Scraped the deck...{yuck}.. any thoughts?

[heygrassman]

All:

I had a litte right front discharge problem (yea I know sounds personal) on my 36" Metro, so I did the nasty and scraped the deck.

Should my spindle look like this?? I am not the best at cleaning it off after a wet cut, but I try my best not to cut wet grass.

Also, should I stress over the rust?? I know I should mo-deck'd but it is too late.

Does anyone media blast their deck and repaint in the off season?

TIA

Jeff

[eXmark]

Jeff,

Because I work here at the factory and perform all maintenance to the exact recommendations my spindles have never looked like that. Ya Right.

That's exactly what my spindles look like for the same reasons that yours do. Most of what you see is just the results of decomposed grass. Grass gets a little corrosive as it decomposes, mix in just a little fertilizer and you've got a very nasty pile of moldy, smelly composting goo.

I will generally use a wire wheel on a drill to clean up the underside of my deck over the winter and hit it with a good grade of spray paint to help slow the rusting process and keep the spring grass from sticking.

Thanks

Terry

[lahanko]

It looks to me like the aluminum spindles are corroding or oxidizing and being eaten away, BIG problem with no maintenance aluminum spindles.

[Tony Harrell]

What are you using to lift your deck with?

[Vibe Ray]

I would at least take care of the rust.

[jpzink]

Terry speaks the truth. Even in dry conditions in California and Arizona you will find decks in this shape of worse. I found one that was so caked the clippings had formed (hard) around the blades.

Although it is not recommended that you use a pressure washer, if you are carefull not to spray directly on the spindles, you can clean up the deck. Use a rust inhibiting paint and allow it to dry completely. One sugestion would be to use a spray (available at most dealers) to stop grass from sticking or you could opt to put some Pam Cooking Spray. This will make it easier to clean the deck with a garden hose.

[heygrassman]

Tony, believe it or not it is just a jack stand holding the deck up. This is only a 36" metro.

Thanks to all for the thoughts.

jf