What did you do today, in regards to detailing?

chilly said:
I keep mine blown off with the Ego and wash it occasionally with leftover bucket soap and rinse with the garden hose

I’ve never foamed or pressure washed the top side

I do pressure wash the underside several times a season to keep buildup to a minimum

I’m more concerned about it rusting out from the bottom than the top


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I blow the mower after finishing each job. I've found with some form of protection on the deck, in my case Hydr02 or even a coating, the dust doesn't really stick, meaning the leaf blower keeps it looking clean. See, there is method in my madness.

I probably don't clean the underside of the deck as much as I should. But then, I'm mowing more lawns per day than the average lawn mower would do in month. I therefore go through blades quicker, which is when I'll clean/scrape the underside of the deck.

Most (quality) mowers sold here have swing back/flail blades instead of single bar blade. This arrangement doesn't require balancing or even sharpening, and is less likely to bend the crankshaft should you accidentally hit something as the blade folds out of the way. They also provide superior lift, in turn making it better for bagging/catching. Replacement is cheaper too.









Most high-spec and commercial lawn mowers in Australia use a cast aluminum deck instead of steel. This means they are more resistant to wear over the life of the mower, and obviously won't rust out like pressed steel. Even my 1958 Victa Model 5 Special has a cast alloy deck. There is some suggestion that alloy is prone to cracking, but I've never had that happen after more than 20 different mowers I've had over the years.

 
4th day in a row at the touch-free wash
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DFB said:
I blow the mower after finishing each job. I've found with some form of protection on the deck, in my case Hydr02 or even a coating, the dust doesn't really stick, meaning the leaf blower keeps it looking clean. See, there is method in my madness.

I probably don't clean the underside of the deck as much as I should. But then, I'm mowing more lawns per day than the average lawn mower would do in month. I therefore go through blades quicker, which is when I'll clean/scrape the underside of the deck.

Most (quality) mowers sold here have swing back/flail blades instead of single bar blade. This arrangement doesn't require balancing or even sharpening, and is less likely to bend the crankshaft should you accidentally hit something as the blade folds out of the way. They also provide superior lift, in turn making it better for bagging/catching. Replacement is cheaper too.









Most high-spec and commercial lawn mowers in Australia use a cast aluminum deck instead of steel. This means they are more resistant to wear over the life of the mower, and obviously won't rust out like pressed steel. Even my 1958 Victa Model 5 Special has a cast alloy deck. There is some suggestion that alloy is prone to cracking, but I've never had that happen after more than 20 different mowers I've had over the years.

Click to expand...
I need to look into that "blade" configuration

Thanks
 
Ordered my first "mystery box" today and it's from ADS. I thought about and even though my buddy's birthday is in August it's a good time to take advantage of a deal and who knows, maybe I'll be 1 of 5 winners who'll get $300 worth of stuff for $129 instead of the $200

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Klasse Act said:
Ordered my first "mystery box" today and it's from ADS. I thought about and even though my buddy's birthday is in August it's a good time to take advantage of a deal and who knows, maybe I'll be 1 of 5 winners who'll get $300 worth of stuff for $129 instead of the $200

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Keep us updated on the value. I've never gone for any box out of fear any bonus value would be products I never use.

I wonder how limited they are by now... seen plenty saying they've ordered them.

EDIT: Just saw in their FB group they said they had to make more (boxes). Assuming that's true, not so limited.

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Klasse Act said:
Ordered my first "mystery box" today and it's from ADS. I thought about and even though my buddy's birthday is in August it's a good time to take advantage of a deal and who knows, maybe I'll be 1 of 5 winners who'll get $300 worth of stuff for $129 instead of the $200

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Click to expand...

I got that email too

Keep us posted




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I wasn't planning on doing anything, but as I was moving the Qashqai back in to the garage I noticed numerous tiny spots of tree sap all over the windscreen. It was obviously parked under a tree sometime today. Fortunately it was still soft, but the consistency was like honey, great. So I ended up giving it an ONR wash. Tested the windscreen first, sprayed liberally first, let it soak so it could dilute the spots as much as possible. Worked fine, no smearing of the sap, just straight removed it, there was no other dirt or dust on it, just some fingerprints, naturally, so I was done in about 30 minutes.PSX_20250531_164114.jpgPSX_20250531_164256.jpg
 
chilly said:
Yeah, I am not seeing anything in the US for that set up

The link I pasted is BIG stuff, not homeowner push mowers
Click to expand...

This blade arrangement seems to be most prevalent for the Australian/NZ market, most other countries seem to use bar blades, including the UK.

In Australia, it really only the American and cheap entry-level mowers that come with bar blades. As an upfront cost to the manufacturer, the swing-back system is more costly because it requires a blade carrier disk, four individual blades and the associated bolts/washers, and a different blade carrier boss for the crankshaft. A bar blade is simply that, a long single blade with a bolt.

As I said earlier, there are several benefits to the swing-back design -

- Increased lift/air flow
- Superior bagging performance (from the increased lift)
- Superior mulching performance (from the increased lift)
- Superior damp/wet performance
- Crankshaft protection

In recent years, the Australian-made Masport's have gone on sale in the US. With that in mind, I was going to point you in that direction, but it appears Masport fit bar blades for the American market.

