Winter 2019

[Bigtrx34 321]

So I have decided to go thru the deck of my 312-8 this winter while I look for my next horse. I don't think the old girl ever had a bath on her under carriages but in all honesty it was not that bad when I started to scrape her down. Very little rust on the under side none on the top. . Anybody have a good recommendation for the coating for the underside, maybe something with Teflon in it. I've got  a fair amount of clean up and allot of prep work to do but I thought I would ask now thanks in advance  

[WHNJ701 4,164]

I use up all the misc quart cans of gloss rustoleum and brush it on the undersides of the decks.  good way to use up the paint, who cares what color, seems to help the decks hold up longer

[peter lena 8,064]

BIGTRIX34 , been  doing this for years , my decks are upside down now over winter , combination oil spray , soaking in and keeping them like new . i do it a couple of times a year , always letting the sun heat them downside up to heat up and soak in the oil , kills off the crud and zero rust. also use lucas red and tacky grease on the spindles, also probably replace the idler pulley , known for noise . have a few other mods i do , if interested, pete 

 

[oliver2-44 8,852]

I've used POR!5 on the underside with good success.  It has held up for 4 mowing seasons.  I have good grass coverage and not much sand.  Some others have said it doesn't hold up for them.  Also have heard of good success with a EZ slide paint from Tractor Supply

[tom2p 2,393]

3 hours ago, Bigtrx34 said:

So I have decided to go thru the deck of my 312-8 this winter while I look for my next horse. I don't think the old girl ever had a bath on her under carriages but in all honesty it was not that bad when I started to scrape her down. Very little rust on the under side none on the top. . Anybody have a good recommendation for the coating for the underside, maybe something with Teflon in it. I've got  a fair amount of clean up and allot of prep work to do but I thought I would ask now thanks in advance  

wow 

 

deck looks great 

 

was it used to cut grass ?  lol

 

I don't think any of my decks looked that good after just the first use - or maybe ever 

 

 

[ZXT 2,394]

51 minutes ago, oliver2-44 said:

I've used POR!5 on the underside with good success.  It has held up for 4 mowing seasons.  I have good grass coverage and not much sand.  Some others have said it doesn't hold up for them.  Also have heard of good success with a EZ slide paint from Tractor Supply

I'll second this. I've never used it on the underside of a deck, but I have used it on multiple cars that were somewhat rusty underneath the vinyl top. A few of these cars have been sitting in the elements for 6-7 years in the Texas sun/heat and the coating is still there. Seems pretty durable. 

 

I know that many companies make "tiger hair" or "bondo glass". It's essentially fiberglass reinforced bondo that is tough as nails when dry. I wonder what a skim coat of the stuff on the bottom of the deck would do? It is very strong and I don't think grass/rocks would do much to it. I know that I wouldn't hesitate to take it to a very rusty deck. In addition to sealing the underside, it would reinforce it. 

[Bigtrx34 321]

1 hour ago, tom2p said:

wow 

 

deck looks great 

 

was it used to cut grass ?  lol

 

I don't think any of my decks looked that good after just the first use - or maybe ever 

 

 

Hahaha, yep I used it all this year. I think the last owner kept the tractor very dry, the deck did have alot of grass and dirt stuck to it but no rust to speak of. I blow my tractor and deck off with compressed air after each use so it helps with keeping the build up down. I did not intend to run the horse for grass cutting so when I did the overhaul of the tractor i held off on the deck. I was forced to use the horse when my simplicity lost a belt and LOVED the way it cut so it became my go to. So with the down time of winter I wanted to clean up the deck as well. The pictures you see are post scrapping the dead grass and a good portion of the dirt.

[Bigtrx34 321]

41 minutes ago, ZXT said:

I'll second this. I've never used it on the underside of a deck, but I have used it on multiple cars that were somewhat rusty underneath the vinyl top. A few of these cars have been sitting in the elements for 6-7 years in the Texas sun/heat and the coating is still there. Seems pretty durable. 

 

I know that many companies make "tiger hair" or "bondo glass". It's essentially fiberglass reinforced bondo that is tough as nails when dry. I wonder what a skim coat of the stuff on the bottom of the deck would do? It is very strong and I don't think grass/rocks would do much to it. I know that I wouldn't hesitate to take it to a very rusty deck. In addition to sealing the underside, it would reinforce it. 

