[OhMyGoat]

What can I apply to the underside of my mower deck to slow/stop the rust, while preventing grass clippings from crusting up under there? One guy suggested undercoating, but he said the finished surface was rough. I would think a rough surface would encourage the clippings to stick.

The deck is a 42" John Deere with 2 blades.

[sleepy]

sand it. Primer/sealer and paint.
a good primer/sealer is hard as a rock and should protect it. The paint will smooth the finish. Just rinse the underside of the deck when you're done mowing. Should work fine.

[b-man]

I'd put 2 coats of POR-15 silver under there, you brush it on since spraying it is dangerous and requires breathing apparatus due to the isocyanates.

The silver has a lot of aluminum ground up in it to help fill and smooth out the low pitted areas on a rusty surface. This stuff is tough and dries hard, almost like powdercating.

Just wire brush off the loose rust and follow the directions, I think you'll be pretty happy with the results.

http://www.por15.com/

[Cammer-6]

I blasted mine and used silver POR-15 a few years ago.
I may pull the deck and inspect later this summer.

[thadeal4real]

Originally Posted by sleepy

Just rinse the underside of the deck when you're done mowing. Should work fine.

lol
I dont do $h1t by the time the deck has issues i just get a new mower

[Stu Norman]

Have you considered a film coating, such as http://www.fluid-film.com/ ?

It prevents rust and keeps the grass from sticking to the deck. You'll probably have to retreat at least once a season.

[OhMyGoat]

I ended up using a product called Slip-Plate. It is graphite paint...very slippery, but sticks to metal. I'll mow for a while, then check to see how well the coating holds up. I now have some additional options to try if the Slip-Plate does not hold up.

[Colin]

I just clean mine frequently and paint it once every 2 years. Its a '98 model that has been mowing 2.5 acres every week since new.

[David Jones]

Ya'll cut different grass than I do. The underside of my mower looks like a grenade went off down there. NO WAY paint would be there more than 2 trips around the yard. A bit of rust would be a pretty good protectant for mine..........
As long as I've been cutting grass and grinding up leaves I've never seen a deck rust through.

[Bnick166]

I worked for John Deere for years.....cleaned and scraper more decks than I care to remember. When I bought my new X595 I removed the deck and scuffed the factory powder coating and had Rhino liner professionally applied....then coated that w/ slip plate. all I can say is that it's a VERY harsh environment under there and virtually everything that I applied is gone....even the powder coating. mostly bae metal now. scrape it out with a razor blaed (inspection sticker scraper) and dump some of the used motoe oil from your last oil change in it and let is sit for a day or so. That'll keep it from rusting as well as anything......lots cheaper too!
do this every month or so and you're deck will last forever.

[ponchbro]

I did my JD 855 deck with POR-15 a few years back. There is no sign of it left!!!!! I just try to keep it clean now!!! P.S. I did prep it correctly.

[GT182]

Sand, dirt, stones and such, won't Leave much POR-15 or paint under there to protect anything.

I clean out the 60" mower deck on my '92 Kubota G-2000 when it gets put away at the end of the mowing season. It's a little marked up on the outside and a bit rusty undeneath, but it's just like a Timex watch..... "Takes a likin' and keeps in tickin'! ". With the metal the mower deck is made out of, it'll be another 20 years before it even starts to rust out. She's more than a Weekend Freedom Machine could ever hope to be.

OhMyGoat.... try some spray on Teflon. But, keep it out of the sand and dirt.

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by ponchbro

I did my JD 855 deck with POR-15 a few years back. There is no sign of it left!!!!! I just try to keep it clean now!!! P.S. I did prep it correctly.

I had a JD 970 mid mount and a bunch of JD lawn tractors between relatives and neighbors.
The best I have found is to blast the bottom to bare steel and use DP-40
yes that REAL EXPOXY gray ( think Navy ships)
Its hard to find now with lead bans and I have used the LF version on mower decks on lawn tractors as of 2 years ago and they looked pretty good last weekend
I have used POR once, sprayed on a BARE metal deck with NO rust and used the metal ready first. About 60% remains after 4 years.
One easy trick that TORO used to have on their aluminum walk behinds is a female hose end welded to the top of the mover deck above the middle of the blade. Screw the garden hose on and run the blades, then off and run the blades more to dry them off.
I think JD may have used this wash out too, but not on the L series, or the LA, tractors that I have seen.
--Formulabruce
JD 990 ,CX300, 8B hoe.. 20 hours..