Underside of mower deck

Smolenski7 · by **Smolenski7** » December 25th, 2011, 9:32 am

Does anyone know anything about JD Graphite Paint? I read that it's super slick and actually claims to prevent grass clippings from adhering to the underside of a deck.

Ohio2112 · by **Ohio2112** » December 25th, 2011, 2:35 pm

Smolenski7 wrote:Does anyone know anything about JD Graphite Paint? I read that it's super slick and actually claims to prevent grass clippings from adhering to the underside of a deck.

I've never used it, but it seemed like an interesting product, so I did a little searching.
Here is a link to someone who has tried it:
How to best strip rust/paint/grassgoo from mower deck underside

Below are the cliff notes if you don't want to read through the whole posting.
It's a really well documented mower deck renovation (lots of pics).
This was written after one season of use.

Using a graphite-based paint helped a little but not much. It wasn't that much easier to clean, the graphite paint still wore off, and the underside of the deck still did rust in spots. But it looked nice initially, so I guess there was that...

For the added cost of graphite in the paint, and the time and effort to apply it, I think the benefits are overrated. I suspect any kind of standard paint would produce similar results in terms of temporary rust prevention (very temporary). Both didn't really keep grass from sticking (in my case at least), and both just wear off in the end.

Smolenski7 · by **Smolenski7** » December 26th, 2011, 5:30 pm

I found that same thread. That guy put in a ton of work for only so-so results, at best. Sounds like there really isn't anything out there that will prevent the grass from building up, however, it does sound like there are several options to prevent rust. Thanks.

schreibdave · by **schreibdave** » December 26th, 2011, 9:31 pm

I took a wire wheel to the underside and after seeing the cloud of rust dust and the extent of the rust ... I gave up and put the deck back on the mower. Maybe after this deck rusts through and I get a new mower I will protect it from the start before the rust gets going. Thanks for all the suggestions.

simpson · by **simpson** » December 26th, 2011, 11:23 pm

Its winter see if you can get someone to sand blast it. You could take it to get powdercoated. They would blast it and coat it for under $100

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Big Cat · by **Big Cat** » December 27th, 2011, 10:50 am

I recently took my deck off, scraped and ground out the rust from the underside and hit it with a fresh coat of JD Yellow paint. Also made sure I sharpened the gator blades and lubed/greased the spindles. Looks like new! Now all I need is to wait for spring.

I'll try and post a pic or two...

MorpheusPA · by **MorpheusPA** » December 27th, 2011, 12:10 pm

It's staring at me...

simpson · by **simpson** » December 27th, 2011, 12:45 pm

Yeah for real that first picture looks like a scuba diver.

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lawnandgarden · by **lawnandgarden** » December 27th, 2011, 1:31 pm

schreibdave wrote:I took a wire wheel to the underside and after seeing the cloud of rust dust and the extent of the rust ... I gave up and put the deck back on the mower. Maybe after this deck rusts through and I get a new mower I will protect it from the start before the rust gets going. Thanks for all the suggestions.

1. Tape your shop vac hose to the deck.
2. Buy two of these: Click here for more information

For the deck, by Rust Encapsulator paint and top coat with chassis black. Stick with it and before you know it the deck will be prepped for painting.

Don't give up so easily!!

schreibdave · by **schreibdave** » December 27th, 2011, 2:44 pm

lawnandgarden wrote:
Don't give up so easily!!

I am the king of tedious, dirty, extended diy projects that yield little in terms of results. But unless I think that taking on this project will get me a better mulching result, I think I will pass.

simpson · by **simpson** » December 27th, 2011, 6:14 pm

To tell the truth I don't think painting is going to help out with mulching. What would help the most is the grass be dry and don't cut that much off. Then just keep the mower clean.

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schreibdave · by **schreibdave** » December 28th, 2011, 10:59 am

simpson wrote:To tell the truth I don't think painting is going to help out with mulching. What would help the most is the grass be dry and don't cut that much off. Then just keep the mower clean.

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That's what I am thinking too. My tractor is a cub cadet with one of those ports on the deck that allows you to attach a hose to it. Completely useless. In fact it probably promotes rust by ensuring that the accumulated grass stays saturated.

Big Cat · by **Big Cat** » January 7th, 2012, 7:36 pm

I agree, the rust busting and painting may not make a HUGE difference in performance, but there's nothing like having a well oiled and greased machine with freshly sharpened Gators!

schreibdave · by **schreibdave** » January 8th, 2012, 12:08 am

Big Cat wrote:I agree, the rust busting and painting may not make a HUGE difference in performance, but there's nothing like having a well oiled and greased machine with freshly sharpened Gators!

Where in Albany are you? I lived in delmar and glenville plus downtown.

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Big Cat · by **Big Cat** » January 26th, 2012, 11:06 pm

Small world schreibdave. I live in Loudonville.

schreibdave · by **schreibdave** » January 28th, 2012, 11:12 am

Big Cat wrote:Small world schreibdave. I live in Loudonville.

Our Lawns should be snow covered right now and their not. At least snow mold won't be a problem.

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Underside of mower deck

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