Will this harm my mower or its engine?

[Mr.Ziffel]

If I hook the front of my deck to a hoist and lift it until the entire mower is standing on end will the engine or hydraulics have a problem?

I want to get good access to the deck of my 72" Toro ZMaster with 27Kawasaki LC engine. Of course I would make sure all caps are screwed on tight and plan to make sure there is very little gas in it, but it has the coolant tank and hydraulic tank and I don't want to have a problem.

This seems to be an easier way to access the underside of the deck for a good cleaning and repaint but I'd appreciate any of you experienced mechanics sharing your concerns or knowledge. Thanks, Will M>

[Jim@MilkyWay]

If I hook the front of my deck to a hoist and lift it until the entire mower is standing on end will the engine or hydraulics have a problem?

I want to get good access to the deck of my 72" Toro ZMaster with 27Kawasaki LC engine. Of course I would make sure all caps are screwed on tight and plan to make sure there is very little gas in it, but it has the coolant tank and hydraulic tank and I don't want to have a problem.

This seems to be an easier way to access the underside of the deck for a good cleaning and repaint but I'd appreciate any of you experienced mechanics sharing your concerns or knowledge. Thanks, Will M>Guys, is this going to risk filling his muffler with oil? Hydros should be ok.
You may want to drain oil and filter, if applicable before proceeding, especially if it will be up for a while.

[Mr.Ziffel]

Thanks for the quick reply. Hadn't thought specifically about 'filling the muffler' but had a vague unease in the back of my mind. A great time to do this would be as I do annual service so I could completely drain oil and filter before I lift, then refill when done. Will M>

[Restrorob]

I would have been more concerned with oil seeping past the rings and filling the cylinders full, Also remove your air filter as the fuel left in the carb. float bowl will drain all over it.
As Jim said the hydro. system should be fine, Just watch the fill cap for leakage.

[noseha]

You 're Going To, Lift Your Mower By The Front Of Your Deck, With A Hoist To Get, "To The Bottom Of Your Deck Better To Clean It".
You Are What We Call A DUMB Person. You Can't Lay Your Self On The Ground And Work On It There. If You Need More Room. You Jack The FRONT of the Mower Up, On The Frame,you may need two jack, first BLOCK the back tires, Use JACK STANDS To Support The Frame! Before You Get Under It! Or TAKE THE DECK OFF!! Coming Up With A Idea Like This,how Have You Made it This Long!!! he said "i will make sure all caps are screwed on tight"

[sheshovel]

No No Noseha..you see if he does it that way


He Won't Have To Lay On The Ground At All !!!


So Who Is The Dumb One Here?

Please Don't Use The Word "We" When You mean "You".

[Jim@MilkyWay]

You 're Going To, Lift Your Mower By The Front Of Your Deck, With A Hoist To Get, "To The Bottom Of Your Deck Better To Clean It".
You Are What We Call A DUMB Person. You Can't Lay Your Self On The Ground And Work On It There. If You Need More Room. You Jack The FRONT of the Mower Up, On The Frame,you may need two jack, first BLOCK the back tires, Use JACK STANDS To Support The Frame! Before You Get Under It! Or TAKE THE DECK OFF!! Coming Up With A Idea Like This,how Have You Made it This Long!!! he said "i will make sure all caps are screwed on tight"Noseha, are you _absolutely certain_ your idea is the best way for a complete clean-up and paint job of the under-deck?:confused:

[noseha]

paint job under your deck, i forgot about that! tell me what color is the best for under your deck?

[sheshovel]

noseha, don't you think an apology is in order first?

[Jim@MilkyWay]

paint job under your deck, i forgot about that! tell me what color is the best for under your deck?What does that have to do with such a dumb comment?:confused:

[TAZ]

I wouldn't hoist it so it was up at that much of an angle. Most people just jack the front up with a small jack or hoist to gain enough access to change the blades or clean the deck. If you are going to be doing that much work on the deck it's best to drop it. What I used to do with my old Toro is pull the pins and bolts. Let the deck rest on the ground. You can push in the hydro bypass's on the drives. Pick the front of the mower up and roll it just behind the deck. Engage the packing brake and lift the front of the deck until it leans back on the front of the unit. Then you can do what you need cleaning and paint wise.

