Using A Mower Deck Washout Port On A John Deere Garden Tractor. Same for Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, Toro
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- See how a washout port works on a John Deere garden tractor. These mower deck washout ports are commonly found on all John Deere mower decks and many other brands including Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, Kubota, Craftsman, and more! Watch this video to see just how effective a mower deck washout port is at removing grass and debris build up. Is it worth spending the time to use the washout port?
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I live in a low area that is slow to dry out. If the grass is wet at all it will clog up the deck to the point I have to stop and clear it out. By the time I’m done there is several inches of build grass under the deck. I tried using the water hose attachment with the deck at the bottom and blades running full throttle. Didn’t work. I made low spot on the ground around back 3 to 4 inches deep. I fill up the depression with water and drove my mower into it with hose attached and water running. I lower the deck with blades running into the water and it’s amazing how much crap comes out. It had to be able to suck up the water to clean my deck. Works great. It sealed the edges so the mower had to suck up the water instead of air. Works every time.
I have a Cub Cadet zero-turn that has a washout port on both sides of the deck. I use them always after I get done mowing, they work well for me. You can tell that they are working by the amount of green spray that shoots out of the discharge when cleaning.
I liked the video. But my experience is a little bit different. And after viewing your video and reading the comments, I may have to re-evaluate my conclusions. My habit is to clean up my lawn tractor once each winter. Among the usual things of course is cleaning under the deck,
Three years ago I replaced my 12 year-old tractor with a new model which included a wash-out port. I used the port after each mowing for about 3 or 4 minutes. During the course of doing my annual clean-up/tune-up I noticed that the underside of the deck was remarkably cleaner than my older machine.
Of course I reasoned that it was cleaner because of the wash-out port.
Two years after I purchased my new machine, my next door neighbor purchase a new (almost) identical machine. During the mowing season we talked about the performance of our machines and during the course of these conversations, he mentioned that he never bothered with washing out his machine. Two weeks ago I was doing my winter maintenance and offered to do his machine also (I have a heated garage and winch and he doesn't). He gratefully agreed.
There was a remarkable difference between his and mine. Not that his was that difficult to clean, but enough of a difference to convince me that washing out after every mowing was worth the effort.
Just so you know, the water port is a quick connect fitting that comes off for easier connection to the water hose. Also you can clear grass clippings out of fitting very easily with it off. It simply pulls up like a quick connect air fitting on a compressor.
I have a X739 with a 54” deck with mulching option. If you start with a clean deck, and do this right after EVERY time you mow, it will stay clean. Instead of running the wash for a set time, run it until the water runs clear; time will vary depending on the accumulations. The wash port will not clean dried on accumulations. The water only sprays into the left-most blade area and you need the deck lowered all the way to help the blades work the water all the way across the deck.
The thing with the wash out port is you have to start with a clean deck before you mow and then use the wash out port every time your done mowing for the day. If you let the clipping turn into that hard caked on layer, the wash out port doesn’t work at all
Good point. It did get rid of a little of the caked on build up, but there wasn't much to begin with.
Does work good if you clean every time . Hot water helps a lot, too.
Honestly who has this much time?
@@fredpattywright6325 I like to keep my investments looking sharp. I'm as picky with my lawn mower as I am with my washer and dryer (all major appliances) and car. My old washer was 15 years old and looked like it had just been bought when we junked it. I make the time to make them last longer
@@fredpattywright6325 well if you dont clean it at all, then it will rust out your deck
The hose was plugged up . The water should have been gushing out all around the bottom of the deck . You have next to no water flowing . I use mine after each cut and it makes a river of green goo . They work good as long as you do it right and often .
That is the saddest water pressure I have ever seen.
That’s what I was thinking. He only had a trickle of water coming out of the hose. No wonder it didn’t do much.
This.
