Washing the Horse....

[igota310-8 0]

So my 310-8 is downright filthy from all the work done here lately, and I dont want him to rust, can I wash a Horse just like I would a Motorcycle, or do you people have any preferred ways?

I have a small powerwasher that is fairly gentle, but im a bit nervous about all the exposed wiring etc.....

Anyhow, Thanks in advance!

Eric

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

In my opinion, don't go too crazy with the power washer you may end up taking off paint, decals and other things you want to keep. It will also force water into places it doesn't belong. If you have built up gunk, remove it by hand then use an automotive washing brush to clean it. It takes a little longer to do it this way, but you'll still have paint where it should be painted.

[linen beige 14]

In my opinion, don't go too crazy with the power washer you may end up taking off paint, decals and other things you want to keep. It will also force water into places it doesn't belong. If you have built up gunk, remove it by hand then use an automotive washing brush to clean it. It takes a little longer to do it this way, but you'll still have paint where it should be painted.

I'll second that!

I've had very good luck using "Simple Green" or a 50-50 mix of Lestoil and water. I mostly use an old soft bristle 2" paint brush to coax any old, hard grease along on it's journey away from the tractor, rinsing with a gentle stream of water as I go. You don't want these cleaners to dry on the surface as then they can be pretty hard to get off, and tend to leave a blushed look. <_<

This may start an arguement, but DO NOT use Pinesol, It will take the grease off very well, but it will probably take the paint with it (Good to use for taking unwanted paint off hard plastic, I haven't tried it on rubber.).

Just be sure to keep water out of the carb and electrical components. And you may want to use an air gun to dry off the switches.

Of course, not much beats a steam cleaner if you can get your hands on one.

[GlenPettit 1,714]

Jim:

After you wash it with water or liquid, let it air dry slowly in the shade outdoors (don't coral it in the shed yet), but better yet dry it off like you would a car. If the deck is on, drive the tractor up on blocks so air can circulate under it (the worst thing for a deck is to leave the grass clumped up in the corners under it; wet grass juice is very acid and eats thru the paint & metal quickly).

I rarely use water, but rather compressed air (with a 3' wand) to blow off the grass and dirt over & under the deck, the trans and around the engine, then wipe the panels with 'Simple Green or Orange Stuff", and on all the plastic & rubber use 'Armour-All Protectent' to shine and replace the oils.

Michigan Glen

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

I will agree with the others here. Avoid power washing - the areas Karl mentions is spindles, and other greased areas that will be damaged if high pressure water gets there. Using a leaf blower or compressed air removes a lot of dirt and grass. Be sure you clean the blower housing area good as you don't want dirt getting into that area. I do occasionally hose off my tractors but I then use compressed air to removed the access water and I'm careful not to get the areas around the blade spindles wet as those are areas prone to rust.

[linen beige 14]

Jim:

After you wash it with water or liquid, let it air dry slowly in the shade outdoors (don't coral it in the shed yet), but better yet dry it off like you would a car. If the deck is on, drive the tractor up on blocks so air can circulate under it (the worst thing for a deck is to leave the grass clumped up in the corners under it; wet grass juice is very acid and eats thru the paint & metal quickly).

I rarely use water, but rather compressed air (with a 3' wand) to blow off the grass and dirt over & under the deck, the trans and around the engine, then wipe the panels with 'Simple Green or Orange Stuff", and on all the plastic & rubber use 'Armour-All Protectent' to shine and replace the oils.

Michigan Glen

All my 'Horses are older, and covered in more grease and oil than dirt. When one gets cleaned, I prefer to use the hottest water I can, running a hose from the home water heater. This warms the metal and speeds drying tremendously. It also aids in drying the water from seams, etc.

Please don't take this as a slam, it certainly is not meant as one.

I hope that by wiping the panels with Orange stuff" you don't mean you leave a film of citric ACID on the surface. That may come back to haunt you. Also, on the subject of Armor All. The police dept. I retired from ( I alternated service between patrol and fleet services liason/equipment tech.) has a traffic enforcement section that's commander insisted have the cleanest vehicles in the fleet. His officers would daily soak their cars with Armor All, engines, tires, interiors (floorboards and all). These cars had tenfold the electrical problems of the other cars because the Armor All corroded connectors surprisingly fast. The interiors of these cars would deteriorate at an alarming rate if they were placed out of service for a short time and the Armor All evaporated (covering the inside of the windows with a hard to remove film in the process.). Almost all the treated dashes cracked, few untreated ones did. I used it on one of my personal cars before learning this. It's the only car I have with a cracked dash. The armor All was also a dust magnet and even though it was shiny and looked good from a few feet away, these cars were in reality FILTHY. Just moving one from the parking lot to the inside of the shop got your hands greasy, and your clothes stained, and the soles of your shoes too slick to stand up on. And another tidbit. This MAY have changed in the past few years, but Ford advised they would void the waranty on interior trim that had been treated with Armor All. Our city body shop supervisor disliked it so much he had a framed copy of Ford's letter in his office. I spoke with a representative of Arrow Manufacturing of Cinc. ,Oh., a Ford trim supplier, who confirmed this. Another representative from another Ford trim supplier, Standard products (The makers of Taurus trim also made the seals that failed and caused Challenger to explode.) of Lex., Ky. also confirmed this. The commander of the traffic unit would not use it on his own cruiser, but wouldn't stop his men from using it, go figure. Seems Armor All displaced the preservative quality of the vinyls and plastics. I doubt you use (or abuse) it to the extremes that I have witnessed, and I know dozens of it's loyal followers, but thought you'd like to know it's true potential.

