Cleaning the plastic hood question

[09 X540]

What works best to clean the plastic hood on an new mower? The owner's manual said a non-abrasive wax but I wanted to ask what ya'll are using before I scratch my new hood up. I washed mine up today and waxed the metal but I thought I would get some input first before I messed with the plastic hood.

 

[Logan]

I love my John Deere lawn tractors. I own two. I wouldn't spend much time worrying about the hoods because, if they are like mine, they will break off in four or five years. When they were new I used car wax for clear coat finishes and it worked well. Be very careful opening them, supporting them all of the way open, every time. Once broken they are way too expensive to replace. Before anyone sticks me, yes it was my fault. Good luck, they are good machines.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

What works best to clean the plastic hood on an new mower? The owner's manual said a non-abrasive wax but I wanted to ask what ya'll are using before I scratch my new hood up. I washed mine up today and waxed the metal but I thought I would get some input first before I messed with the plastic hood.

Welcome to TBN

My tractor and two mowers have plastic hoods, i wax them with Mothers liquid wax and use a soft pad.

I have never had that type of wax scratch my hoods, sometimes i put
ARMOR-ALL or SON OF A GUN on them also, and they do make a spray wax for plastic.

I use the armor-all or son of a gun on my rubicon also.

 

[WH401]

1st thing to remember is that since it is basically colored plastic, any scratch you imprint in to it is pretty much permanent.

That said, recently I did some detailing on the hood of my 3320 as a test to see what I could get the plastic to do. First I clayed the hood to remove any little bits of atmospheric trash and various particle matter stuck to the hood that regular washing wouldn't remove. You probably won't have to clay the hood as your machine is brand new and mine sat on the dealer lot for a while. Though, I would go ahead and clay it, that will give the wax a purely clean surface to bond to. I then used some of Meguiars new "NXT 2.0" car wax, let it haze, and polished it a nice shine.

Below I have included some of the best before and after shots I could come up with. I was pretty happy with what claying and wax did to the hood and once it warms up I will do the rest of the tractor. When you go to wax yours, any automotive clear coat safe wax that is either a paste, liquid or spray will work great.

Before:


After:
(In these shots it looks like the hood has no real shine in spots but that's just the angle of the picture. In real life I think it looks pretty good with a high amount of shine.)



I do the same thing with my gator as well, and it's over 5 years old, (it was brand new as opposed to used).

 

[mfreund]

I found a great wax called Liquid Glass. It is a liquid wax that comes in a metal can and works very well. I use it on the HD and the tractor, it is too good of wax for the Chevy.

I blow my tractor off after every use and wash it 2-3 times a summer. I only wash it with the mower deck off because I like to let the deck completly dry around the spindles and seems to dry better at a angle. It helps to keep rust at bay. At the end of summer I clean the deck really well using a old toothbrush to get ALL the dirt off. My Tractor is 5 years old and looks new. When I sold my X495 I did well because it looked new. Just a couple of hints from a crazy man


WH401- that hood looks GREAT in the pictures!!!!

 

[WH401]

WH401- that hood looks GREAT in the pictures!!!!

Thanks.

 

[sargex595]

WH401

Could you explain what "clayed" means. I haven't heard that used before but would like to clean and wax the hood on my X595.

Thanks.

 

[jdbower]

Clay is great stuff, it's available at any auto detailing center. Mother's is what I've used on my truck. Essentially it's just like it sounds, a lump of clay. The stuff on top of the paint gets stuck to it and lifts right off, it's great for sap and the like.
Here's a quick tutorial

 

[sargex595]

jdbower

Thanks for the reply.

Curt.

P.S.: WH401 - Nice job on the hood, looks great.

 

[nmu98]

I found a great wax called Liquid Glass. It is a liquid wax that comes in a metal can and works very well. I use it on the HD and the tractor, it is too good of wax for the Chevy.

I blow my tractor off after every use and wash it 2-3 times a summer. I only wash it with the mower deck off because I like to let the deck completly dry around the spindles and seems to dry better at a angle. It helps to keep rust at bay. At the end of summer I clean the deck really well using a old toothbrush to get ALL the dirt off. My Tractor is 5 years old and looks new. When I sold my X495 I did well because it looked new. Just a couple of hints from a crazy man


WH401- that hood looks GREAT in the pictures!!!!

I used to use liquid glass until I found collinites insulator wax.

Collinite Wax Products  :: Choice of the Pros :: Auto, Marine and Industrial

This is by far the best wax I have ever used. It goes on and comes off like nothing I have ever used. My buddy showed me it because his shoulders are blown out and he needed something that went on easy, came off easy, and lasted a long time. It costs about 18 dollars a pint shipped. I promise that if you try it you will love it!

 

[WH401]

WH401

Could you explain what "clayed" means. I haven't heard that used before but would like to clean and wax the hood on my X595.

Thanks.

Enviromental contaminants, sap, road tar, anything that regular washing won't remove will get stuck to the paint of your machine. Automotive clay is basically just as it sounds, a block of clay, and it is specially formulated for your car/machine to remove these things without harming the paint. IMO, claying is one of the best things you can do to any painted surface as it cleans the paint in the best possible way and gives you maximum adhesion for your wax application.

Another tip for you when you go to wax you machine. If you plan to do the whole thing, tape off the edges of the black plastic where it meets the paint. This will keep you from spreading the wax or wiping the clay on the plastic and staining it. Most tend to find Scotchs Blue Painters tape to work the best for this, it has the consistency of masking tape but works better for painting and it is highly visible.

BTW, Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

To clean plastic parts, what I've used for the past 15 years on my Four-Wheeler and other toys has been the "Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish"...its formulated for plastic parts found on Dirt Bikes, Fourwheelers, etc... and works equally well on JD Green plastic... I wouldnt trade it for anything. It leaves a beautiful finish that doesnt collect dust, yet leaves the surface pretty slick so when you get it muddy again, a quick rinse will usually get everything off with no scrubbing...no scrubbing = no scratches.

 

[09 X540]

In the owner's manual of my Polaris atv it says to use a high quality type of furniture polish on the plastic. I use Pledge on it after washing and drying and it gives it a nice shine. I wasn't sure about the hood on the new mower though. I think I am going to go with wax on it.

 

[thewizard]

"premium metal polish", part # ty26070. the name is going to be changed because it is much more than a metal polish. Get at local JD dealer.