I used my cleanout port once and the amount of stuff that came out of it was impressive (with water pressure, that is)
Local SW Michigan guy here, actually used to work in Kzoo. I sell deere and tell all my customers it's only usefull if you use it after every single mow to prevent build up, also using a good graphite lube before hand really helps. After using it, you want to run it for a while without the water to get rid of that moisture you created under the deck. Those X7's are beautiful mowers, lawn looks great too!
Hey Hunter, good stuff! Yeah, I've heard about the graphite lube as well. That seems like it could be a worthwhile investment. Thanks for watching!
For the price of these mowers you'd think they would line then with plastic
I have a X300 and in the spring I used the wash out port, about the same as you, I have about 115 hours on mind. If I had a 1025R, I would put a chain on the loader and pick up so you can us a power washer. Thank you for your video.
Did you see Rosie's reaction? Even she knew you were wasting your time! LoL. Good video!
Haha, yeah she's probably smarter than me :)
Good video buddy never had lawnmower that the water hose hooked to the deck that worked very good thanks for the video's
Your John Deere might be slightly different than mine but for my S100 the process we use to is run the water for a couple minute if you have old dried out grass caked on to soften it. Then run 2 - 5 minutes with the blades engaged. I always disconnect the rear bagger from the discharge chute before doing deck washing. Green slime usually comes out when I wash. Always best to wash with every mowing. I also use my leaf blower over everything to get all dust and debris off of it before doing the deck washing. I've had my S100 mower over a year now and it looks showroom spotless. Wish I knew a way to adjust the seat even closer than the slide lets us. I guess they think everyone using their mowers is tall. It's super hard to drive in reverse for me being vertically challenged.
YES, those ports work GREAT! If used everytime, or almost everytime, you'll never have buildup. BUT, I also use a longer wand that also angles that i spray from the outside edge (and underneath) of the deck. Stays clean as a whistle.
We have a X 304 with a 1000 hours on it , my wife cuts the grass does it right away every time she uses it and it's surprising how clean the deck is.
I Also have a 1025r with à 60" deck same story between the two of us we cut 3 acres of grass.
Just to make sure you are aware - there is a quick connector on the washout port that is easily removed (the green and black part). I keep mine off. I’m not a big fan of the washout port either, by the way.
This is like one of those Amazon reviews where the person complains that something doesn't work the way they WANT it to work rather than using it they way it's DESIGNED to work. You could complain after spending a day driving nails with a screwdriver that it was a poor design, but using it to drive screws is what is designed to do. Perhaps Good Works Tractors could re-run this test with the full water flow that the port is designed to deliver. Those commenters noting the failure of GWT to understand the function and operation of the quick-disconnect hose coupling are right on target!
Haha alrighty Dan. Yeah, I’m an idiot, got me! 👍
I drove the John Deere 2720 with 62” deck over a pile of wood chips one day . Going around in a circle for two minutes too level them down at edge of property .When I pulled the deck off too put away and use the tractor for other work . The deck was spotless . We keep a pile at the end of property for the John Deere x now . When mowing heavy wet grass just head too the pile for quick clean or need a good cleaning before putting away awesome !!! 👍 Are those the G6 Oregon gator blades your using . We have them on the x deck and there performance is unreal . I will Never go back too regular blades👍
EOSJOE 👍👍👍
@@eosjoe565 Same here with the chestnut tree husks. I have a bunch of hickory trees in one corner of my pasture and they do a great job of scouring the deck clean. If I mow and the grass is damp and sticky, I'll usually drive down in the pasture and run around in the old hickory shells. Saves lots of time scraping the deck.
Good video thanks....FYI, you said you didn't have much under your deck. You have a very nice, well kept 'Lawns. Like me there are a lot of people who live in rural areas and we have 'Yards'. The difference can make it so the deck can actually have a good amount of grass build up underneath. I mow my yard. I don't manicure it. Thanks for the video.
