Will this harm my tractor? PICTURE

[KYKub]

Cleaning my mower deck (Kubota g1900) is always a pain. Ramps nor jack gets it high enough that I can access the deck so I always end up "scraping blind" in a few spots. Picked up a hoist and it does the trick! My question is, will elevating the front end like this do the tractor any harm? Thanks for sharing your expertise! (If this is okay, my next step will be some safety stands) Jeff

PS Can't figure out how to load the picture in portrait mode. It automatically flips my portrait-oriented picture to landscape. Any help appreciated!

 

[4570Man]

I wouldn't leave it like that for extended periods of time, but it shouldn't hurt anything. Just curious, why did you put r1 tires on the front of a 2wd tractor?

 

[KYKub]

Thanks, 4570Man. I'll only hoist it to clean the deck. I guess I should let fluids settle before starting it after I drop it back down.

Good eye! I needed new front tires and just happened to catch these on a closeout - $30 for the pair. No reason for R1s, other than they were cheap!

 

[Ed of all trades]

I would NEVER go in under that tractor hooked up like that to scrape the deck or anything else. I assume you have people depending on you and you are not thinking of them. Let the deck rust out and get a new one every year, but don't go under that tractor. It would be cheaper than the Dr bills and lost work if it ever breaks. Ed

 

[txdon]

I would NEVER go in under that tractor hooked up like that to scrape the deck or anything else. I assume you have people depending on you and you are not thinking of them. Let the deck rust out and get a new one every year, but don't go under that tractor. It would be cheaper than the Dr bills and lost work if it ever breaks. Ed

One of our TBN member lost his life just depending on chains.

 

[blueriver]

One of our TBN member lost his life just depending on chains.

One can never take enough precautions. Sometimes we just think "It'll be fine" and the next thing we know its over. Safety should always be #1 concern. Mike, although I had never met him, seemed like one of those guys with alot of experience and had safety on his mind...the one time he may have thought ..."It'll be fine" was the one time it wasn't.

 

[Tomtint]

It's a pita pulling the deck off to clean but that's what I would do. Or drive it up on ramps . If something goes wrong with that set up you have, there is only one thing for certain, you are going to be in a bunch of trouble. .02

 

[Ken45101]

Is it really worth the hassle and risk to clean under the deck? I have a 15 year old B2710 that's never been cleaned.

 

[oosik]

I raise mine up like you show in the pic, but with a floor jack. Its high enough for me to use my high pressure washer but I couldn't squeeze my rotund form under there, even if I wanted to. Best to stay out from under and use the garden hose & nozzle or high pressure washer.

 

[Knight9]

I remove the mower from the tractor and use the FEL to lift the mower so it is sitting vertically. Then I clean it. Never under the tractor or the mower.

 

[KYKub]

Thanks for the good replies. For what it's worth, I would never get under the tractor without taking safety precautions. I just raised it to snap a picture and see if you guys thought it would harm anything (besides me!). As I was raising it I thought to myself, "no way I trust a cheap Harbor Freight hoist enough to get under that thing!"

Ken, I, too, wonder sometimes whether or not it's worth the hassle to clean under the deck. Used box store mowers for years, never cleaned the deck, and never had one rust through. The Kubota deck is twice as thick as my old Cub Cadet, maybe more. At this point, the G1900 is 15+ years old and in great shape so if some TLC will help it last 15 more years, it's worth it to me (980 hours). I really like the mower.

Thanks again, guys. I didn't think it would harm anything but I don't pretend to be very knowledgeable about tractors.

Jeff

 

[pmsmechanic]

I never clean my deck unless I need to work on it. Either mow grass when it's dry like in the late afternoon or when it's wet like during or shortly after a rain and it's mostly clean underneath. Mowing while it's raining cleans the deck easier than anything else I've ever tried. Mowing when the grass has a light dew on it makes the sticking worse.

 

[4570Man]

I never clean mower decks after mowing. We have several mowers over 20 years old, and the decks are still in good shape.

