[dwost]

Easy boys, this was simply some findings for others to ponder........wasn't supposed to start a fight

To mdlwn, I understand what you are asking but it really isn't all that expensive. You don't need to coat the deck "daily" I'd say scrape when you need to and maybe apply a light coat monthly. It also depends on the type of grass you are cutting too. Being in Jersey you are cutting the same stuff I am. I also "know" how to grow grass and actually cut every other day (when it's not pouring down rain) so I also know how to typically make it a "non issue" but sometimes (as I stated above) when forced you have to deal with some serious cleanup. This just flat out works to eliminate the mess that once caused a problem this time of year. Take it for what it's worth, just thought this may help others out that deal with the mess when forced to cut in less than ideal conditions.

 

[MS_SURVEYOR]

I'll say this. This ole southern boy mowing nasty Bahia, bad azz weeds, to lush St Augustine grass has seen a big difference as almost to the same point as dwost. Been fighting deck build up for over 20 years. I've never seen anything like Fluid Film. What use to be a chore after every mow is now a blessing. As dwost said. Just a spot or 2 around the baffles, and 1 spot at the discharge chute where it has a sharp curve. These spots seem to be dirt rather than grass build up. I just pop them loose in one piece almost like their really not binded to the deck at all. All the metal under the deck is shinny clean. And all it takes is about 2 minutes to clean the deck and spray some Fluid Film on the under side of the deck. I bought 2 cans after I used the free sample. I'm still on my first can. The gent at the John Deere dealership said more poultry farmers use Fluid Film than grass mowers. He said they swear by the stuff to keep their feed chutes clean and flowing, and to protect any exposed metal from corrosion. Well the stuff works pretty darn good under my mower deck. PM the Fluid Film rep this site, and get a free sample.

 

[grassman177]

Once you learn to grow grass to the apropriate height..you stop spending money trying to figure out how to deal with all that grass....cause there just wont be enough to cause a problem.

it is not hard to see that this comment is easily misconstrued to being very negative, harsh and a bit rude.

this is what my post refered to, please re read and consider anothers point of view while reading and you should understand why i thought you were a bit over the top to a newbie/solo op guy.

 

[Dano50]

Nice thread! Thanks for the good feedback and application info!

 

[FastMan]

Dano, your instructions say the deck needs to be squeaky clean before applying. You SHOULD be very grateful for this thread. Squeaky clean sounded like a pain, this sounds easy. I may give it a go, now knowing I can just scrape and spray, and still get good results.

 

[dwost]

Dano, your instructions say the deck needs to be squeaky clean before applying. You SHOULD be very grateful for this thread. Squeaky clean sounded like a pain, this sounds easy. I may give it a go, now knowing I can just scrape and spray, and still get good results.

That's all I did. In fact as I mentioned when I did the first application it actually penetrated the caked on grass and when I went to scrape it most of it had already fallen off and I was left with shiny metal! Crazy good stuff. My recommendation would be for your first app to let it sit at least overnight before you mow. Give it plenty of time to soak in.

 

[nepatsfan]

After reading a lot about this and gettting a small sample can in the mail I went to the john deere dealer grabbed a 1 gallon can of ff and two spray cans for hard to reach areas, cleaned the decks and applied it liberally with the deck totally dry. We let it sit overnight and started cutting the next day. I gotta say I wasn't totally impressed. We still have build up under the decks, and a decent amount of it. The verdict is still out but initial results I am a little disapointed that I drove 40 minutes and spent 60 bucks on the stuff. I did stop at kfc across the street though and got a double down. Man those things are good.

 

[Larry Overcash]

I also went a got a can at the local John Deere dealership. After reading this thread it made me want to atleast try it. I gotta say, it works pretty good for me. I cleaned under my deck and sprayed the whole can on it. I let it sit over-night, ang got up the next day to mow. At the end of the day there was very little build-up of grass on the bottom of the deck. And when i started mowing the grass was pretty wet. I just knew there was gonna be build-up, but there wasn't. I thought the price of the stuff was kinda high, it was almost $10 for the can. But after using it, i feel it was worth it...Good stuff...

 

[59298]

I don't think there is an equivelant.

 

[59298]

where can I buy this stuff or the equivalent?????????????

I don't think there is an equivalent.:usflag:

 

[MS_SURVEYOR]

After reading a lot about this and gettting a small sample can in the mail I went to the john deere dealer grabbed a 1 gallon can of ff and two spray cans for hard to reach areas, cleaned the decks and applied it liberally with the deck totally dry. We let it sit overnight and started cutting the next day. I gotta say I wasn't totally impressed. We still have build up under the decks, and a decent amount of it. The verdict is still out but initial results I am a little disapointed that I drove 40 minutes and spent 60 bucks on the stuff. I did stop at kfc across the street though and got a double down. Man those things are good.

What brand mower?

 

[PPS.inc]

I have used it on one of my 2 dixie choppers. We unload both tractor to use at most jobs(unless it a single account and a small one where it makes sense to cut and have one person whip) The deck that has it applied always has less to scrape. this stuff wrks.

 

[M.A.Landscaping]

ill have to give it a shot, where do you get fluid film any way?

 

[MS_SURVEYOR]

I get mine at a John Deere dealership. Kind of pricey but worth it for me.

Dano50 sent me a free sample,

.http://www.lawnsite.com/member.php?u=37309

 

[nepatsfan]

What brand mower?

scags everride bobcat

 

[dwost]

Hi all,

Figured I'd let the pictures do the talking. It has been a full month since I've scraped the deck from my last application of FF. I grabbed the camera and figured I'd post up some pics of what it looks like pre and post scraping. Here are my findings. First off, again there was very little build up on the deck. It was comparable to what I found the last time. The only difference I noticed is where I did have to scrape it was a little harder to remove but not by much. The thing that still blows me away is there are areas where the deck is absolutely spotless. The metal is shiny. You will see this in the pics. Overall I'm now completely sold on this method. This really is a great product!

Before scraping: Check out the last two pics of the clean metal!

What came off:

Clean:

Blades: Check out how clean they stayed as well. Some buildup on the tops but the foils were spotless.

 

[grassman177]

Sorry mate but there are to many variable for this to be a true test. Dont mean to sound like an azzhole if thats how this reads!

You need 2 of the same mowers, set up the same, one sprayed, one not. Run each mower on same property at same time cutting same grass. If the fluid film deck is clean and the other isnt, then that is a true indication that FF has worked.

i am doing this to start out 2011. we have three new grandstands and i am going to treat one deck from the get go with FF and see how they progress into the lush spring vs each other.

THis wil let me know instantly if the use of it for these mowers is worth it or not. some mowers dont really benefit from it, others will, different grasses and environments. we cut some of the lushest sappy grass of the US here in the midwest region where we grow bluegrass, fescue and mixes of the two most often.

gator blades are THE ABSOLUTE WORST blades you could use on a mower here in spring. theya re best for early spring and all fall long for grinding leaves and debri or even bagging to increase per volume .

 

[sjessen]

i am doing this to start out 2011. we have three new grandstands and i am going to treat one deck from the get go with FF and see how they progress into the lush spring vs each other.

You may want to run the test until after the paint is worn off the bottom of the deck on the other two mowers. Usually it doesn't stick when its first new.

 

[grassman177]

I,was thinking the same thinb
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[Dogbonz]

If they are Brand New,,, how bout using a good auto wax under there.? or a Teflon paint sealant. would work the same as automotive style paints. then as you loose the paint,, switch over to FF.