You’ll find that you want to use this feature when the grass in the deck is still wet. Once the grass has dried, you’ll need to scrape it clean. It’s meant to be done after most uses when the clippings are wet. If your lawn is usually dry, you may never have to use it.
after just spending $4400 on an X370, the dealer told me straight up, DO NOT USE THIS GIMMICK. He said it will rust out the deck much faster, and that pressure isn't enough to clean like you'd want. When the DEALER tells you that, take it as solid advice. This dealer has been around for 60 yrs.....
@@redhed9776 Interesting. I just bought my 2nd JD (an X-590) and the dealer told me to use it. His words were, roughly, "John Deere puts this on their decks for a reason, not for decoration." He also told me to make sure to cool the deck down for at least 1/2 hour prior to washout (hot spindles) and not to spray off the top of the deck (use air). The washout is not 100% effective, tho, and the deck should still be removed from time to time to check the blades and clean the underside. Decks do rot if not cleaned regularly - I know - I went thru 2 decks on my LA 135 in ~12 years.
So the deck will rust out from spraying water on it but will not rust out coming in contact with wet grass and sitting stagnant? Interesting
Almost like saying if you wash you car it will rust out
If the port isn't clogged and it is all the way down on the ground you should notice after about 2 minutes that it will foam around the edges of the mower deck. Here is a link to the video that I found that shows what I'm talking about. Look at 3:42 mark into the video ua-cam.com/video/qfIdjzl0MeE/v-deo.html I always do mine on the grass and it does a great job as long as you do it after each mow for 5+ minutes.
I've seen that video.
I spent two minutes cleaning out the port and these were the results. I really thought about not cleaning it at all and simply hooking up the water. The design shouldn't be that finicky otherwise it's a bad design. For the lack of build-up under my deck, the washout seems like more of a novelty that practicality.
If you're supposed to lower the deck down during the procedure, then I don't have a an area of my lawn that I'd like to intentionally scalp on a regular basis.
Plus, who has an extra 10 minutes to do this procedure after their done mowing every time? I'll spend my time with my wife, kids, and life instead. Cleaning the mower deck once or twice a year seems to be sufficient.
@@GoodWorksTractors I can definitely understand wanting to spend more time with the family. I have the mulching kit on my 60"mmm and it not uncommon for me to cut the grass when it's damp in the morning, so for me, it is kind of a requirement otherwise the build-up gets really bad. So I usually just pull up next to the house and connect the hose and run it for 5 minutes and it is clean. It takes me around 2-2.5 hours when I use the 1025r to cut 3.5 acres of grass so an extra 5 minutes is no big deal. I usually cut with the new tractor which has a 72" 3pt rear discharge mower (bigger tractor with cab, radio, AC/Heat, and nice suspension seat) which take my cutting time down to 1.5 hours. That mower doesn't have the deck wash and even with it being a rear discharge it gets a lot of buildup under it.
It takes awhile, but what I do is I have a windex bottle that goes between two hoses. I filled it up with simple green. Not sure how well it works with a discharge, but it works great on a mulching deck. The issue I have is cleaning up after the mass that comes off. I have a 54” X340 that I have been using this on for going on 4 years.
I'm of the same opinion, the washout port is a waste of time. Where it sticks down inside the deck is actually a point of collection for clippings and other gunk; I ended up removing the thing from my deck and plugging the hole with a large washer and carriage bolt. I will say I gave the port a fair trial, tried it several times over a couple of years before giving up.
I would like to say that the video doesn't give a truly accurate scenario for many users who don't have a finely manicured lawn as shown; I also wonder where all the water went; the concrete should have been soaked for many feet beyond the exit chute with the hose feeding water into the deck and the blades slinging a spray out the chute. As clean as the deck was before starting, I'd have never cleaned it, even the old way. Try mowing 3 acres of pasture (that regularly gets mowed), and then looking under the deck. Trying the washout port would have gotten a lot more results, but would still have left a wet mess inside the deck that could only get cleaned by removing the deck, flipping it over, and scraping and/ or power washing.
