62D Mower Deck - I'm tired of scraping it!

[prosperity]

I bought a new 62D mower deck for my 2520 a couple years ago after selling my 757 zero turn. This season I am having a terrible time of grass sticking to the underside of the deck having to scrape it after almost every mowing. I take very good care of my equipment, but have noticed after a couple years the paint on the underside of the deck is gone. I ran my 757 zero turn for years without every having this problem. I guess the paint quality is different between the 2 decks.

Anyway, I have to do something with this. I am ready to clean and sand the deck for a repaint. I wish I had the money to send it to a professional shop where they would sand blast it and paint it properly, but that isn't going to happen right now.

I know that the metal preparation is the most important part - I am ready for that work. My question comes to finding the proper paint to use on this. I've always had good luck with genuine Deere spray paint in cans, and also the Valspar paint from Tractor Supply. But I only want to do this once. I have in my mind the possibility of using the paint that is used on snowplows that has a slippery surface to aid in the snow not sticking.

Any suggestions for this upcoming project?

Thanks!

 

[logankelly]

graphite paint will help but if you have wet grass it will still stick, clean up real good make the metal real clean then paint with paint brush. I have a 2720 with 62d and drop the mower every 3-4 cuttings and wash with hose cleans up real nice with the graphite on the underside

 

[prosperity]

Graphite paint sounds like a great option - thanks!

 

[Ed L]

Paint will only make a difference short term.......if your using JD blades, pitch them in the scrap bin and get a set of Gator blades. They leave a lot less build-up on the deck.

Ed

 

[BRBurns]

Graphite paint does not last long under my mower deck. I notice the graphite paint is missing in spots after a couple mowings.

 

[prosperity]

Gator blades. I've been reading about them for years - I guess it's time I tried a set. Any good on-line retailers to buy from? I would hate to buy some cheap Chinese copy of the original ones. I think I might try the blades right away - was planning on doing the underside of my deck in the fall.

Since I posted this, I did some more research last night. It seems the graphite paint works fairly well, although some accounts state like BRBurns where it wears off easily. I still think it is worthy of a try.

I keep thinking back to the deck on my 757 which I rarely had to scrape. I guess that was because of the deep deck design with better air flow and faster blade tip speed. This season so for I've had to scrape my deck after every mowing - this is quite difficult since I have a bad case of RA now. And I did take care of the deck before putting it away for the winter last year - scarped off all grass, pressure washed, and coated with Fluid Film.

Thanks for the comments so far. I want to order the Gator blades right away once I find a good vendor.

 

[BRBurns]

You can find gator blades at napa. The seem to have a good price on them. I have a set for my 72" deck and was not happy with the lift where my front tires ran over the grass. I have a set of high lift bades on now and am happy with them.

 

[ovrszd]

Gator blades. I've been reading about them for years - I guess it's time I tried a set. Any good on-line retailers to buy from? Thanks for the comments so far. I want to order the Gator blades right away once I find a good vendor.

Here's some good reading about Gator blades. Google

 

[Gator6x4]

An indicator grass is being cut when wet is the amount of build up that accumulates under the deck. Some use POR15 on the bottom of their deck. It is pricey something like 35-40 dollars for a quart.

 

[Ed L]

Baileys has a good selection and they are great people to deal with....their website isn't my favorite to use, I always call.

Husqvarna Chainsaws, Outdoor Power Equipment and Tree Care Supplies from Bailey's

Ed