# Tips for Rust underneath mower



## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

I'm interested in tips on getting rid of and preventing rust on mowers.

My mowers seem to love rust. I've lost three sets of blades on my zero turn to rust, and at least two blades on my pushmower.
Usually I catch the rust before I mow, but not always. It's not a great feeling knowing that you may end up hurting your grass when you mow.

I frequently use a putty knife to clean underneath the deck (at least once a month, usually more). I wipe my blades down to get rid of any moisture. I don't cut when blades are wet...
And still rust is a problem.

I have soaked metal pieces in vinegar, and that helps take rust off, but that is not a viable option for larger pieces.

So, does anyone have tips for dealing with rust on mowing equipment?

Silicone-based products (I believe) are sometimes marketed to help with collecting clippings underneath the deck. I'm not sure if that might help or not.


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## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

I think surface rust will be common on all equipment like this due to the friction of cutting but if the rust is heavier than that it may require help. In the tractor world especially and others people love a product called "fluid film". Its also used by many truckers. Its sort of a wax that is sprayed on and seals out moisture. I don't think it would do well under a deck though due out the debris embedding in but I could be wrong. How deep is the rust you are having a problem with?

Also is the gear stored inside or out?


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

@silvercymbal the rust is mostly at the surface, as far as I can tell, so there is no real depth there at all.
The mowers are kept inside an attached garage. There is never water on the floor.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Looks like there are several YouTube videos of people trying fluid film on mowers, so that is definitely something I will look into


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Clean it. Strip it with paint thinner or sand blast it. Then use a prime and paint it.


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## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

social port said:


> Looks like there are several YouTube videos of people trying fluid film on mowers, so that is definitely something I will look into


The fluid film is good stuff. I have grown to like the smell of it Even all my commercial stuff though gets a little surface rust, drives me crazy too but I haven't ever seen it go through at all so I think you will be ok. But maybe the FF will be the easy solution.


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

social port said:


> I'm interested in tips on getting rid of and preventing rust on mowers.


Well, since you asked ...

I clean the underside of my push mower after EVERY use. Started doing so as taught when I was 8 or 9 and I can't remember all a time I've ever put a push mower up without doing so in the ensuing 50 years:

2 small blocks of wood under the metal edge of the mower, inside the wheels and opposite the gas tank side (to keep from bending the wheels off their "axle" pins (ask me how I learned to start preventing that! :lol: First, use an old metal putty knife to get excess out from under mower and the hinged bagger port followed by a small sweep broom with stiff bristles which I've taken the handle off of. Once done underneath, use that small broom (or a leaf blower) to sweep off the entire upper assembly. Anywhere there're grass clippings, they get removed.

Whole process takes less than 5-minutes and lack of rust (and white powder mildew!) under my mower deck and elsewhere in my equipment storage area makes it 1,000 x worth those 3-4 minutes following wash mow session.

Thanks to a Sani Dri area-dehumidifier, there is not enough moisture to "initiate" rust - on its own - where I store my equipment; therefore; any rust that occurs is the result of moisture "brought in" on / under the mower when I bring it into the equipment area to store it ... grass clippings.

Having only learned about it within the last year or so from the pwc community, I ... absolutely .. LOVE Fluid Film BUT! I found out "wet" surfaces actually attract more crap than dry so, as much as I rely upon Fluid Film for coating areas that are going to be "wet" from use (jet ski internals, etc.) i always store my mowers and such as "clean" (of grass clippings) as possible - and dry.

Best o' Success on Winning your rust battle - I'm pretty Type A - If I ever had so much rust on any equipment I had to take it down to bare metal to prime and re-paint it, well, that's drive me crazy (short trip for me though! :lol:


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

thanks for the input, everyone. It sounds like I am not the only one with their eye on rust. @silvercymbal , it sounds like you are saying that some surface rust is virtually inevitable on your mowers. That leads me to wonder how common minor rust is and why we don't all have rust issues in our lawns.

So, based on this input, I think I'm going to
1. Invest in some Fluid Film to see how my mowers respond to it
2. Follow 440mag and clean under the deck after every mow. I'll also get something with stiff bristles to take out what I miss with the putty knife
3. Think pretty seriously about g-man's under-the-deck reno on my pushmower (that's not something I want to take on with the zero turn). It's going to be winter anyway, so that would be a good side project.