-TAZ

[noseha]

come on! is this the dumbest thing you have heard of in a long, long time, tell me if i'm wrong! ?yes if i'm right or no if i'm wrong?

[lawnmaniac883]

come on! is this the dumbest thing you have heard of in a long, long time, tell me if i'm wrong! ?yes if i'm right or no if i'm wrong?


That isnt dumb at all man. Give the guy a break, he is using common cense instead of laying on the ground.

I wouldnt bother painting the underside of the deck to tell you the truth, most paints that arent baked on will not hold up very long.

[Jim@MilkyWay]

If I hook the front of my deck to a hoist and lift it until the entire mower is standing on end....This seems to be an easier way to access the underside of the deck for a good cleaning and repaint .... Thanks, Will M>Will
You might not believe this, but I am giving serious thought to the best way of hoisting my (_OLD_) flat-bed trailer onto it's side to blast and paint.
It sounds kind of scary to me, even though I would make sure it was all safe before proceeding.
Will probably use a backhoe to lift.

[Jim@MilkyWay]

That isnt dumb at all man. Give the guy a break, he is using common cense instead of laying on the ground.

I wouldnt bother painting the underside of the deck to tell you the truth, most paints that arent baked on will not hold up very long.What if you did it every year; wouldn't it make deck under carriage slicker.
And then, spray with your favorite and mine, Fluid Film!
That's what I'm talking about.
You could even get a free T for doing so; just kidding.:laugh:

[jdramr4]

I use a jungle jack and It works great.

[ChadsLawn]

Will
You might not believe this, but I am giving serious thought to the best way of hoisting my (_OLD_) flat-bed trailer onto it's side to blast and paint.
It sounds kind of scary to me, even though I would make sure it was all safe before proceeding.
Will probably use a backhoe to lift.

Be careful Jim, too much of an angle you may seep air out of the tires or your brake lights may come out of alignment.:hammerhead: :hammerhead:

Anyways, I dont think your mower needs to be that steep of an angle. I jacked mine up, Put it on jack stands, then put a sinder block on the jack and jacked it up until the back frame was almost touching the ground. Did have to lay down, I could sit and clean the deck that way. Nothing leaked out either.

[Jim@MilkyWay]

Be careful Jim, too much of an angle you may seep air out of the tires or your brake lights may come out of alignment.:hammerhead: :hammerhead:

Anyways, I dont think your mower needs to be that steep of an angle. I jacked mine up, Put it on jack stands, then put a sinder block on the jack and jacked it up until the back frame was almost touching the ground. Did have to lay down, I could sit and clean the deck that way. Nothing leaked out either.What??
Are you telling me, that I have been lifting my entire boat and trailer, 47-1/2ft into the air, to dangle the back of the trailer just off the ground, in order to drain water out of the tail lights for nothing??
I am appalled!:laugh:

[sheshovel]

come on! is this the dumbest thing you have heard of in a long, long time, tell me if i'm wrong! ?yes if i'm right or no if i'm wrong?
Nope heard dummer. So NO!

[steve45]

There is one ZTR, (residential Snapper, I believe) that is designed to stand on it's tail for cleaning.

Not a dumb question by any means!

[Restrorob]

come on! is this the dumbest thing you have heard of in a long, long time, tell me if i'm wrong! ?yes if i'm right or no if i'm wrong?


NO.......You are wrong. :dizzy:

LawnSite is not a BASHING forum so If you can't post positively maybe you shouldn't post. :nono:

[Mr.Ziffel]

WOW!! I check back on my question of this morning only to find out that apparently I'm an idiot for trying to make my life easier!! LOL!! Actually I find the guy's comments kind of funny and see that he obviously hasn't seen any of the threads where many folks are indeed talking about painting the undersides of their decks in an attempt to slick 'em up to stop grass sticking which can be a real problem here in very wet Western Washington.

