Mower Corrosion Question

[Gord Baker]

And my Deere mower decks stay clean as well. Think it has to do with when grass is mowed, how wet the grass is, and how the mower decks are put away. Like they say about horses, don't put them away wet.
Enjoy the clean decks.

They say the same thing about women!
Constant maintenance is key.

 

[JTKub]

The Kubota decks that are "suspension" type as opposed to "ground riding" type seem to have been made of lighter structural material at the wheel supports. I've had those rust out and be weakened & had to be welded and strengthened on 2 different BX tractors. At the same time I have yet to see one (either suspension like on my BX tractors, or the older ground riders on the B2150's) rust through the deck itself. I have never taken time to go wash out/scrub the underside of any mower deck day-to-day , though I have much less often of course.

I think another key point with mid mount mowers that are designed to hang and not ride the ground is, people still think they're ground engage able and allow them to stay mashed against the ground while mowing. This beats the ever living heck out of them which not only breaks things, but also promotes rust.

This brings me back to years ago when I gave my father in law my Cub GT2544 with a stamped 44" deck. The whole machine was only about 4-5yrs old at the time. As much as I "suggested" to him how he needs to set the deck and why, he ignored it and trashed it in one season.

 

[Fallon]

I have a Peruzzo super bull flail mower. Normally it has a pretty caked surface underneeth. I looked after my job this weekend & it was clean polished steel. I spent 7 hours mowing super dry weeds. Sandblasted everything clean & no moisture or greenery to stick to anything. What you are mowing has a huge effect. I'm sure airflow & deck texture has an effect too.

I'm in Colorado & it's dry here, so I'm less concerned about buildup staying wet & rusting things. It normally dries out within a few days & often falls off.

 

[JWR]

I had seals leaking and was considering buying a New mower and Read on here to replace the Gear Oil with John Deere Corn Head Grease [Amazon] that was 3 years ago and it works great and it has not leaked even in middle of Summer. I had 1/2 gal of two-part epoxy garage floor paint left over and used it on Deck which will be ther forever.

What you are dealing with is a worn seal on the main shaft our of your gearbox to the blade holder. That is always the issue when hogs get some age on them. Many years ago the good rednecks down south started using what is labeled as "Double Zero grease" which amounts to a very heavy replacement lube for normal 90 weight gear oil. In effect that thicker lube slows down the leaks to the point where people get many hours if not years out of their hogs without expensive seal replacement. I know in my case I had an old JD 413 which was a very useful tool but paying to have the main seals replaced would have cost more than the hog was worth in the market ! "00 Grease" did the trick. It is sold at Tractor Supply, on-line, etc. Good bit cheaper than corn head grease and just as effective.

 

[Fallon]

What you are dealing with is a worn seal on the main shaft our of your gearbox to the blade holder. That is always the issue when hogs get some age on them. Many years ago the good rednecks down south started using what is labeled as "Double Zero grease" which amounts to a very heavy replacement lube for normal 90 weight gear oil. In effect that thicker lube slows down the leaks to the point where people get many hours if not years out of their hogs without expensive seal replacement. I know in my case I had an old JD 413 which was a very useful tool but paying to have the main seals replaced would have cost more than the hog was worth in the market ! "00 Grease" did the trick. It is sold at Tractor Supply, on-line, etc. Good bit cheaper than corn head grease and just as effective.

Same for my old Ford 917 flail. Paid $100 for it, new seals would have been $80. Pourable grease went in years ago & it still works. It's now a backup mower now, so rarely gets used. But I bet the gearbox will outlast the rest of the cracked rusty hood & frame.

 

[wheelbuilder]

I bought a used 1988 Iseki tractor with a 3 point mower. Had always been (and still is) stored indoors. mower was somewhat pitted from rust, but its built quite heavy. I wire wheel it in the fall now, and give it a light coating of old engine oil to protect it over the winter. I don't reapply it, and it stays quite grass free all year. I don't see any rust any more on it. I've done the same to my garden tractor for 25 years and it is in far better shape than my Dad's newer version.