@@eosjoe565 I could get that stream of green water and slime, too, but there was always residue left afterwards, that was wet and sticky. Just the kind of stuff that would get hard and crusty if you left it in there to dry, making it harder to properly clean the next time. About the only part of the underside that really would get cleaned was the forward portion of the left blade housing. The remainder of the deck didn't get as much spray. My water pressure is just fine, too, but it might take a fire hose hooked to the fitting to do a proper job. Easier to remove the deck, flip it vertical, and pressure wash it.
The washports will not get everything washed out underneath the deck but it will get the biggest part of the grass cleaned out if you use it after each mowing. I still used my compact tractor with a front end loaded to pick up the mower where I can pressure wash underneath the deck once a month and paint it with grey primer. You also have to lower the deck like you are mowing to create a vacuum so the water can be circulated underneath the deck when you have the hose hooked to the water port
I do use the twin washout ports on the X300r as recommended in the manual.
The directions say 1 minute per side.
Most of the material doesn't fall out the bottom, it blows out the chute into the bag. Quite a lot of grass blows out there in the first 30 seconds or so. After that it is just green water. The washout cleans the deck really well and, more importantly, the impeller so that it will keep full suction.
Eight years & 205 hours now and the deck is still almost as clean as new.
Its a bit of an annoyance to do it, but maybe it's like brushing your teeth so they won't fall out :)?
I don't think the washout will remove much old material that has been left to bond onto the deck. In other words, either do the washout after each use or forget about the washing. Plan to instead laboriously scrape and clean things down once a year.
Or just leave it and have the deck rust out in ten years like I did with my last mower:)
I do use the JD supplied quick connect on the washout ports
Hardly any material built up under my mower deck anyways. I'd gladly trade cleaning it once or twice a year vs dealing with the washout every time. Ain't nobody got time for that! 🤪
@@GoodWorksTractors
Agreed , the washout is a minor pain!
Us retired folk can find usually the extra 5 minutes I guess. I'm a cheapie and don't want to buy a new deck for this thing, ever.
You are a busy young guy with a zillion tractors and lawn mowers going thru your hands. A new mower deck once in a long while or even a new mower is not going to be a big problem for you.
Carry on:)!
On edit- the washout does get the impeller and chute clean as well. That part is much harder to clean by scraping etc than the deck . The machine will lose some suction if even a bit of buildup gets caked on, which will occur if not washed out. Not saying it won't work, just that it won't work as well as it should after awhile ( the bagger part)
Good Works Tractors, I would agree with that Exactly, except that the only way to keep your deck clean (as you do and i have done) is to Only mow when the grass is dry, which means mother nature is dictating things, not you. In the Spring, it's wet out and grass is growing fast. I would imagine that if one mowed in the morning, then immediately washed out their brand-new-clean deck and left it to dry through the day before putting it away, one could mow anytime or day they wanted, even in the rain if they wished. I can see how this could only be effective beginning with brand new decks with 0 buildup, and keeping them that way. Absolutely any caked on grass, even a thin layer from prior mowings is going to just hold the water and not dry and ruin things (as we expect). Be interesting to see it done from brand new, and with Hot H2O, which will heat up the deck and should cause it to dry quickly, when done (esp drying via spinning the blades)-
Bruh, where did the water go?!! I’m in tears laughing. 3 minutes and hardly a drop. Hahahaha.
I just bought a new x738, first thing I did was coat the new deck with Mo-Deck
This is a clear silicone or ceramic spray, got it at my JD dealer
The spray works well with a new clean deck and if you keep up with application once a season and wash deck out
Will stay like new a. Long time
It works when you do it every time right after cutting not after it is all dried up under neat
Maybe so.
Yep, washing after every use, while still fresh under the deck
Do a 2 minute prewash, wait 15-20 minutes then do a 5 minute wash.
Mine does great that way.
It might even help if you turn on the water. LOL!
