Last year I did nothing more than park my 52" tractor/mower and at the start of this season I had a bunch of moldy grass on the bottom and the deck was starting to rust. So, I figure that this year I better remove the deck (pain), and try to get all the stuck on grass off and treat the bottom w/ something... paint it maybe. If I had a pressure washer or sand blaster that would probobly be great... but I don't.
How do store your mower deck for the winter?
- Thread starter Tommyboy
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JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
I throw some gloves on and use a wooden stick to clean mine from underneath the best I can after each use. I remove it clean/inspect the deck a few times a season. You won't get much life out of that deck shell if you don't clean it. I'm not a big proponent of painting the underside, since the finish will get blasted off quickly. Clean it and it will last many years. You also need to use Sta-bil if you plan to store the machine with fuel in it.
Joel
Joel
My mower prep for winter storage is as follows:
1. Blow off excess grass and dirt with blower.
2. Drive mower into garage. Turn engine off.
3. Disconnect battery.
4. Curse winter....
1. Blow off excess grass and dirt with blower.
2. Drive mower into garage. Turn engine off.
3. Disconnect battery.
4. Curse winter....
I put my tractor up on ramps. It allows for some access under the deck. I use a plastic putty knife and garden hose to clean it.
I take the mower deck off and flip it over so it's easy to work on. I remove the spindles, clean and grease them, sharpen the blades, use a putty knife to scrape all the clumps of grass off and maybe spray some wd40 for a rust inhibitor. I wash off the entire tractor, grease all zerk fittings, clean and re-oil air filter pre-cleaner, check tire pressure, re-install deck, add some Sta-Bil and run it through the carb, then drain the gas tank and run the engine till it burns all gas out of the carb, disconnect battery, and finally put it away all sparkly-clean and ready to go for the spring-time. I'll change the oil if it's about due for one (every 25 hrs), I change air and fuel filters as needed, change spark plug every other year, and transmission gear oil every 100 hrs.
Back your riding mower up onto your car ramps (everyone has car ramps, don't they?). Then use your hydraulic car jack on the front end, put blocks under the front tires, and go crazy. Yeah, you're on your back, but you've got lots of clearance to check for problems, and you can see all the belts, pulleys, linkages, rock gouges, and so on. Besides, it gets you out of other chores for a while. There's LOTS of things you can spend time on.....
I bet that the worst corrosion occurs during the warm months when the grass accumulation is never cleaned and the crud hardens to seal in the moisture. If your mower builds up a lot of clippings, scraping the deck after every mowing would be best.
A quicky paint job could seal in moisture too and it will wear off after a couple of mowings.
This product http://www.eurekafluidfilm.com/applications/home.html is a good penetrating rust inhibitor with a lanolin base for overwinter storage. It's available at John Deere and other hard to find places.
In my "older" age, I have come to grips with the idea of trying to keep things new forever....especially if you use them regularly. Too much OCD can be unhealthy.
A quicky paint job could seal in moisture too and it will wear off after a couple of mowings.
This product http://www.eurekafluidfilm.com/applications/home.html is a good penetrating rust inhibitor with a lanolin base for overwinter storage. It's available at John Deere and other hard to find places.
In my "older" age, I have come to grips with the idea of trying to keep things new forever....especially if you use them regularly. Too much OCD can be unhealthy.
In my "older" age, I have come to grips with the idea of trying to keep things new forever....especially if you use them regularly. Too much OCD can be unhealthy. [/quote]
Amen to that! just not worth it.
Amen to that! just not worth it.
Pressure washer does a good job on built up debris. Washing mower immediately after each use is a good practice. You don't want stuff hardening and make it harder to wash off.
PS: some designs are made where water gets trapped inside the metal frame...sort of like a monopoly .... well you get the idea it seems like it rust the same area no matter how you try to prevent it.
PS: some designs are made where water gets trapped inside the metal frame...sort of like a monopoly .... well you get the idea it seems like it rust the same area no matter how you try to prevent it.
Do what I did and find an old solid aluminum deck for your mower. I take my blade off once a year to balance, sharpen and paint it with rustoleum rust converter. I knock off the big clumps of grass out of sheer OCD. There's not really more than a month or so of 'winter' down here, so I usually do it during that time of year.
For those of you with riding mowers and steel decks, have you ever considered a brush on truck bedliner type paint for the underside? That would be pretty tough stuff. I was thinking about doing this with the steel deck I used to use. You might have to reapply every few years, but I'm sure it would pay for itself in a decade.
For those of you with riding mowers and steel decks, have you ever considered a brush on truck bedliner type paint for the underside? That would be pretty tough stuff. I was thinking about doing this with the steel deck I used to use. You might have to reapply every few years, but I'm sure it would pay for itself in a decade.
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Do what I did and find an old solid aluminum deck for your mower. I take my blade off once a year to balance, sharpen and paint it with rustoleum rust converter. I knock off the big clumps of grass out of sheer OCD. There's not really more than a month or so of 'winter' down here, so I usually do it during that time of year.
For those of you with riding mowers and steel decks, have you ever considered a brush on truck bedliner type paint for the underside? That would be pretty tough stuff. I was thinking about doing this with the steel deck I used to use. You might have to reapply every few years, but I'm sure it would pay for itself in a decade.
Grass stuck clippings hold moisture which is the worst case scenario in the long run. Another option is using an air compressor to blow the debris off the mower. A blower is another option.
Do what I did and find an old solid aluminum deck for your mower. I take my blade off once a year to balance, sharpen and paint it with rustoleum rust converter. I knock off the big clumps of grass out of sheer OCD. There's not really more than a month or so of 'winter' down here, so I usually do it during that time of year.
For those of you with riding mowers and steel decks, have you ever considered a brush on truck bedliner type paint for the underside? That would be pretty tough stuff. I was thinking about doing this with the steel deck I used to use. You might have to reapply every few years, but I'm sure it would pay for itself in a decade.
Grass stuck clippings hold moisture which is the worst case scenario in the long run. Another option is using an air compressor to blow the debris off the mower. A blower is another option.
My new Honda deck should be rust free as it's made out of something they call Nexite (seems like plastic). Pretty tough though.
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