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## vettetrm (Apr 7, 2018)

You do realize lawn rust isn't caused by rust on your mower. Right?
Some "surface rust" on your mower blades is a non-issue. Most of it is gone after mowing a pass or two. Only rust on lawnmower blades I would be concerned about is "deep rust" like you left your blades outside for a year or two and you can't easily sharpen it off the blade edges (pitted). You can also get "deep rust" on your mower deck if you put it away for the winter wet and don't clean it.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

vettetrm said:


> You do realize lawn rust isn't caused by rust on your mower. Right?


No. I thought that rust originates from rusty equipment and then spreads further into the lawn whenever it is disturbed.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

social port said:


> vettetrm said:
> 
> 
> > You do realize lawn rust isn't caused by rust on your mower. Right?
> ...


I can't tell if this is sarcasm...


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> social port said:
> 
> 
> > vettetrm said:
> ...


 :lol: I've been accused of having a wry sense of humor many times, but this is not an instance. I really was misinformed. I remember reading about people finding rust on their grass and then making a plan to clean their equipment so that the problem didn't get worse.
You don't know what you don't know, and you don't know how wrong you are about what you do know. :?

No disrespect at all intended for @vettetrm . That was an error in my knowledge base, and he alerted me to it.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

social port said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > social port said:
> ...


Oh. cool. Good to clarify! Lawn rust is a fungus. Rust on the mower is metal which is reacting to the oxygen in the air and oxidizing or corroding. Metal which oxidizes isn't a fungus. The fungus sticks to the mower blades or inner parts and gets spread around as you mow. Two separate things even though they are both spelled 'rust'. It probably would have helped to name it something else... Saying, "I've got rust in my mower," is just too confusing! :lol:


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Oh. cool. Good to clarify! Lawn rust is a fungus. Rust on the mower is metal which is reacting to the oxygen in the air and oxidizing or corroding. Metal which oxidizes isn't a fungus. The fungus sticks to the mower blades or inner parts and gets spread around as you mow. Two separate things even though they are both spelled 'rust'. It probably would have helped to name it something else... Saying, "I've got rust in my mower," is just too confusing!


SJL, thanks for clarifying this for me :thumbup: . It sounds like I should not be as bothered about a small amount of rust on my mower or blades; but I should perhaps try to wipe off my blades after I mow grass that is infected with rust disease.


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## 95mmrenegade (Jul 31, 2017)

Google POR-15


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

95mmrenegade said:


> Google POR-15


Thanks! That stuff looks like a winner. I think I'm going to invest. I'm hoping that it might cut down on the buildup of grass underneath the deck as well. Just a hope.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

If you choose to paint or powder coat it, of course, sanding down to bare metal and making sure there isn't any more rust is important. What stinks about the deck rusting is the application. The blades will fling sticks and rocks as well as wet grass or salt from fert onto the deck. That constant pelting of material against the deck acts like a sand blaster. Eventually, it'll wear off the paint or powder coat. It's a constant battle. Do your best to reduce moisture and salt contacting the deck as that accelerates rust. Don't mow wet grass and don't mow after you spray fert. Scrape and rinse the deck if you do mow wet or recently ferted the grass.

For me, I don't bother and figure that after 10 years, I'll replace the mower. I try not to mow wet grass and if I do, I scrape the deck. The rust on my deck doesn't seem to corrode enough of the material to lose the structural integrity of the deck. You may feel differently if you spent thousands on your mower instead of a few hundred though... If you have a smaller lawn, you could buy the plastic honda deck mower and not worry about rust.

POR-15 is good stuff! You can paint it on with a brush too. It's common to do that on roll cages and under bodies.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> I try not to mow wet grass and if I do, I scrape the deck.


This is my strategy as well; it just seems like the rust comes anyway. 
Given that the rust on my mower isn't actually hurting my grass, I am less concerned about it. That also explains why everyone isn't talking about preventing and getting rid of rust on mowers. 
It sounds like it is a common problem and, outside of its effects on the mower, it is not something I should be worried about. I just want healthy and happy grass!

All that being said, I'm going to try the POR-15 
and thanks for this great tip


Suburban Jungle Life said:


> You can paint it on with a brush too


and for all the other info here, SJL.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

:thumbup: It's gonna look brand new under there! Pics or it didn't happen...


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