Works great run about 30 seconds wait 15+ minutes run again wait 15+ minutes and run again usually clean after 3rd time also helps to have the deck lowered all the way down waiting give the water time to soak in and loosen the clippings
Enjoyed Episode🚜👍
You either need to clean the washout port or turn the hose on. In 3 minutes you should have 20 gallons of water under the mower. You had almost none. It looks like operator error to me.
Never even seen the water come out lol
Mine works great. You have the bagger on your that were it went
Obviously no water was getting through or driveway would be soaked. Can you not make tge conclusion that if you were running a hose for 3 minutes that tgere would be gallons and gallons of water all over
You should have a lot more water coming out from under the mower. I think the grass inside the connector to the deck has it mostly blocked inside thus blocking the flow of water. Clean the connector out thoroughly and turn your water up to a strong flow. I am sure you will see a difference. Your dirty underneath looks like my clean after I run the water under the deck using my connector. While you're at it, I would put a quick connect/disconnect valve on. They're available in garden sections of stores. Cub Cadet is nice enough to include them with their mowers. Note to southern Californians: you have to provide your own water hose.
Correct, there should be. Water was on full blast, port was checked. The entire point shows that if it doesn't easily work all of the time, then it is a cheap gimmick that shouldn't be on a tractor. Look at the bottom of the deck before it was done, hardly anything there after almost an entire year of mowing.
@@GoodWorksTractors For the amount of grass you had under there and the fact that you cut mostly dry grass, you didn't really need to wash it out. If you have big globs of wet grass, the washout port gets most of it in my experience. I still want to rig up a hoist where I can just pull up, hoist the front end and hose it manually. Even when the yards I cut are dry, there are usually weeds that retain a lot of moisture.
Now I know why many of these riding mowers have cup-holder(s), so people can enjoy their drinks while waiting on the deck-wash to finish... LOL!
Beautyfull John Deere 👍
Did you clean the removable connector. It requires a fine probe. I use a small finishing nail. I suggest you leave it off because the port is a lot easier to clean out - just a common 10p nail. This need to be done since you got 0 to 1 water thru the clean out.
You can tell it helped a little. It may have shot into your bagger.
Discharge side was closed off
Courtney. You were not getting water through the port, I would guess the quick connect wasn't all the way down...try it again, you should get more water flow even without the mower running.... I have a 748 with 60 inch and grass and green water fly out the discharge chute....I do it each time. You should have much more water on the pavement!
I kind of thought so. First time doing it, so wasn't positive though.
Good video but I think you should try again with the port clean. I used mine a few times, and had a lot more water under the mower than yours showed. And mine had green color to the residue. That said, I don't use mine. Clean with scrapper and brush. Lots of sand so I paint also.
Your underside was pretty clean already, there wasn't much to clean off. The 1st time I used the cleanest port on my 590 I had a LOT of grass come off. But it was the 1st mow of the season and the grass was tall and wet from the dew. There was a lot of buildup under the deck. I estimate it cleaned about 2/3 of it off (leaving quite a mess behind) after about a 2 minute run. I'm mostly concerned with wetting down hot spindles and bearings so I'd advise not doing this for more than a few minutes and one after letting the tractor cool down after mowing
The part tha you are not considering is any of that grass buildup in the deck helps promote rust, holds moisture and most of the inner decks are bare metal that can rust out easily.
The green part disconnects like a hydraulic coupler. Just take it off if it gets grass in it. I have used it with about the same results that you had.
Thanks for posting. Always wondered where the 700 series would be useful when JD tractors seem to be a better value.
A right angle adapter for the water hose comes in handy.
I've tried it twice, once right after mowing, and again after an hour of cool down. Didn't impress me enough to continue so we'll just use the ole method of cleaning twice a season... thanks for the video.
Never used the port on my 675 hour x728. Can’t imagine I ever will.
There should have been a lot more water on the concrete. It didn't look much different pre and post.
Great video, but I agree. I did it once and then I have never wasted my time again.
Just wondering......will you see any residue under the deck with the bagger installed or did I miss something?
I'm very curious about doing this with the bagging chute attached... seems like it'd really gum up the tube.
