Adding Wash Port To Commercial Zero Turn

[Kevin1]

I have been considering adding a wash port (or two) to my Husqvarna commercial zero turn (not Kabota but it is orange). All the videos I have searched only show them installing on a small non commercial riding mower. Anybody have any thoughts or experience on this?

 

[Dave_eng]

I have been considering adding a was port (or two) to my Husqvarna commercial zero turn (not Kabota but it is orange). All the videos I have searched only show them installing on a small non commercial riding mower. Anybody have any thoughts or experience on this?

They came on my zero turn and I installed them on another.

Nice idea but they make a big mess so you need a remote place to clean the deck which is not usually available with water.

Takes a few minutes as well.

I no long use mine.

Dave

 

[Kevin1]

They came on my zero turn and I installed them on another.

Nice idea but they make a big mess so you need a remote place to clean the deck which is not usually available with water.

Takes a few minutes as well.

I no long use mine.

Dave

Thanks Dave.

 

[D2Cat]

No experience with it here. Our deck goes up to about 60 deg with the flip of a switch. No need for water. Takes a few minutes to scrape anything off, or coat with something if desired.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Have them on my Cub Cadet M60 tank which is a commercial zero turn. used it one time and that was it. Makes a mess and you better be greasing the spindles after you do it as the water gets in the bearings.

To me, just a gimmick. I use a putty knife on my deck, lift the mower up with my Kubota front end loader and a chain.

 

[lugbolt]

yeah John Deere used to put them on their "new" mower decks way back in the 1990's and early 2000's. I sold Deere (and quit them in 04), it was a gimmick is all it was. Frequent deck bearing replacement, rusted decks, etc. Water will combine with the junk that breaks loose of the deck and as the blades are running it blasts the blades with dirt/debris/sand/etc which wears the blades down, so the warsh port turned into a way for the service departments to make more money in the form of bearings, spindles, deck shells, blades, decals, whatever. THAT is why Kubota doesn't use them. They're simply not needed. Once a year I pull the deck out of mine and scrape it out, though, it's not usually that dirty. I just do it as part of winter service. I do it at work too. Some folks just have to mow regardless of the grass, and apparently some mow the ditches and ponds because I see mowers with under 100 hours on them and the blades won't even turn because they're so caked up with junk under the deck. Those take a little longer but people pay good money for us to service their stuff and I feel like they outta get their money's worth so I scrape them while on the lift. Besides a lot of times the blades are completely SHOT and then putting new blades on will rub against the buildup under the deck and if it's not cleaned out it can ruin a PTO clutch, belt, or best case scenario the customer comes back & gripes about "noise" from under the deck, at which point my labor becomes free for not checking the debris buildup. I got bills to pay too and free labor doesn't pay bills, so prevention is key.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Probably contrary to popular opinion, I never sharpen my blades, I replace them every spring. They are reasonably cheap anyway. I usually buy a couple sets at a time. Same with gauge wheels and rollers, every year, but then I mow over 7 acres at a shot. Mine and my rentals.

The deck wash is nothing more than a spindle eater. Don't waste your time.

 

[sdk1968]

another thing on the wash ports:

the reason most big commercial Zero's (like my hustler HD) dont have wash ports is because of the baffle set up under the deck.

they create a huge vacuum under there & direct it out with the baffles & blade speed....... so if you have water ports in there? unless you had about 6-8?

you would only be cleaning a certain area of the deck & not all of it like you do on the little rider mowers that have the hose attachment.


at the end of the season i grab my zero with the FEL on my tractor & lift it up so that i can clean out the deck really good for the winter & give it another coat of rust bond.

 

[AllDodge]

Don't wash the deck or much else on my mower, just a way to wash grease out of things and cause rust. Use air to clean things off. My 20+ old mower has only had spindle bearings replaced about a year ago. Scrape grass out if it ever builds up

Swap blades out about 4 times a year

 

[Dans12v]

Worked in a shop for a few years that sold grasshopper.

I never saw a commercial customer with a rotted out deck, but it was usually about 30% of the reason a homeowner has one junked.

I have tried using them before. Usually easier and quicker to do it manually or with a hose. I'm guessing most commercial guys either clean them frequently enough or the grass never has a chance to soak in there for a week or 2 like home owners

 

[ZTMAN]

I have had JD, Gravely and Scag ZTs. Current one is a Scag.

None of the commercial mowers that I owned accumulated any significant grass build up under the deck, unless I was cutting really wet grass.

On the few occasions that I had to cut in wet conditions, I just get the deck scraper out. Have an 18" wooden handle that screws on as an extension for the middle of the deck.

Personally, I would not put a wash port on a commercial zt.

 

[lugbolt]

Probably contrary to popular opinion, I never sharpen my blades, I replace them every spring. They are reasonably cheap anyway. I usually buy a couple sets at a time. Same with gauge wheels and rollers, every year, but then I mow over 7 acres at a shot. Mine and my rentals.

The deck wash is nothing more than a spindle eater. Don't waste your time.

Most people are better off replacing them as opposed to sharpening them. Most folks don't sharpen them properly and most don't balance them properly, thus they become mostly just worn out. Speaking of which-a blade balancer is a good thing to have, and not one of those cone things you set on the bench top. I bought an Oregon balancer that is screwed to the wall and found out that sometimes even factory new blades are out of balance! I found this out on my ZG127. Always had a slight (faint) vibration so I pulled 'em off the other day and checked them, sure enough one was a little off, so I cleaned it up and reinstalled it. Much smoother now. I didn't think it made that much difference but it does. The longer the blades (54, 60, 72, 84") the more sensitive to balance they are.

At the shop we generally like to replace them. Why? Because by time someone pays shop labor rate to regrind a set of worn blades + balancing, an hours' worth of labor usually (and sometimes much longer), it's cheaper to buy them new at about $62 for a set of 3. Unfortunate, but that's the way it is. Besides once you grind the edges back, the effective cutting circle gets slightly smaller and cut quality suffers. New blades? Cut like a new mower. Some people ain't interested in a nice quality cut, I am (somewhat), and have found lots of nit pick ways to make most mowers cut better. Most of it's common sense but I go the extra mile, and try to for most folks, except those that don't care about anything but knocking the grass down.

 

[Kevin1]

Thanks for all the great insight everyone. I am opting not to add these to my deck. Also, like many have commented, I too replace my blades every spring. At $40.00 for a set of 3 gator mulching blades it is much easier to just put new ones on.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I just drive my mower into the lake while it's running... But it's been really hard on the engine when the water reaches the intake.