44" Mower Deck Rust

[thegriz 0]

Hello folks,

 

Been way too long since I checked in.  I hope all are staying healthy in this crazy world.

 

I pulled my 44" mowing deck off my 2001 Toro/Wheelhorse 520xi a couple days ago to do routine cleaning, sharpening, and general maintenance.  I have been using my other tractor, so I haven't used the 520xi for a while.  When I cleaned the two inches of crud off the bottom of the deck, I discovered that the underside is in need of serious attention.  It is rusted and pitted pretty badly, fortunately no areas have rusted through.

 

What are the recommendations out there to first treat/arrest the rust, and subsequently prime and repaint the underside of deck????  Looking forward to any helpful advice.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[Ed Kennell 35,629]

Hi Mike,

I clean my decks by hand scraping, then wire brushing.      I have coated some in the past with an industrial tank liner epoxy.

Now, I coat them with used oil. I save all my drained motor oil and I especially like the outboard lower unit marine gear oil for coating decks and trailer leaf springs used in salt water.

I turn the decks upside down and let the oil soak in for a week before winter storage.    Brush out any puddles daily as it soaks in and dries.

Some will swear by the POR 15 or bed liner systems.     I have no experience with these coatings as they are too expensive for cheap old timers.

 

[peter lena 8,038]

thegriz, your problem is due to letting a packed mower deck set , with damp , wet packed grass for a long period, i recently did a spot check on mine , to verify condition , this is what i have been doing for years ,  you can obviously  do  what ever you chose , but a regular look and inspection , along with cleaning and a lubrication soak in the hot sun does wonders . agree with ed above reusing old  oil , for a deck soak , also a great paint recovering agent . most important is a regular check , pete

 

[oliver2-44 8,837]

If your not one to pull the deck and reoil at least each season, I've used POR15 with good results. I put it on 5 years ago and its just starting to be worn off at the exit chute.  Some will say POR15 hasn't held up for them.  I believe the difference is if your yard has a good solid grass covering which mine does.  Verses if the yard has a lot of patches of bare ground that would sandblast the bottom of a deck.  

[pacer 3,159]

I'm one that tried the POR system --- I even sand blasted the deck prior to application. Ckd it after one season and at least 80% of the POR was worn away!! needless to say I was a bit PO'd, that stuff is expensive!

 

I now do a general cleaning and go over it with sand blasting agent (black diamond) and then apply a mild solution of phosphoric acid followed by whatever paint is handy - I'm having better luck with that than any other method I've tried. Phosphoric acid chemically changes rust to ... something else? I dont remember it all, just that it seems to work.