Why did the water level around the tractor not change one bit throughout the video ?
Why would you want to force more moisture into your mower deck? You can see by the video water dripping out of the bearing cap covers. Seems this will promote more rust and reduce bearing life. This kind of engineering is like the grease zerks on sealed bearings and never change oil motors.... Run it, break it so you have to buy a new one.
I use a 3500 psi pressure washer jack the front up
I used it once & was a waste of time! I pull the deck off in the fall, give it a good scrape & power wash it before putting it away for the winter.
Add a house/deck wash detergent? Add a cap to the port?
I have 1025 r I never use the wash out, I drive it up on ramps, scrape it quick and done...
Ok. There's a few things wrong that he did. First don't leave your plastic quick disconnect connected to the mower deck because grass will clog it up. You should be able to pull up on the collar of the fitting and it pops off with the hose still attached. It was obvious right from the start not nearly enough water was going into the mower deck. I've used this feature before and it works very well. You can see the water spray coming out from under the deck and the chute. Also it's probably not a good idea to have the bagger still connected to the discharge. To the person that made the comment about how they want you to do this so you have to buy a new mower deck... That's simply not true. It is true however that you should not regularly wash the top of the deck as that's where the bearings and grease fittings are. I use my air compressor to blow out all the debris and it works really well.
Missed the point. Gimmicky items like these should be no brainer, straight forward to operate. I'm not sure what the bagger has to do with anything? I have a mulching baffle that I closed off.
Not much water going under your deck by the size of the puddle on your cement
Someone's over compensating. U got more mower than yard 😂😂😂
I pressure wash underneath mine and it cleans it the best. I'm gonna line-x my mower deck so it stays sealed and won't rust
I've never seen a wash port do much of anything. On my new x350, I have the electric mulch kit. The salesman said the left blade is blocked off from the rest of the deck. Consequently, that's where the wash port is. So if you have a mulch kit installed, the wash port is useless.
I think its gimmicky. Ive never seen one that works well. There isn’t enough pressure made by the blades to do any good. Great video
I found that if I use it for about 2-3 minutes then wait 15-20 minutes then run it for 5 minutes that the initial wash soaks in & really loosens the crud and the 2nd wash gets it pretty clean.
You haven’t seen the clumps of grass on the ground after I use mine, nor the green water that turns clear after about 30 seconds. Or the like new underside every time I clean it. I’ve used it immediately after cutting, since the first use.
I would think it works better right after mowing
I tried using mine and it doesn’t do much. One thing to think about is why no commercial mowers have washout ports? You would think if it’s SOOOO important why don’t they have it.
That's a good point!
I use it after every mow .. The trick is that you have to have the hose on LOW... literally the most important factor using this washout port... ALSO.. get a hose with a shutoff at the end of the nozzle so you can turn the hose on AFTER you engage the blades..!
If you put the hose on HIGH its just spraying right thru the blades..
This attachment works like a champ.. If used correctly.. Check it out please
I had been using with full water flow and water was leaking out a lot around the coupler on top of the deck
I think you need about 60+ lbs of water pressure to help clean the deck. Mine puts out a steady stream of green water after the junk comes out. I didn't see any water from yours. Make sure your wash out port isn't clogged with grass underneath.
A bit more info and something learned. I mowed and vacuumed leaves 5 days ago and did not washout ( first time)
Today I mowed another area and decided to washout. One washout port was completely blocked, the other mostly blocked. I removed and cleaned them. Have never had to do this before as witg washing out each usage they do not block.
When the ports are clean the flow of water under the deck is like a power washer jet fore and aft. In fact there is a jet or slot pointing each way.
I'm afraid both of your washout ports are mostly blocked. There should be a great deal more water under the machine and a visible torrent of water coming out.
It's easy to fix, but with the ports plugged you really didn't test the washout capability.
We only have one washout port on our decks in the US. Also, that was part of the point I was trying to make. I am aware of how to clean them out and I did pull clippings out of it to begin with. It still functioned poorly. If a system can't be fast, simple, effective, and highly repeatable, then do away with it.
