Mowing MMM painting

rkidd · Mar 1, 2018

I have mowed with my B2650 and mmm for 3yrs, and has been great. I have tried alot of things over the years to protect the bottom of a mower deck and have never found a miracle coating. The deck came painted, and the bottom has held up pretty good for 3yrs. I do keep it clean throughout the mowing season also to keep it in good shape. I decided to just repaint the bottom seeing how it lasted good for 3 mowing seasons. I took my 4 1/2'" grinder with wire brush and prepped it. I am going to prime it and then paint both with a brush. My question is for those that know more about paint then I do, to recommend a paint that would work good for this application. The ones I am thinking about are regular Kubota paint, my farm store has a Valspar farm and implement paint, or I painted something a while back with Rustoleum and was surprised how thick the paint was, but dont know how well it would hold up for this application. I would appreciate any thoughts on the subject. Thanks.

varmint · Mar 1, 2018

I cleaned, wire brushed, abrasive wheeled and licked clean a well worn, but straight, 6' Kubota loader LA 723 bucket. I sprayed an epoxy metal primer, and let me tell you, even when the Kubota factory spray paint on top had worn thru, that gray primer held up. I'm talking gravel, firewood, dirt- abrasive stuff, certainly as bad as weeds, twigs and grass being hurled at it. A top coat will wear off, but the primer, not so much! I doubt if thicker is much better than harder.

tomplum · Mar 1, 2018

3 years is pretty good for an under deck finish. It isn't a happy place to hold paint. Sounds like a testament to the Kubota powder coat. I've read somewhere, maybe here about people having the decks dipped /galvanized. I've tried epoxy, grease paint, enamels and never made it more than a few months. With all the abrasives, it's like a sand blaster under there. I'll be watching this thread for sure.

diesel85 · Mar 2, 2018

I've been thinking of trying some truck bed lining on my MMM.

4get gto · Mar 2, 2018

diesel85 said:
I've been thinking of trying some truck bed lining on my MMM.

I think it'll hold up good but I think the grass will stick to it more. Maybe wrong IDK.

deathtoblackberries · Mar 2, 2018

If you clean and throw some paint on it every 2-3 years it will likely outlast the rest of the mower deck. I wouldn't get too hung up on exotic coatings unless you are in a corrosive environment like lots of fertilizer or near salt water.

rkidd · Mar 2, 2018

I havent got any advice to steer me one way or the other, so I think I am going to use Valspar tractor and implement that should match up with the Valspar red oxide primer I used. One other question, do you have to sand the primer before you apply the paint or can you just paint over it?

robertm · Mar 2, 2018

Don't sand primer.

4570Man · Mar 2, 2018

You can just paint over it. Sanding might yield better results but it's the bottom of a mower deck so who cares?

tomplum · Mar 3, 2018

diesel85 said:
I've been thinking of trying some truck bed lining on my MMM.

What eventually happens with the bed lining is that it shrinks and pulls from the deck into the blades.

oldballs · Mar 3, 2018

I've heard of others using a paint called "Porr" or something like that. I just used Kubota spray on mine after about three years. This spring I'll clean it up again a maybe paint it again with the Kubota rattle can......just haven't got to it yet.

Cheers,
Mike

davedj1 · Mar 5, 2018

If you could find out what they spray the beds of the new Rams with you would have a winner. It is tough and slippery! Not like the normal bedliner stuff.

Dale Binkley · Mar 5, 2018

My MMM deck is 20 years old. Other than scraping off the grass buildup 2 or 3 times each year when I take the blades off to sharpen them, I have never painted the underside of my deck. I have not found any areas on the underside that look like they are wearing to the point that I am concerned about it rusting through. Even the top of the deck shows some fading of the paint but no areas of concern for the long term condition of it.

rkidd · Mar 6, 2018

Dale Binkley said:
My MMM deck is 20 years old. Other than scraping off the grass buildup 2 or 3 times each year when I take the blades off to sharpen them, I have never painted the underside of my deck. I have not found any areas on the underside that look like they are wearing to the point that I am concerned about it rusting through. Even the top of the deck shows some fading of the paint but no areas of concern for the long term condition of it.

