Under deck cleaning safely

[Camo Kubota]

Looking for suggestions on safest way to pressure wash the underside of deck while attached to tractor. I used a floor jack and lifted up front end, but didn't feel it was very safe.
60" belly mower on BX 2230, front end loader is NOT attached and will not be put on.
Any suggestion is appreciated.
Thanks

 

[bcp]

How about a right angle or adjustable angle nozzle for your washer?

Combine that with a pair of common automotive oil-change-style ramps.

Bruce

 

[Evil the Weasel]

They sell right angle wands for pressure washers, but I'm not sure how well it would work.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

Personally, I wouldn't trust a floor jack, as a leaky seal could give you a nasty surprise. I'm also not a fan of "most" jack-stands.

I don't currently have a rotary cutter - but - I think I would raise it and put a few cinder blocks on each side. That is - unless someone on here tells me why that is a stupid idea

 

[George2615]

Take it off and flip it over to clean it properly. Very tough to do while still attached using a right angle spray wand. Once its clean give the bottom a new coat of siliconized snow plow paint or epoxy to prevent future sticking and easy clean up.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Personally, I wouldn't trust a floor jack, as a leaky seal could give you a nasty surprise. I'm also not a fan of "most" jack-stands.

I don't currently have a rotary cutter - but - I think I would raise it and put a few cinder blocks on each side. That is - unless someone on here tells me why that is a stupid idea

I wouldn't use cinder blocks (CMU) for supporting any large amount of weight, they just are not that strong and will crush easily. I would more easily trust a jack stand as a safety measure while using any type of jack that is rated for the weight (3000# is about total weight of that tractor) Jack it up, put the stands under it for safety but leave the jacks under it also. You can clean it effectively without getting your body underneath the tractor by using the pressure washer wand.

 

[AStanton]

I'm wondering if it would be easier to never clean it and just resign yourself to replacing it every 10-12 years. I pretty must have done this with my lawn tractor and the deck is still goin strong after 13 years.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

I'm wondering if it would be easier to never clean it and just resign yourself to replacing it every 10-12 years. I pretty must have done this with my lawn tractor and the deck is still goin strong after 13 years.

I'd wonder if a replacement deck could be found after that many years. The grass buildup would really affect mowing quality and eventually become unbearably loud. I take mine off and stand it up with mower axles. This creates a very stable and accessible position to scrape, pressure wash, and repaint.

 

[KennyG]

If the floor jack is high enough just build a pair of wood stands to go under the front wheels. Don't use hollow concrete blocks because they will fail suddenly without warning.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

One thing I learned from my Dad at a young age was the value of solid blocks of wood. I have a large stack of varied dimension wood blocks. If something is up in the air and I'm under it at all, I stack blocks under it in case something were to let go. Never trust hydraulics to support a load.