This process would add 8-10 minutes to every mow. I have no interest in doing so especially when there was minimal build up in the first place.
@@GoodWorksTractors
For me it's a minute on each port and I go by the hose to park, so it's maybe 3-4 minutes total.But it is an every time thing, then the system does work, the ports stay open plus deck, impeller and chute all stay very clean.
Doing it your way is fine too, probably makes very little dif long term.
Judging by the bit of water under your machine, your port was never fully open. On my deck, you just have to remove a bolt then remove the port to really clean it. It can't be cleaned from above, I tried. There are small apertures at the bottom that get jammed up if the hose is not used each time. Once they are cleaned, the port has a big flow. I didn't see the full flow at any point in your vid.
But honestly, even if it did have full flow it wouldn't remove much of that welded on old material. It's designed for fresh material removal.
I am so sorry. I use to breed Fields is the reason I asked. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge much too young. Their life span is usually 12 yrs give or take.
I haul my JD 2305 with FEL to the car wash , lower the bucket to lift the tractor & mower deck all the way up, right on my trailer. Blow out all the heavy stuff, spray brake cleaner all underneath then hydro-spray it on the soap cycle. $3.00 Clean and Done. It'll dry on the 3 miles home.
Did you even have the water turned on? There was almost nothing on the driveway when you finished. I do it at end of my driveway so the water pours out into the street and down the drain. 5-10 gallons in the 90 seconds I run it.
Edit: 3:53 - this port is just an open pass through to the underside. The fact that you had pressure when disconnecting says your port was completely clogged, passing no water. You were just spinning the blades and churning up air.
That is the entire point of the video. It's a crappy design.
@GoodWorksTractors - I'm agreeing about the design. It should have less plastic and a cap to keep all the debris out.
I did the first cut today with a new JD mower and used the cleanout as advised by the salesman. The first time I tried, I had no water coming out. I disconnected the quick connect and pushed it down harder the 2nd time. That completed the connected and water started flowing. After 3 hours of mowing damp grass, a lot of debris came out.
I'm envious that you can wait to mow when it's dry. That's just an occasional lucky day in some areas.
So i always wondered if using the washout port would shorten the life of your bearings and rust your deck. I understand wet or hi moisture grass will do the same and i promote cleaning the deck with a plastic scraper regular. But feel hosing your deck with water once or twice a week then it just sitting n drying cant be good.
Not a fan of exposing hot spindles to water. Wait until the spindles are cool before rinsing.
Interesting-I’ve not checked personally. How hot do the spindles get? I know the pulleys naturally get warm from the belt but am thinking the bearings shouldn’t get hot to the touch unless there’s something wrong with them.
You need to let your grass grow 4 inches. Then check the build up in the deck. Then wash
I used my wash out 2 times when I first purchased my john deer then never again my John deer last about 10 years before it rusted off last Sunday ...I probably wouldn't use the wash out on my nextone ....everything else on the LA 115 is working great but the deck rusted out
I never mow wet grass. Not even morning dew.
Me neither...but did when in college...always hated it...clumpy
Sorry to ramble on but also those that have the cleanout port need to have the proper blade set up that has the proper deflector built into the blade. I've used the cleanout port usually when the deck is pretty clogged up, and it has worked pretty good big chunks would fall out on occasions but it did work. after 20 years with the same Toro rider I finally wore out the deck. Priced a new deck and was amazed by the price, Over 700.00 just for the shell, no pulleys, no springs, nothing. So I built my own out of 1/2 rebar and stainless steel, It was just a project but ended up working better then the original, some tweaking like a longer belt and welding the gaps up but it works great. I will also be installing two wash out ports
I feel like you’d just do a better job spraying it yourself then hooking up the hose direct to the deck. Plus it’s faster.
that is why i hit it with my pressure washer , then wd40 in center shaft
Yeah..not a user of the port. I remove deck and powerwash as needed..