 

[Thomas]

Good chance that will leave mark on you if chain falls fail and they do...come along would be safer,than again remove deck.

 

[4570Man]

Good chance that will leave mark on you if chain falls fail and they do...come along would be safer,than again remove deck.

Chain falls are far better than a come along especially when it comes time to lower it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I also use a loader to hang a mower deck for cleaning. I used to do exactly the same thing to get the belly mower under my JD 770 but I never worked on it suspended.

 

[bellweather]

Your deck looks clean enough to me. I service /clean mine at the end of the season when it's off the tractor. Like others stated, a moment's lapse in judgement can change your life forever.

 

[My Hoe]

I would NEVER go in under that tractor hooked up like that to scrape the deck or anything else. I assume you have people depending on you and you are not thinking of them. Let the deck rust out and get a new one every year, but don't go under that tractor. It would be cheaper than the Dr bills and lost work if it ever breaks. Ed

Ed of all trades,

(And no offense to the OP), but I agree with you (Ed), 100%, on the risks not being worth the "rewards."

But re: any potential "doctor bills"?

No offense, but I think you are rather optimistic--sadly, I don't see doctor bills as being too likely--and personally, I don't know if I'd want to endure what that might mean, phsyically, were things to "go sideways" (or down, in this case).

Now, if the OP wanted to invest in a pair of the large, (screw-type) jackstands you see in marinas, holding up (multi-ton) sailboats, and wrestle the in place every time, that would (in theory) at least give him some time, to get out from under, before they tipped over, if the chain (or the WOODEN????) beam the hoist is hooked to give way.

But I'm NOT recommending that. I'm recommending NOT being under a chain- (or chainfall)-suspended tractor.

And to the OP: please tell me that is not some non-professional-grade chainfall and chain? Like, NOT Harbor Freight or even Northern Tool? (And, FWIW, I grew up in my father's heavy construction business, specializing in lattice-boom, and later, hydraulic cranes, which I used to operate, occasionally. The cranes ranged in size from 6 ton to 55 ton. He would not be under that tractor either, if that means anything to you--and he saw combat in WWII, as a Motor Pool Corporal, running cranes and dozers, building roads, bridges, etc..., while being shot at/bombed, etc..., on an Island, far away, at the tender age of 18. He's 90 now.

(EDIT: I read the rest of the replies, and see that it IS a Harbor Freight chain fall. Metallurgical quality issues are running through my mind.)

IF cleaning the deck is that important to you (which I do understand, to a degree, being a bit OCD and cleaning my riding mower decks--but they are of thinner-gauge steel) have you considered getting a car lift? Or an (illegal, now, I believe) "pit"? But then again, this thread contains success stories of minimal-to-no deck cleaning, of these (relatively) thick, Kubota mower decks. I know, for now, with having certain physical issues, I'm unlikely to be cleaning my deck very often, as Life is Too Short, as it is.

Good luck to all.

My Hoe

 

[ovrszd]

In these discussions we need to consider the different types of grasses and terrain that members might mow.

In NW Missouri you'll learn how to clean your deck or tolerate VERY slow mowing and a CRAPPY result. I never clean my deck for fear of rust. I clean it so it'll mow.

I use car ramps and lay beside the mower reaching underneath the deck with a long pry bar to knock everything loose. I scrape out all the big stuff after every mowing. It's much easier when the clogs are fresh rather than days later when they are crusted hard.

 

[meos1]

I use a 3/8" braided steel cable with factory hooks on the ends to lift my deck and service blades etc. I wrap the cable around the FEL and let the free ends fall over the front. I place the hook in the lift eyes on the deck and raise the FEL to a height that makes servicing the deck easy while standing. If it fails it will hit my arms but it wont get me as I am standing out from under the deck to do the work. I could weld up some stands(which I may do as I like ultimate safety) but this seems to work and I don't have that pucker feeling when working on it.