I have a one year old Craftsman LT2000 riding mower. The manual recommends to NOT use a hose or power washer to clean under the mower deck. I live in the country, so it does double duty to mow both the lawn and the roadside ditches which are full of weeds that have a lot of moisture in the stems. The deck gets packed with wet debris. I clean the deck by runnng one wheel up on a ramp, then lay on the ground and use a putty knife to scrape the underside of the mower deck. Since I'm not a spring chicken any more, this is getting old (plus hard on the ol' body). Anyone have a good idea that doesn't include water?
Thanks
COMMUNITY FORUM
- Forum >
- Lawn & Garden >
- Any ideas on how to clean a riding mower deck?
Hi nlines,
It sounds like you're a savvy country person and not a newbie around such equipment. That's good!
But I really don't like the sound of what you're doing with this mower.
Those riding mowers can be pretty dangerous. They can tip over (I had that almost happen to me once--a close call). And the blades are unsafe at any speed.
That said, is there any chance you can do the ditch using a good-sized weed whacker? Back when I had a few acres (long time ago; it was in soggy Seattle area) I used a commercial weed whacker for a good bit of it. I probably would've eventually purchased a scissor mower (I think that's what they're called--it's a walk-behind unit that has a wide reciprocating cutting bar out front). But we moved on to a more "normal" property.
Anyway, be careful with that thing! By the way, I know what you mean about "the ol' body")--getting there myself :)
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
It sounds like you're a savvy country person and not a newbie around such equipment. That's good!
But I really don't like the sound of what you're doing with this mower.
Those riding mowers can be pretty dangerous. They can tip over (I had that almost happen to me once--a close call). And the blades are unsafe at any speed.
That said, is there any chance you can do the ditch using a good-sized weed whacker? Back when I had a few acres (long time ago; it was in soggy Seattle area) I used a commercial weed whacker for a good bit of it. I probably would've eventually purchased a scissor mower (I think that's what they're called--it's a walk-behind unit that has a wide reciprocating cutting bar out front). But we moved on to a more "normal" property.
Anyway, be careful with that thing! By the way, I know what you mean about "the ol' body")--getting there myself :)
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
Aha, it just came to me. The mower I'm think of is (as I recall) called a "Sickle bar mower."
Good luck!
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
Good luck!
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
I use a blow nozzle on my air compressor to blow wet debris from the underside of the mower deck. be sure to wear safty goggles as there is a lot of stuff blowing around with 100 pounds of air pressure.
it works best when yu have just finished mowing as the debris has not had time to dry and cling to the deck.
JMHO
Carl
it works best when yu have just finished mowing as the debris has not had time to dry and cling to the deck.
JMHO
Carl
I'll give the air compressor a try. I usually have it out anyway to blow the grass and dirt off the top of the deck. And I appreciate the advice on being careful mowing ditches. I'm quite a big chicken anyway, so I'll probably use the push mower mostly.
My riding mower has a mulch plate which I use, so I've decided to switch to the grass bin cover(?) and remove the mulch cover when mowing wet weeds and see if it will help to shoot the clippings out to the side.
We're going into our 11th night of freeze warnings anyway, so I'm sure the grass is confused and probably will refuse to grow anymore until June or July!
My riding mower has a mulch plate which I use, so I've decided to switch to the grass bin cover(?) and remove the mulch cover when mowing wet weeds and see if it will help to shoot the clippings out to the side.
We're going into our 11th night of freeze warnings anyway, so I'm sure the grass is confused and probably will refuse to grow anymore until June or July!
As an "aid" to your moist clipping removal when using the air compressor, might I suggest a hand-held "whisk or wisk-broom".? you would want to avoid scraping the deck areas which are painted to avoid rust as those scratches in the paint will, over-time, be rust sources.
Once they (the clippings) have dried though, as you well-know, scraping methods are about the only way to "break them free". Also handy nylon "pot scrapers" (usually about 3" square") that are safe for teflon pots, have neat edges made by revere and ecko are handy devices for freeing up clipping debris in narrow, deep, hard to reach areas especially above the deck and near the motor mounts. They are usually sold in pairs for about a dollar and are handy devices to have in the kitchen, tool box, etc. and a Godsend to saving the fingernails when removing labels, etc.
Once they (the clippings) have dried though, as you well-know, scraping methods are about the only way to "break them free". Also handy nylon "pot scrapers" (usually about 3" square") that are safe for teflon pots, have neat edges made by revere and ecko are handy devices for freeing up clipping debris in narrow, deep, hard to reach areas especially above the deck and near the motor mounts. They are usually sold in pairs for about a dollar and are handy devices to have in the kitchen, tool box, etc. and a Godsend to saving the fingernails when removing labels, etc.