The mmm decks are pretty heavy built and will last a long time with little maintenance as you have said. I like to keep after mine a little more often. In early spring when wet, the deck can be packed in one mowing. When the bottom of the deck starts to rust, grass sticking to it is even more pronounced. Keeping a good coat of paint on it makes it so much easier to keep clean for me. I did mine this week after 3 yrs, so I am good with doing it every 3 yrs to make it easier to clean and keep it in good shape.

rkidd · Mar 6, 2018

Finished up priming and painting the bottom of my mower deck yesterday. Ended up getting Valspar red oxide primer, and Valspar tractor and implement paint. The primer went on good and covered really well. Talking to a couple of paint guys, I didnt sand the primer as others said not to do, I just hit it quick with a scotch brite pad to make sure the paint stuck good. My farm store didnt carry the Kubota orange color, so I went with gloss black as I was just painting the bottom blade area and will use it on some other projects. The paint was very thick out of the can and covered well. The can said to wait 24 hrs between coats and they were right as it took a long time to cure. Gave it a second coat the next day. The paint covered very well as I said and looks great. Now will just have to wait a couple years to see how it holds up!! All I had to do with the rest of the deck was give it a coat of wax, and it came out looking like new.

MRCONCDID · Mar 6, 2018

If color isn't an issue, Use POR-15 its great, it seals in rust and stops it. Amazon will ship it by the qt or gallon.
I use it on everything that needs a strong rust resistant covering. Its thin and brushes on easy, lays down smooth.
You can find it in common colors, but black is the most common.

There is two kinds, if it is exposed to the sun get the version with UV protection, if it not (frame, underside of your mower) get the non UV.

MrC.

civilian · Mar 8, 2018

rkidd said:
Finished up priming and painting the bottom of my mower deck yesterday. Ended up getting Valspar red oxide primer, and Valspar tractor and implement paint. The primer went on good and covered really well. Talking to a couple of paint guys, I didnt sand the primer as others said not to do, I just hit it quick with a scotch brite pad to make sure the paint stuck good. My farm store didnt carry the Kubota orange color, so I went with gloss black as I was just painting the bottom blade area and will use it on some other projects. The paint was very thick out of the can and covered well. The can said to wait 24 hrs between coats and they were right as it took a long time to cure. Gave it a second coat the next day. The paint covered very well as I said and looks great. Now will just have to wait a couple years to see how it holds up!! All I had to do with the rest of the deck was give it a coat of wax, and it came out looking like new.

View attachment 542835 View attachment 542836 View attachment 542837 View attachment 542838

Are the wheels and axles you have supporting the mower deck upright, something you made? Or did they come from Kubota? They lok great for storing the deck in less floor space. Thanks, Jon

robertm · Mar 8, 2018

civilian said:
Are the wheels and axles you have supporting the mower deck upright, something you made? Or did they come from Kubota? They lok great for storing the deck in less floor space. Thanks, Jon

Those look homemade. The Mower Deck Axle Company online makes the stands deck specific, and makes all types of anti-scalp wheel and axle replacements.

rkidd · Mar 9, 2018

robertm said:
Those look homemade. The Mower Deck Axle Company online makes the stands deck specific, and makes all types of anti-scalp wheel and axle replacements.

Hey robertm. Yes I did fab up the axles to do just as you said to store the deck up right to take up less floor space and go right against the wall. It is sturdy enough that I can pressure wash the deck at the end of the season no problem on this set up. I used 3/4" gas pipe from Lowes, welded caps on the ends to weld a 1/2' nut to. I drilled a hole through the new axle that lines up with the hole in the deck to hold it in place. Then just put a 1/2' bolt thru the wheels to hold them on. Very inexpensive and works really well.

robertm · Mar 9, 2018

Nice job on the stands. I store my MMM on a shelf flat, by using the forks on my tractor. I still contemplate making stands to hold it while I scrape the deck, sharpen blades, etc. Seeing yours may just push me on an upcoming weekend.