i live in the sandhills of south caroliona. we keep about 7 acres of area cut with a finish mower.over the last 20 years i have been through a number of different types of mowers and mowing decks(small ford lgt,bush hog finish mowers etc). every time we mow it is like sand blasting the blades and the under side of the deck.has anyone had this experience ,dose any one know of something that will help extend the life of the decks in this situation. we have tried low lift blades,but it dose not help much.
Mowing mowing over sandy soil
- Thread starter windfall
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gotrocks
Platinum Member
Don't have suggestion re: blades,
But if you had a HEAVY coat of "undercoating" sprayed under the deck it would act some what like sandblast resist and might help.
But if you had a HEAVY coat of "undercoating" sprayed under the deck it would act some what like sandblast resist and might help.
TwinWillows
Gold Member
What about coating the underside of the deck w/one of those spray on bedliner type materials? That stuff is pretty durable. Might save/delay the deck wearing out....
VABlue
Platinum Member
There was a thread similar to this a few weeks back. Try searching for deck coating, or undercoating, something like that. There is some product made specifically for mowing decks that is supposed to not foul the deck outflow. Spray-on bedliner will probably cause a lot of clogging of the outflow.
602466
Silver Member
I think the undercoat was Lubriplate Graphite Paint. He painted the underside and also the blades. Try a search on it.
Hope I got it right!
Wally
Hope I got it right!
Wally
J_J
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windfall said:
Dixie Chopper has already tried many coatings, but the sand eats just about anything, except tire rubber. If you can some how bolt strips of tire rubber to the underside of the deck, it will not sandblast the deck. I repaired some sandblast spots in front of my right rear tire, where the blades sling the most sand. It is still there after three years. Now , about the blades, they are the culprit, I use the Gator blades, and it eats the front edge and the trailing edge. Hard surfacing might help a little bit. but is not cost effective. Best bet is a low profile cheap blade. I used a vacuum system also, and the sand would eat the impeller tips, and the housing. We beefed up theunit, by welding 1/4 steel around the vacuum housing and that gave more longevity. Here in Florida, sand is a big problem also.
bigdad
Platinum Member
Big Dad here..... Deck graphite guy. I'm afraid that the sand would clean that graphite right off. I knew a guy that had a cabin on the Miss and he Stellited (sp) the leading and trailing edges of his blades. The cutting edge was a bugger to get sharp after that, but it saved him replacing blades all the time.602466 said:
Good luck!
BTDT
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I guess it's just part of the operation of that type mower. To get away from sand eating up decks or blades, you have to get away from that type mower. If you do that, like say a reel type mower, then you have the problem of adjusting, sharpening, etc. all the time, and having to mow more to keep the grass short, or they don't work well. Good luck with finding a solution. Maybe mow a smaller area and put livestock on the rest.