So, having said all of that, I'm not surprised you can't find suitable parts to covert your existing mower. I did however come across this, which you can order to suit an existing mower and crankshaft.

cutlassblades.com

Cutlass Lawn Mower Blade - Deluxe

The easiest to use, most unique, and well designed mower blades ever! Mow your grass faster and better than ever before! Designed to cut grass finer and discharge the grass better than any other mower blade on the market! These are the "Deluxe" blades that come with FOUR cutting tips. Note...
cutlassblades.com cutlassblades.com
 
That's weird that blade configuration is so non-existent here--do you know when it was "invented" or became popular down under, DFB?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
That's weird that blade configuration is so non-existent here--do you know when it was "invented" or became popular down under, DFB?
Click to expand...

Sure do, the original Victa 18 from the early 1950's.



(Ignore the arrows)



Mine is a Model 5, which was made in 1958 and has an cast alloy deck instead of stamped steel.



This is the original prototype from 1952 was built in the inventers garage, which used a peach tin as the fuel tank. Note the small flail blades.......................



 
DFB said:
Sure do, the original Victa 18 from the early 1950's.
Click to expand...
Hm...that seems to be around the time that rotary mowers became popular, so perhaps it was just a Beta-vs-VHS thing, that we went with the bar blades here. It occurred to me this morning that Stihl has a blade attachment like this for their string trimmers.
 
DFB said:
This blade arrangement seems to be most prevalent for the Australian/NZ market, most other countries seem to use bar blades, including the UK.

In Australia, it really only the American and cheap entry-level mowers that come with bar blades. As an upfront cost to the manufacturer, the swing-back system is more costly because it requires a blade carrier disk, four individual blades and the associated bolts/washers, and a different blade carrier boss for the crankshaft. A bar blade is simply that, a long single blade with a bolt.

As I said earlier, there are several benefits to the swing-back design -

- Increased lift/air flow
- Superior bagging performance (from the increased lift)
- Superior mulching performance (from the increased lift)
- Superior damp/wet performance
- Crankshaft protection

In recent years, the Australian-made Masport's have gone on sale in the US. With that in mind, I was going to point you in that direction, but it appears Masport fit bar blades for the American market.

So, having said all of that, I'm not surprised you can't find suitable parts to covert your existing mower. I did however come across this, which you can order to suit an existing mower and crankshaft.

cutlassblades.com

Cutlass Lawn Mower Blade - Deluxe

The easiest to use, most unique, and well designed mower blades ever! Mow your grass faster and better than ever before! Designed to cut grass finer and discharge the grass better than any other mower blade on the market! These are the "Deluxe" blades that come with FOUR cutting tips. Note...
cutlassblades.com cutlassblades.com
Click to expand...
Interesting

Not cheap by any means but might be worth it in the long run, assuming the mower lasts

I will fill in all their requested info and see what their algorithm spits out as a final cost

Their FAQs specify SIDE discharge only so I will have to confirm rear discharge is ok, can't see why it wouldn't be

Thanks for the link
 
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DOUBLE MORNING WASH️

So when I walked back there this morning the first thing I noticed was the parking lot...it was YELLOW, I then looked at our cars, MY GOD! Not only that but those seedlings that look like catapillars all over the cars

I started with the TAOS:

Pre-wash & 2BM wash
-------------------

-Griot's Garage Foaming Surface Wash

-Feynlab PURE wash

-Couple tire & wheel brushes

The washes were pretty straight forward and the beading from last week's TAC System Water doing its thing, so drying was VERY easy and I was done

Next up was the EN

Pre-wash & 2BM wash
-------------------

-Meg's Hyper Wash
-Griot's Garage Foaming Poly Gloss

So for the EN I had a squirt of Feynlab PURE wash for the Griot's Garage foam gun but added 1 oz of Meg's Hyper Wash to it, then 1 oz of Hyper Wash in the wash bucket. The Meg's Hyper Wash did a great job in both Pre-wash AND 2BM wash! Once rinsed clean I used the leftover wash soap to clean the tires & wheels, a smart move

To finish things off I reached for an old friend, Griot's Garage Foaming Poly Gloss to "boost it up"! I have to say, after letting it sit while I cleaned the tires and wheels rinsing it off made it POP️️

Now the cars are across the street far away from those pine trees in the back, I think my car is staying on the street tonight, it's the last day of the month and I haven't used all my overnights for the month anyways
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Klasse Act said:
Ordered my first "mystery box" today and it's from ADS.
Click to expand...

What is this mystery box you speak of? Five products of ADS choosing? No guarantee of any particular products?
Perhaps a clever way for ADS to get customers to try certain products they normally wouldn't buy?
 
BLM said:
What is this mystery box you speak of? Five products of ADS choosing? No guarantee of any particular products?
Perhaps a clever way for ADS to get customers to try certain products they normally wouldn't buy?
Click to expand...
armourdetailsupply.com

Search: 2 results found for "mystery*"

Armour Detail Supply is your source for auto detailing supplies and car care. We have the best car detailing supplies and products at the best prices. Shop Now!
armourdetailsupply.com armourdetailsupply.com

I guess it was a text, not an email, with a link to order these "mystery" packages

1748705502461.png
 
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