X739 48" Mower deck under side paint quality

[bgWI]

A year ago I purchased the X739 with the 48" deck. Our yard is an obstacle course of trees, walls and undulating terrain. Too much for a 54" deck width. Our 425 AWS with a 48" deck served us faithfully for many years. My point of interest /concern is the under deck paint quality or lack of such. I hot water pressure wash the deck out every 3rd use or so if mowing in dry conditions. I use the 2-bag pickup system. Today I spent a long time washing the accumulation of dirt and grass off the unit. It seems the surface is very rough, making it difficult to clean efficiently. Also, rust is forming on the underside of the deck outlining the exterior weldments of the wheels and other attachments on the top of the deck. A poor paint job at best.

Has anyone recoated the underside of their decks with paint or other product to facilitate keeping the deck clean and rust free for a long life of use?

 

[beenthere]

Keeping the underside dry is the best way to keep it rust free, IMO.

I avoid washing the deck if at all possible... maybe twice a season. Mine is shiny steel... no rust.

 

[Eric102]

I'm in the no water camp also, water and steel equals rust. I only use an air hose to blow the dust, dirt and grass clippings off the tractor and mower deck. Then once a year I'll remove the deck and scrape the green crud build up off the bottom. Have never washed a tractor or mower in my life and so far have never had a deck rust through, my JD318 steel deck is 27 years old and still hole free.

I also would never use a pressure washer on anything with bearings or seals, seems like a good way to force water and crud past the seals and into the bearings.

 

[beenthere]

Eric
:thumbsup:

 

[JDTank]

Honestly, I think you are hampering your efforts by washing it that often. Washing simply introduces moisture to the underside of the deck. Rust is like cancer. You cannot just cover it, or take off the surface rust. It will simply rot through from the other side.

Personally, I only power wash my deck once a year, in the fall right before winter storage. I power wash my deck, then I proceed to paint it, but, I paint it by hand. Go down to your local JD dealer, you can buy JD paint, green, yellow and black, in cans. When you paint the underside of the deck with a brush, you can get a much thicker coat, plus no overspray.

Manufacturers are getting cheaper and cheaper. They want less production costs with more profit. The way JD looks at it is why bother to put a first class paint job on the underside, when it will simply be worn off anyways? Also, in today's world, all manufacturers that spray parts have to pay for it. It's like vehicle production. Every time a car is painted, the company has to pay for the damage that does to the environment. JD has to pay that too. So the more paint they use, the more it costs in product, and in fees.

Honestly, just make sure you have one really good thick coat of paint on in the beginning of the season, and go with that. Throughout the season, clean the underside out with a plastic putty knife. After you paint, you can put a coat of fluid film on if you wish. It's more or less a clear liquid wax in a spray can. Don't apply too much, and you must wipe it down after it has cured for 10 or 20 minutes. This will get off the residue and leave you with a slippery surface.

 

[Gittyup]

I'm also in the no water camp. I used a 425 with a 54" deck for 19+ years (1165 hours). It only saw one bath: right before I sold it. Mower deck was still very solid and original paint on the outside was like new. There was surface rust underneath, but because it was dry 99% of the time, it never seemed to grow any. I scraped it off sometimes at the end of the season, but mostly did nothing. I don't know why JD encourages washing with the hose port they put on the new decks. I know I won't be using it.

 

[jenkinsph]

I use my backpack blower to clean off the mower when needed. I scrape off the underside of the deck when changing blades. I do have a big pressure washer but don't use it on my equipment for any routine cleaning, as other stated you can do more harm than good.

I am sure that some people feel that they are taking better care of their mower if they keep it super clean but in reality some of this over cleaning is more detrimental than leaving the thing alone.

 

[ruffdog]

Agree....no water.

 

[bigtiller]

When I was a little kid I watched the neighbor wash the underside of his push mower in the alley between our houses. When he was done, I remember he was a mess and the alley was a mess for a couple days until it all dried up.

I have never washed the underside of a deck and most likely never will.

 

[ruffdog]

I only scrape any clumps or build-up in the corners then mow DRY grass to keep it clean.

 

[bgWI]

Gentlemen,

All input is very much appreciated and understood. I should clarify that I pressure wash at only 1,000 psi and hot water, with the deck off the tractor and not reinstalled until "dry." I use only compressed air to clean the tractor of dust. Our "lawn" is country, growing grass in clay with moist weeds populating some areas of the yard and woods areas being mowed. (Not country club for sure!) The moist weed and grass juices, mixed with the dust makes for a very sticky and then very hard accumulation - even when conditions are "dry".

I like JD Tank's suggestion on brush painting and the use of "fluid film" which I have to find out where its available. I grease after pressure washes and keep the water spray off the bearings. (grease is cheap)

I plan on using some rust reformer where the heat of the welds came through and began rusting since they were not painted by John Deere. Then prime and brush paint for the season. The 48 inch deck detaches much easier on the X739 than on our 425 AWS, which is still in the family.

Again, thank you for the inputs.....

Bill

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Fluid Film is available at NAPA, but is cheaper through Amazon. It's good stuff. It's my preferred lubricant - a million times better than WD40 (which really isn't a lubricant anyway).

 

[Gittyup]

Fluid Film is available at NAPA, but is cheaper through Amazon. It's good stuff. It's my preferred lubricant - a million times better than WD40 (which really isn't a lubricant anyway).

My JD dealer also sells it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I do wash my Ferris deck underneath after each use. I use a leaf blower to blow off all the loose grass from top of deck and from the HST cooling fans, then use a water hose to remove all the grass build up and crawfish mound mud that has stuck underneath. If I happen to get into mud around my ponds, I hose it off of the upper portion of the mower also. The deck is about 3/16" thick and flat top and bottom which is unlike all the pressed decks that have pockets to hold water around the bearings. I blow dry it afterward with my leaf blower to remove all the water.
I think a clean deck without wet grass and mud stands a better chance of not rusting than a dirty one. Clean metal dries quickly so the moisture goes away pretty fast. I do store it in my heated by the sun totally enclosed storage shed right along side my 14 year old boat that still looks new. The only time my mowers or boat sees the sun is when in use and then they go right back in the dark shed.

The absolute worst thing you can do is store a mower outside or parked on the lawn with a tarp over it. Moisture from dirt of gravel surface will collect underneath and promote a rusted out deck in short time. I don't know how many mowers I have seen on craigslist that were obviously just parked next to the house wherever they finished mowing and look like a 50 year old mower after a couple of years with the seat ragged out, paint faded, deck rusted all over etc.

 

[ccsial]

Fluid Film is available at NAPA, but is cheaper through Amazon. It's good stuff. It's my preferred lubricant - a million times better than WD40 (which really isn't a lubricant anyway).

Fluid film is great stuff.

I drive up on ramps and scrape the bottom of my deck best I can after each use and blow off the deck and tractor. Underside is some paint and some bare metal, No rust. Never use water.