Lawn Mower Deck Cleaning:Is it okay to clean with water?

When you are finished mowing, you may think that you are done with your lawn tractor and you just go put it away, however this is not proper lawn care maintenance. Before you put your mower away you need to clean out the cutting area of your deck, whether by a scraper or with water. I have heard many legends over the years on how you can't clean a deck with water, it will ruin the bearings, but that is not the case.

Many manufacturers John Deere, MTD, Cub Cadet and several others offer a hose hookup for your lawn tractor. All you need to do is screw the hose into the adapter and turn on the water. Then start the PTO on your lawnmower and let it clean the deck out for you. This eliminates rust from the acid in the grass and also helps to make a better cut on your yard. These adapters can be retro fit to older lawn and garden equipment as well.

John Deere offers a GX22425 adapter for $3.24, a GX22426 port plate for $2.96 and a metric self tapping screw (37M7089) for $.34. For less than the cost of a decent meal you can have a easy way to save your investment that is your lawn tractor. You will need to drill a hole for the adapter to fit in the deck. Click the following link

LA105 John Deere Power Clean Instructional Video

Do it yourself Idea: Take some PVC 1/2" Pipe and cut it to length to fit your deck (i.e.: if you areg going for 54" then 54" of pipe should be cut. Cap off one end and put a hose connector on the other. Then you drill holes facing upward on it to create a multi-fountain that will spray. Drive your tractor over the piece of pvc and turn it on and then you have a clean deck.

Any other ideas that you have? Tell me about them.