squonk 39,054 #26 Posted March 4, 2012 I would say the annual cleaning and oiling should be the minimum maintenance that should be done. Having a way to easily raise the front of the tractor would make it easier to clean the deck more frequently compared to removing the deck. A good excuse to get another tractor and a loader!! :thumbs: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forest Road 594 #27 Posted March 4, 2012 A friend of mine is a Rhino liner dealer and says NO WAY for mower decks. He's tried several products on his mower decks. In the end it comes down to POR15 or industrial grade two part epoxy p aints. For most of us POR15 is the way to go just for ease of application. There are several issues with rhino linings. It has a non slip sand in it which would gives grass and dirt a place to hang onto. Its not nearly as hard as an epoxy paint and chips easily by comparison. And lastly its very expensive! You also have to keep in mind that mower decks are about the most abusive environments we deal with. Rocks and dirt getting hurled at 100mph. Moisture trapped under grass and mud. Keeping them clean and oiled is probably about the best way to go. I think I'm giving that a shot this summer. Who's interested in a mulching kit for a 42" rear discharge? Buelr, bueler..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunahead72 2,346 #28 Posted March 4, 2012 A good excuse to get another tractor and a loader!! :thumbs: Uhhh ... I ain't gettin' under there!! :hide: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duff 206 #29 Posted March 4, 2012 I'd never thought of oiling my deck before Duff. I bet it sure helps with rust. Does it make the grass come off easier? As a matter of fact, it does! I should have put a caveat in my earlier post, though. When I spray the underside with the garden hose and with the blades spinning, it is VERY IMPORTANT to be sure you don't get a hand or the nozzle underneath the desk itself. I raise the deck to travel height, lock the e-brake, then spray the water from just outside the deck shell pointed up at about a 45 degree angle. I also spray it into the discharge chute (standing just out of the way!) and let the blades accelerate the stream. Usually takes less than 5 minutes and the pile of goop left underneath on the ground when I drive the tractor away tells me it's done a thorough job of cleaning. When I do pull the deck for brushing and re-oiling I am always amazed at just how clean things are under there. Duff :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darren 49 #30 Posted April 17, 2012 I'm in the process of restoring a couple of my decks at the moment. I'm also interested to give the oil covering a go when I finish I've just stripped the decks (polycarbide discs rather than wire-wheel: they're very effective without the danger). I've given the current deck a coat of Bonda: a professional quality zinc primer. I then plan on giving the top of the deck a coat of IH red enamel but I'm trying to weigh up whether to try POR15 Hardnose on the underside. This stuff seems to be POR15 on steroids; it's moisture-cured, so any moisture should improve the cured finish. I'm unsure how well it will work on a zinc primer base though. POR recommend their marine-clean to prep metal with, then their metal ready (now called Prep & clean) product, THEN the POR15 rust preventative or Hardnose paints. If it doesn't seem to take well, I'll try the recommended approach on the second deck. I'm also going to POR15 the spindle housings. In any case, I'll give the underside a misting of oil once it's finished, to see how it helps with keeping things clean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve B. 30 #31 Posted April 17, 2012 OK, I got's a question. When you guys coat the underside with the POR15, is that deck only or after it's been reassembled? What I mean is: do you coat right over bolt heads and the blade spindles? I'm wondering about rusting exposed bolts vs. the breaking the sealed coating with future repairs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 991 #32 Posted April 19, 2012 if i were doing it id like to coat it with pore unassembled then a touch up coat after assembly to coat the bolts,spindles and any scratches from assembling it,im trying the duff oil tratment this year,ive got other things that need the cash before the bottom of my decks,and i just did 4 tractor oil changes and not one was dirty so it will make good deck oil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olratlr 25 #33 Posted April 19, 2012 If you use POR-15 don't get it on you skin it will more than likely stay until it wears off. Anyway thats what happen to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hydro 130 #34 Posted April 20, 2012 Don in answer to your question awhile back I Googled POR 15 and the only place in Ontario I found was Grimsby. Apparently there is a distributor there. I don't know about any of the auto suppliers. I generally pull my deck mid season and again in the fall. I have used "used oil" over the years for a lot of things including wood preservative but the bar and chain oil would be great because it is designed to be sticky. Last fall I coated my deck twice and added a heavy lub. I will do it again this month before I install it and again sometime around July. I am doing a repair to my 2nd 48" 1988 and would like to try the POR 15 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WH252-H 4 #35 Posted April 21, 2012 Last year, I removed my deck and completely diassembled it. I had the shell blasted, made some repairs and applied three coats of Rustoleum, Coal Tar Epoxy. I reassembled it with stanless hardware and so far it is holding up. I haven't used it a full season, so it's not much of a test. Some of the epoxy got on a putty knife while coating the deck and it was hell getting that stuff off a smooth surface. A blasted surface should be near impossible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RJR49 121 #36 Posted April 21, 2012 I used West Systems epoxy on my 42" SD several years ago. Still perfect but I seldom if ever mow when the grass is wet. Grass doesn't seem to stick to it either. I spoke to a guy at West Systems before I did it. He sugggested mixing iron filings into the epoxy. Seemed like a good idea but I didn't have any and the epoxy is still good after 3 seasons. The deck is off right now. I take a picture later Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hydro 130 #37 Posted April 21, 2012 It takes me a little over two hours to mow my lawn and because of that and work I don't often have the chance to mow when the grass is dry. I don't mow in the rain of course but in the spring and fall there is a lot of moisture. I have never heard of the coal tar epoxy up here. There's a lot of stuff you folks have that never seems to find it's way to Canada but I will check it out to see. We see a product here called Tremclad which is a rust paint apparently made by Rustoleum but I don't know why the name has changed. :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faster 11 #38 Posted April 26, 2012 Heres something that might work from tractor supply. It called EZ-Slide graphite-based coating ( dry film lubricant friction reducing paint). They say its good for mower under decks, tools, garden equipment, garage door tracks, rail switches, car transporters, snow plow blades, conveyers &augers, gravity boxes, hoppers, harvest heads. I bought a can just to try it sprayed it on a piece of scrap metal it looks and dries like paint and is very slick after its dry. Have a look. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smoreau 658 #39 Posted April 27, 2012 I got my shipment of POR 15 in the mail last night, I look forward to trying it out on my 48" deck project. It is a older deck with the double d spindles with a newer style deck hanger and rollers. I have e-tanked every part and building some new roller shafts for the anti scalp rollers, Then this weekend I plan on using the POR 15 on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bk-scouter 93 #40 Posted April 27, 2012 I've used that EZ-Slide stuff before, but in a brush-on. It's like painting graphite. Touch it after it dries and your fingers look like you rubbed a pencil in your hand. It works OK for the most of the mowing season, but eventually it'll wear off and you'll need to recoat a couple coats for the next season. Make sure you're spraying a well ventilated area like outdoors, I believe the fumes are very toxic. I'm trying the oiled deck as mentioned earlier in this post, so when I was recently sanding this stuff, most everything in the garage had dark soot-colored dust on it... -BK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites