How do you clean your mower?

[PLS-Tx]

We blow ours off with the BR600's @ the end of every day. Other than that they might get rained on sometimes. Lol
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[290]

I used to be a technician at a local dealer and we power washed every piece of equipment we worked on. It was part of any service we did unless it was an emergency repair. I got laid off when the economy took a poo and now i run my own lawn co. Before being a tech i worked in lawn care for 15 years so i know what im talking about.

YOU NEED TO WASH YOUR MACHINE!

Grass gets packed into the cooling fins of your air cooled engine and will cause it to overheat without giving you any signs that its happening. You need to have your engine running and take the hose to the fan screen and let the water flow under the shroud to clean it out. It may stall or or sputter and this is normal. I try to do this once a week. As long as you keep water from getting into the intake you will be fine. Also if you let your engine warm up before you do this it will dry off faster when your done.

Those worried about electrical issues. The only thing you have to worry about is the spark plugs grounding and not getting spark to the combustion chamber because they are wet. Let it sit for 10/15 minutes or blow the engine off with a blower and it will start fine. If you are still having issues then there is something else wrong with your mower. These machines are made to be out in the weather and the electrical system is built for this. Its not rust/water that causes electrical problems its more likely dirt or a broken wire/connection.

Your spindle castings are made out of aluminum for a reason. To take heat away from the bearings. If they are covered in grass they cant do their job and the bearings overheat. Most spindles are non grease-able these days (which i dont understand) so you left with what is inside the bearings. When this burns away due to overheating your spindle bearings dont have long before they fail.

Some mowers dont use hydro coolers but rather use large reservoirs for cooling. This cant happen if its covered in mud or surrounded by grass.

Also things wear out faster when they are dirty and example would be your control lever pivot blocks. Im sure we have all driven a mower with loose controls. The same goes for the linkage responsible for raising and lowering your deck.

[290]

Originally Posted by WoodlandAM

My Scag dealer has cleaned the mower when in for service and he claims he sprays it down with a special chemical/degreaser that he wont tell me and then just hoses it off.

This guy is so full of poo it should be coming out of his ears. Hes using whatever degreaser the company they get their chems from sells them nothing more nothing less.

What we used and wish i had was a heated pressure washer. That and some degreaser would take most anything off and i bet they have a similar setup.

[TenderCareLawnService]

Agree 100% with "290" on all points mentioned.

[Pennington Lawncare]

I do not suggest getting water anywhere near the spindles. If they are warm the water will wick the water right into the bearing area and they won't be long for this world. I've had this happen on a couple occasions right after I washed the deck on my Bob-Cat and it has sealed bearings but, they aren't sealed well enough when it comes to water near the spindles. I just use the blower on all areas of the mower and barely use water near the deck. I think I'll try the water on the engine shroud like 290 suggested though for the engine cooling fins. I did notice a little build up on my engine cooling fins the other day and tried my compressor on them but, I'm not sure it did much good.

[caseysmowing]

[ Most spindles are non grease-able these days (which i dont understand) so you left with what is inside the bearings. When this burns away due to overheating your spindle bearings dont have long before they fail.

Just another reason I bought scags.!!!! I tried some honda motorcycle cleaner the other day on the caster wheels and front deck works great and leaves alittle wax on it when you are done.

[Mickhippy]

I rarely wash my machines, maybe once a season or so. Water is the enemy as far as Im concerned. Right now, my new SZ looks older then my old one that Ive cleaned up for sale.

That said, I blow down with compressed air almost every day before use especially the hydro cooling system and around the wheel motors, engine etc.

When I do wash it, I use a degreaser and pressure wash being very careful around spindles (put a rag over them) and electrical. I then get soapy water and a brush for those stubborn spots, quick pressure wash again and then wipe everything down with either WD40 or FF. WD40 or FF really helps getting rid of stains etc.
Like I said, I rarely wash but when I do I make it worth while.

[Kidmows]

I dont personally own any zero turns but another company I work for on the side has 2 60" Lazer Zs and a 72 Lazer Z. Most of the time we just put thm on the jungle jack and go under the deck with a spackle knife and scrape it