What I found to be almost a wonder product for the under hood plastics was tire shine foam such as "No Touch", or Turtle wax "Wet and Black". They weren't greasy, didn't streak or attract dust, and still shined after months of exposure to underhood heat. On my interiors I used "The Tannery". Also not greasy, and it held up for months. Painted surfaces got a couple applications of Turtle wax "Vision". It sheets water instead of beading it, no water spots, holds up for months.

[Teddy da Bear 11]

I use "engine degreaser" from a spray can. Walmart is where I get it.

Spray it on engine where the gunk has built up. Lightly brush it to loosen the gunk and hose it off.

One word of warning. My father always told me never wash any hot engine with cold water. The differences in hot and cold could crack the block.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

BTW, it was Morton Thiokol who made the O-Rings on the Challenger. They broke into several products divisions later merging into ATK-Thiokol, but still I don't care for Armor-All either.

[nwh1-0475 0]

Can lien beige tell me what is "The Tannery" and where to get it, I haven't heard of it.

Thanks.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,127]

Can linen beige tell me what is "The Tannery" and where to get it, I haven't heard of it.

Thanks.

I think THIS is what he's talking about.

[linen beige 14]

I think THIS is what he's talking about.

Thanx TT!

No stores around here have stocked the spray cans in a few years, i thought it was NLA so I didn't mention it. The art on the can is different than days of old, but I beleive that's the stuff. Last place I found it was K-mart. One word of caution, the spray is a little more volatile than the cream and I've seen the spray actually take a very fine hint of color off new vinyl, you can just see the color on a rag after wiping it down. But the spray is a LOT easier to use on say an instument panel since it gets into corners, etc.

I found that a couple of light applications on successive days worked better than one heavy coat. I'd spray it on and let it sit for a few hours before wipping it down.

About the Challenger, Our local paper ran a story a few years ago about all the employees of Standard Products who quit their jobs after learning that the seals they made for the Challenger had failed and caused the explosion. Did Standard make the seals and supply them to Morton? I don't know. Did our paper have it wrong? wouldn't be the first time. However, I have been in the Standard factory a couple times in the middle of the night on panic alarm drops. ("new car" smell so thick you can taste it.) and on one of them the supervisor showed us some sample material he said was made for N.A.S.A.?

Kinda neat to see the machine that makes the side trim for cars. It takes a CLEAR film and applies it to a BLACK rubber backing and it then looks CHROME?

You can peel the outer film off and it turns clear again, and the black is still black. Where'd the chrome go?

On spraying a hot engine. Back in '97 we assigned a new Crown Vic to a sgt. who took it straight home and detailed it. The next day we had a heavy rain storm during which he called for a tow. He had driven into some standing water and the air pick up sucked the engine full of cold water. The block cracked in several places. A $6500 boo boo! ('97 dollars). :imstupid: If I recall, the car had 41 miles on it.

[GlenPettit 1,714]

Good advice.

The oils in rubber and plastic do 'evaporate' over time, to regularly restore them is important, (and protect the tractor from the SUN and elements is critical). Plastic is probably the worst thing to cover these tractors with, in or out-doors.

[jerrell 1]

:whistle:

i am new to this forum, just bought a C175, 17hp Kohler, and it was just overhauled, but the person who rebuilt it , did a cut and splice on all of the wiring harness, in saying that i got the machine home and mowed my yard tilled my garden, and the tractor was dirth to say the least, so i used the garden hose on it,,,,,BIG MISTAKE, i would never Rx washing the engine, use an air hose. my tractor will not run now, and i find no spark to the plugs, i looked closely at the wiring and have decided that i need a new wireing harness and switch, the wires are old and spliced so many times that i cannot figure out where any wire leads to. BUT when the tractor ran it was great and veryy strong and no smoke, my advice is do water just air.

[igota310-8 0]

Thanks for all the replies.

I think I'll go with air and a damp cloth for the regular cleaning, but considering the overall good condition of my Horse, I think I'll give it a gentle bath and wax once or twice a year as well

Again, thanks all, tons of good info here.

Eric

[igota310-8 0]

Ok, I washed the horse out with some Turtle Wax Zip, and gently used the "shower" setting on my garden hose.

Dried it with a cloth, and started it right up, let it run for 5 minutes, so far all is good.

Eric