Actually, I was laying under my deck the other day [I used a Jungle Jack for years on my Lazer but the Toro has a really neat built-in "Z-stand" and the rolled edge of the deck won't let me use the Jungle Jack] chipping off with a chisel a build up of an adobe-like material - I mean this stuff was tough, just like bricks. You see I maintain a 40+ acre horse farm which includes a variety of dogs, llamas, alpacas and yes horses. I've been mowing extra low this past week after aerating, getting ready to overseed and apparently the combination of stray amounts of animal $hit and chopped up core plugs turned the bottom of my deck into one great big cinder block!
So Mr. I-forget-your-name-but-remember-you-think-I'm-dumb, I bet if it had been you instead of me under that deck that you'd be looking for an easier way also.

I noticed a long forgotten spray can of a silvery graphite based product [SlipKote?] packaged for John Deere which I had bought years ago and was made to make farm equipment bins slipprier so grain wouldn't stick to them. The JD dealer suggested that many people had used it on the bottom of their mower decks but I had never wanted to go to the trouble of doing it until my experience of the other day, which is why I asked my original question.

I was laying there [even up on the Z-stand you still have to lay on the ground] thinking of an easier way when I noticed that if I took off the front pair of clearance wheels that I had a perfect attachment point to hook a chain and just pick it straight up so now we're back to my question and I thank you all [yes, even you] for your comments, answers and ideas.

And for those who haven't heard of painting under their decks [do a search there are some great products available] wait until you hear about how I just spent a half hour waxing the hopper of my spreader with paste floor wax! I was complaining to my neighboring dairy farmer about how the grass seed wasn't flowing well and he told me of this old farmer's trick, which I'm sure you think is also pretty stupid, but guess what? It solved my problem!
Thanks all, Will M>

[noseha]

I Got A Flat Tire Last Night. So I Drain My Gas And Oil,screw On All My Cap. And Flop The Truck Over To Make Changing The Tire Easier. Boy I'm Glad I Don't Have To Get On The Ground, I Painted The Back Of The Rim So Dirt Will Wish Off Easier. YOU HAVE TO CLEAN YOUR DECK DO YOU REALLY THINK PAINT MAKES IT EASIER. YOU ASKED A QUESTION BUT NOW IN DAYS YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT FEELINGS. AND THIS IS A FEEL GOOD WEB SITE. I LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD. SEND ME PIC.

[TAZ]

I noticed a long forgotten spray can of a silvery graphite based product [SlipKote?] packaged for John Deere which I had bought years ago and was made to make farm equipment bins slipprier so grain wouldn't stick to them. The JD dealer suggested that many people had used it on the bottom of their mower decks but I had never wanted to go to the trouble of doing it until my experience of the other day, which is why I asked my original question.


Mybe you will have better luck than I did with those products. I used "slip plate" http://217.172.161.215/products/index.php?id_ctg=190 years back. It was messy and didn't do crap for me when it came to keeping the deck cleaner or aiding in cleaning it. I have my best luck after cutting wet grass and getting at it right afterwards but if it works for you great.

-TAZ

[Dano50]

Try Fluid Film (http://www.eurekafluidfilm.com). It will help in keeping the deck slicker, especially over time, but it will also help keep corrosion at bay with all that manure you've got going on. We sell a lot of Fluid Film to poultry farms for that problem.

[khouse]

I always am looking for two of those air powered bumper jacks (cheap/used)to lift the front and rear of the mower up. heck you could get it 3 feet off the ground! i guess when i hit the lottery i'll get them.

[Jim@MilkyWay]

LawnSite is not a BASHING forum so If you can't post positively maybe you shouldn't post. :nono:I appologize to all.
I think those dern mushrooms I had yesterday and the day before, may have been going bad, or _EXCEPTIONALLY_ good,,,or sumpin'. Anyway, I'm glad the moderators chose not to gag me.