Loading ...Lawn Mower Graphite Undercoating.
About 20 years ago I moved into a new house in Chicago and put sod in the front and seeded the back. For the first year of maintenance I bought a 24 inch rotary mower and since I had just learnt of a paint on graphite coating I decided to try it on the mower to stop grass sticking to the deck. I mowed the year usually in a cloud of dust in the back and at the end of the year I decided to look at the under deck of the mower. To my dismay there was a thick crust of dried mud around the outer under deck. I inserted a screwdriver between the crust and the deck and to my amazement when the crust cracked it fell out leaving some graphite on the deck and some on the crust. The test was a partial success but obviously needed some work. Since I traveled a lot and the lawn had grown in I handed off the cutting to a lawn service the next year.
Prior to introducing Clean Deck Graphite Coating in 2002 we did in house testing and an independent test in Pennsylvania which produced interesting results. What now seems obvious, but had not, was that the grass blades contain sufficient moisture to leave a sticky residue on the coating. This is easily hosed off and needs to be for the best results. Also since patience is not one of my strong points, I learnt the hard way that the first coat needs to bond for at least 24 hours at a temperature of 60F or higher. Following coats only need 6 hours to bond to the graphite coat. Touch-up has greatly diminished has the years progressed. As long as the mower is washed after mowing the coating will perform for a whole season for once a week mowing.
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Stop-Grass-Buildup-Under-Any-Lawn-Mower-Deck
How to Stop Grass Buildup Under Any Lawn Mower Deck
from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Grass Buildup under a lawn mower deck is a pain. It shuts down the mower, leaves clumps of grass on the lawn, changes the air flow so grass tares instaed of cleanly cutting the grass blades and it rusts out the deck. Buildup has always been a problem until now!
Steps
- This Method Will Work for Old or New Mowers of Any Type.
- Remove all grass buildup. Clean off all loose residue and rust flakes. Use a putty knife, a wire brush scrapper and a electric drill with a wire brush attachment. You want to clean down to the metal. Prepare surface the same as you would any surface to be painted. New decks with painted surface sould be lightly sanded to create a bonding surface.
- If your deck is really bad as shown – then yes you have some work ahead of you. But rest assured this will be the Last Time you will ever have to work like this.
- Now that the deck is clean it’s time to paint it. Not with any paint but with CLEAN DECK Graphite by Wilmar graphite Company. Apply a good bonding coat to the entire underside of the mower and even the chute and allow to dry for 24 hours. This will allow the graphite to bond down to the molecular level. Apply a second coat allow it to dry for 6 hours. Now you are ready to go out and mow grass. You find the mower glides over the lawn even in high spots. When you look at underside you will see a thin layer of dust, just rinse it with a hose, don’t worry it’s protected.
- Graphite can be applied to metal, plastic, wood, concrete or most other surfaces to provide a Dry Slippery Surface that will not run, freeze, attract dirt, retard rust or wash off. Applying two coats ensures optimal performance of treated equipment by creating a Smooth Non-Stick Finish that Eliminates Clogging and Reduces Friction.
- Graphite is natural occurring in nature – so it is environmentally friendly.
- Each time you mow with your deck coated with CLEAN DECK Graphite the dust, debris and grass clippings burnish in the graphite for longer lubrication. Check your mower and if needed rinse the dust off underside with a hose.
- At the end of the season apply a fresh coat of CLEAN DECK Graphite and perform all other maintanence.
Tips
- People have suggested cooking spray every time you mow – well read this.
- Sometimes the grass has dew in it, so you could say the cooking spray will keep the moisture away from the deck. That’s a good thing right, but wait what about all that dust that is mixing in with the oil, wearing it off, turning other parts in to gooey mess, trapping dew and moisture that’s in the grass clippings with it! What about the grass clippings wiping the cooking oil off? Ever look at the oil that comes out of your car – yuck! This is the one I think of – When is the last time you had a salad and put dressing on it? Do you remember what happens, the salad sticks to the bowl, so looking at this from a common sense approach do you really think cooking spray is the way to go? Do you really want to clean your lawn mower deck each time before you use it, spray some cooking oil on it and then go cut the grass??? I didn’t think so…
- Use a spray on bed linner – It is designed to create a rough surface that will act just like an untreated deck causing buildup and adding weight to the mower. No the way to go.
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