I use this on all my truck redos it is awesome stuff. Might be a contender, thanks

[Bigtrx34 321]

1 hour ago, oliver2-44 said:

I've used POR!5 on the underside with good success.  It has held up for 4 mowing seasons.  I have good grass coverage and not much sand.  Some others have said it doesn't hold up for them.  Also have heard of good success with a EZ slide paint from Tractor Supply

Love POR15 did not think about it for this but I'm sure it would do the job and then some

[ZXT 2,394]

3 minutes ago, Bigtrx34 said:

I use this on all my truck redos it is awesome stuff. Might be a contender, thanks

Very good! It is excellent stuff. I've never used it on the body of a vehicle, but I have skimmed some on the floor boards of old Mopars to add a bit of structure. Has worked well! 

Edited December 10, 2019 by ZXT

[Bigtrx34 321]

1 minute ago, ZXT said:

Very good! It is excellent stuff. I've never used it on the body of a vehicle, but I have skimmed some on the floor boards of old Mopars to add a but of structure. Has worked well! 

I have not done body panels with it but here in Michigan with all the rust it will save a frame for sure. Only draw back is it is UV sensitive so it needs a good top coat

[ZXT 2,394]

10 minutes ago, Bigtrx34 said:

I have not done body panels with it but here in Michigan with all the rust it will save a frame for sure. Only draw back is it is UV sensitive so it needs a good top coat

Never thought of it being used for that! But then again, being in the south, frame rust isn't an issue. 

 

Do you just pack a rusty section of frame rail full of glass? Seems sketchy but it might work.

Edited December 10, 2019 by ZXT

[Bigtrx34 321]

Just now, ZXT said:

Never thought of it being used for that! But then again, being in the south, frame rust isn't an issue. 

 

Do you just pack a rusty section of frame rail full of rust? Seems sketchy but it might work.

No, more as a preventative measure. Before the frame gets bad you coat it with POR 15 and it will never be an issue again. I have used it on older trucks after sandblasting and repairing or boxing in say a 90s bowtie truck frame. The stuff is strong as all get out and bonds so well that unlike frame wax that wears down POR 15 is a lifelong thing, you know this if you have got any I your hands while working with  it

[Pullstart 59,687]

@Bigtrx34  to  from another Michigander!

 

 

[Racinbob 10,276]

Here's another nod to POR-15 but the biggest thing is removing the clumped up grass under the deck after EVERY mowing. That's what traps the moisture and causes the rust. I'm still running the mid 70's deck that I bought new and it's still as solid as it was on day 1. 

[bds1984 1,382]

As others have said, grass clumping up is the killer.  I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter as much as what the under side is coated with to seal off the metal as much as the grass clipping removal to minimize moisture.  A few times a year I will spray a heavy coating of Fluid-Film on the underside of my decks with the last application right before I park/remove the deck for the winter.  I recently sold a mint 42" deck that was pushing twenty years old where I followed that regiment of cleaning and then Fluid Film.  

[Bigtrx34 321]

12 hours ago, bds1984 said:

As others have said, grass clumping up is the killer.  I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter as much as what the under side is coated with to seal off the metal as much as the grass clipping removal to minimize moisture.  A few times a year I will spray a heavy coating of Fluid-Film on the underside of my decks with the last application right before I park/remove the deck for the winter.  I recently sold a mint 42" deck that was pushing twenty years old where I followed that regiment of cleaning and then Fluid Film.  

I agree with that statement, my deck is from 95 and has never had any kind of service prior to me getting the tractor last year. I think the only thing that saved it to this point is it was kept in a dry heated shed. I used it to cut my lawn all year and would blow out the inside and top of the deck after each use. I will keep this regiment up going forward as I am in total agreement that the wet clumped up grass is the main killer. I like the idea of fluid-film, in addition to a POR 15 base I think this will serve well as a long lasting measure to keep the deck in fine condition for many years to come 

[Lee1977 6,217]

I got this deck free from a friend of a friend. I cleaned it up and painted it with Agriguard. I order a gallon used a quart painting three decks and some rusted areas on my 520-H. The third time I opened the gallon  the lid was glued on. Had to ripp it off by rolling it around a pare if vicegrips. I got some quart cans taped the tops and divided it.

 Aprial 2019

I scraped it with a plastic putty knift as I saw it had a lot of finish left. The rest if the grass and dirt is so hard I can't scrape it off. I tested s few spots and citrus type engine cleaner will get the rest loose enough to scrape it off. The Agriguard looks to be still all on there.

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Lee1977

[Bigtrx34 321]

Might have to put this off till warmer weather, heating my garage is not cheap. I have the deck stripped down and it is looking good. ALSO I GOT THE NEWS GOING TO PICK UP A 520H TOMORROW!! NEW PROJECT POST TO COME