I dont think your water port is operating correctly because when i did it i had water everywhere
I've never used the port either, but I notice you run a bagger. Did that have any affect on where the residual went, I assume it was bypassed?
Yeah, no issues running with or without a bagger.
Here is what actually works to loosen/dislodge old grass from under mower deck.... Drive your mower over a substantial mud puddle and rev blades to max.... lower the deck slowly until it begins to labor the engine. Yes, you are out of luck with this solution if you live in the desert.
Was that a Field Spaniel?
Yeah, that was our Field Spaniel Rosie. She died a few years ago. Only 2 years old :(
There must have been something wrong with the water supply. You should have flooded the pavement area with water and there was hardly anything there. Look at other demos on UA-cam and you will see that you just did not have enough water flow.
To take best advantage of the washout port, the mulching cover needs to be on.
I saw you had the leaf 🍀 bag connected didn't that affect your out come off findings under the deck .just curious not really a mower guy
Where is the water?
Its the "going green"water conservation model. 😝
I don't think your supposed to run the clean out system with the bagger attached plus there are usually two hookups for the hose
There is only one hookup and I don't see why the bagger would matter. It has a mulching baffle that's closed off on the discharge side.
Pretty much a minor selling point...."has deck wash port". I just clean mine once a year.
That causes unnecessary water exposure to the spindle bearing seals and now there is wet rusting steel. After every mowing the deck should be removed, scraped and oiled. You can also grease the spindles and sharpen the blades. It will last a lifetime. What if after washing out, you connect an oil line and give it a blast? I have wondered if Rhino lining the underside when it is new would be a good idea. I have used slick Graphite paint, which does fair, but eventually wears off.
Seems to me all that water can't be good for the bearings in the pulleys.
No point in flushing out the underside of the deck if you haven’t turned the water on fully, the hose connector is not seated right or the inlet is blocked. Here in the UK, where the grass is often wet, I use the wash port after every mow. I get masses of thick green sludge oozing out under the front and rear lips of the deck after a minute or so. Then I lift the deck with the water still running to rinse the remaining crud away..then turn the water off and let the blades run to air dry the underneath. My mower is X304 is five years old, got almost 400 hours on it and the underside of the deck is sparkly clean.
Like everything else, if you don’t do it right you don’t get the right results - and you definitely weren’t doing it right.
Water is on all the way. Systems like this are pointless if they take that much time to operate and setup. Also, there's very little build up after 30 some hours of mowing. Not even necessary.
Do Not Do This! Until you have waited until the mower has had time to cool down. I took my 2019 JD Zero turn in for annual service (Jan. 2022) and the Maintenance shop Super said that John Deere advised them that using the water flush system while the mower unit had not cooled down was causing Spindle failures. That’s about $80 bucks out of your wallet and a wasted day replacing it
I think the wash port is a joke . Never used mine on my x728 .
I quit using it cause I have a feeling water gets into the bearings.
I used it once never again plus it starts rust
Not if you let the deck dry afterwards; regardless of how you clean the deck, if it stays wet underneath without something coating the metal (paint, oil, whatever), it's going to rust. Start the tractor and engage the deck, let it run for a few minutes after washing it out, the airflow will dry it out.
I have an X340, 54” deck. I never use this stupid thing. Every time I flip the thing over there is nothing, literally nothing, stuck on the underside. There is also zero rust because this is a well made deck. So to me the thing is totally pointless and nonfunctional, much like the back pressure gauge on my Power Feed shoot. Even if grass buildup was in any way an issue, how would this thing even help? It’s only garden hose pressure squirting out from one end of the deck. It’s just moistening everything. It can’t blast off serious crud.
This may sound really stupid of a comment but he probably didn’t find anything on the ground due the fact he has a bagging system on his mower and it probably got all sucked up into it lol I use the port on my cub cadet zt1 mower and it works great always looks like baby diarrhea when I wash mine out lol