Under the Lawnmower Deck - paint or Rhino-liner?

[Rusty Heap]

Spring is here and my acreage needs mowing .



Have a zero steer 50" deck, triple blades.


it's about a 2 or 3 beer mow.



Damnnnnn grass is corrosive.


after all the crud is off, and you're down to bare metal / rust . then what?



I'm thinking of using a Anti-Rust converter, that turns rust black primer chemically.


I've got some Truck bed liner, sploohge that around maybe?


Any "hard" paint will wear off .


On tractor forums, they equate this to trying to keep paint on, while in the middle of a Sandblaster and Hurricane speed rocks ?


Brain Trust?


I'm way past WD-40 or PAM cooking spray for suburbia 10' x 20 foot lawn.

[Evans, Marv]

I think I'd just use the rust converter and mow with it. I imagine any coating you put on wouldn't last too long. I think mowing decks are a replaceable item over time. They receive pretty harsh treatment.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

I think I'd just use the rust converter and mow with it. I imagine any coating you put on wouldn't last too long. I think mowing decks are a replaceable item over time. They receive pretty harsh treatment.

Yep. Think of it as a drive belt - a wear item.
If it was intended to outlast the rest of the mower it would be stainless steel

[gtc]

I would expect bed liner to hold the grass clippings and cause more clogs under the deck.
I'd go with something hard and slippery like POR15.

[masraum]

I wonder if you could do some sort of epoxy after doing the rust converter.

[Sooner or later]

Clean it. Mow on

[drcoastline]

I'm not a fan of the stuff, but I think POR15? Hard as a rock and nothing sticks to the stuff so the grass clippings theoretically should just fall off vs stick, build up hold moisture and corrode the deck. Granted over time rocks and sand will blast the surface and compromise the coating, but I don't think there is anything out there that stands up to being blasted forever?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by masraum

I wonder if you could do some sort of epoxy after doing the rust converter.

I wonder how a single stage urethane with hardener would work. Like old Glasurit but the cheapest you could find.

Just mix and brush it on. White is the cheapest. UNO?

Let it sun bake. Go lean on the reducer.

[ckelly78z]

Spray it lightly with used motor oil....done !....and free !

[Baz]

Rust converter - then undercoating from a spray can.

[da Vinci Dan]

The best thing you can do is keep it as dry as possible and scrape off the debris a few times a season. Most mower decks are thick enough steel that the rest of the mower will dissolve before the deck corrodes too much. Even if it does, a replacement deck is usually a few hundred dollars tops. This is small compared to the few $grand you spent on that machine.

I have had the same John Deere I purchased new 20 years ago. I have beated this thing hard and put it away wet too many times to count. I have only seen some surface rust and paint flaking on the deck but nothing significant enough to be concerned about.

I use a paint scraper, wire brush, Rustoluem primer and “John Deere Yellow” once a year tops. Usually when I am sharpening the blades mid season. If it is lucky, I will scape her off once more before mulching in the Fall.

[Crowbob]

I only let the GF mow when the turf is dry and then only at slow-ish ground speed. She thoroughly power washes and sprays with WD40 after mowing season. This deck is going into its ninth season:

[cabmandone]

You could clean it up and hit it with Chassis Saver. It's a less expensive version of POR15
You could also clean it up, paint it, then hit with some Slip Plate. It's supposed to keep the grass from sticking and make cleanup easier.

[Rusty Heap]

thx all.



while on mowing topic.


I mow about 1.5 acres around the house. Mulch and exhaust shoot, never bag.

I switched from standard blades, to these Gator Blades about 3 years ago.

https://www.jackssmallengines.com/Products/Gator-Blades


Awesome, simply awesome, not just the extra cutting edges and lift, but the quality of the mow. The lawn isn't golf course or Stadium grass, but the mowed grass is noticeably level and uniform flatness.

My lawn,,,,,,,,,,,, second to the toilet,,,,,,,,,,,,, is my throne.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

thx all.



while on mowing topic.


I mow about 1.5 acres around the house. Mulch and exhaust shoot, never bag.

I switched from standard blades, to these Gator Blades about 3 years ago.

https://www.jackssmallengines.com/Products/Gator-Blades


Awesome, simply awesome, not just the extra cutting edges and lift, but the quality of the mow. The lawn isn't golf course or Stadium grass, but the mowed grass is noticeably level and uniform flatness.

My lawn,,,,,,,,,,,, second to the toilet,,,,,,,,,,,,, is my throne.

Interesting.
My Honda push mower cuts like crap.
Maybe a blade is in order?

[flipper35]

+1 on those Gator blades. Mine is a lawn tractor with a 50" deck and we had tons of pine cones to deal with. They do a much better job than OE. When you hit a cone they do make a funny sound compared to OE.

[stevej37]

My lawn was showing a rough choppy cut until I bought one of these.



Makes it easy to adjust the deck to the perfect height. Side to side and front to rear.
Find a level place to park the mower...slide this under the deck to the blade end and adjust. (I think it was about $15)

I scrape the deck underneath almost every mowing. To make it easier, I use a mo-jack to lift the front of the tractor.