the excessive heat? The pulley/belt, or a bearing/lube/spindle/seal problem?

Hi temp. (grade) greases are available from at most Ag.dealers/parts and Ag. stores.

 

[VTtractorguy]

Maybe it's just me, but I feel there is something very wrong about spraying cold water on hot spindle bearings........

I never thought of that. I suppose it could be a problem. But I have that solved... When I built my house, I had the plumber feed hot and cold water to my garden hose hookups - mainly so I could have warm water to wash my cars. I always send warm water to the 54c deck as I think it may help in the cleaning... probably helps the bearings as well.

 

[prosperity]

Hot spindle bearings!!!

Anyone else, think this condition is a problem?

Maybe a little grease would help.
What's causing the excessive heat? The pulley/belt, or a bearing/lube/spindle/seal problem?

Hi temp. (grade) greases are available from at most Ag.dealers/parts and Ag. stores.

It's just that I got into a habit years ago with my finish mowers. I make sure the mower and deck are completely cooled before washing.

Nothing wrong with my spindles - just try to feel how hot they are after a session of mowing.

 

[CFHartman]

gary, I had given it some thought and it seems it should be easy to mount a 54c or 62c deck out front. Since the quick tach system has a pto extention already and these decks already have the right speed gearboxes mounted in the correct position.. one might only need some sort of frame to hang the deck from. I just don't have the resources or know how to do it.

I don稚 think it would be to hard to hook up to the snow blower lift attachment. If you rig it so you still have a floating deck you will have to use 4 WHD all the time when mowing. If not you will have to replace the wheels on the mower with dolly wheels. I don稚 think there would be a worth wile advantage .

 

[jimgerken]

Mego: I am with ya here buddy! I too have been working on this problem for a while. The best solution I have come up with is to set up a chain hoist to lift the front of the tractor up three feet or so, slide under there with a mechanics creaper, and scrape it out. Use proper safety blocking.