FIRST OFF... I'm an ASE certified Master automotive technician., so I
know the in's & out's of passenger vehicles (toot-toot)

I have just purchased a Southern Statesman (model #SP25PH48ST) and it is
sitting in my backyard. I have washed it and I am getting ready to wax
the exterior.

I am wondering if there is any other prep-work to be done that will
extend the life of this tractor. I have heard that putting a coat of wax
on the deck will extend the life... however, to me, this seems as if
this will 'bead moisture' and shorten the deck life... also, I have
heard the 'trick' about spraying the underside of the deck with "PAM"
cooking spray, and am wondering if there's any truth in this. (PAM
keeps grass from clumping under the mower deck).

This tractor was shipped with 30W oil.
What about under-coating?
What about tire treatment (Armor-all)


ANY input will be appreciated!
Dave


PS
tractor has 25HP briggs/stratton V-twin INTEK, Pressure lubricated,
48"electric blade clutch, automatic foot control trans, 'infinite'
height adjustment, and cast iron front axels.... oh yeah, and a
cupholder.

I've never used PAM or wax on my mower. The most important thing is to
clean all the grass clippings off the mower after each use. Grass clippings
won't cling to the underside of the deck unless the grass is wet. If you
HAVE to mow when the grass is wet, you might try the PAM trick. I suppose
it's worth a try. Make sure there are no clumps sticking when you're done.
That's the most important thing. If you have wet grass stuck to your deck
underside, rust will eat it up. You'll also want to make sure no grass or
dirt accumulates around the engine. The engine is air-cooled, so any grass
or dirt which accumulates on the engine will cause the engine to run hotter
and naturally shorten it's life. I assume you'll be storing the mower
inside. This will negate the need to wax or armour all the tires, but if
you're in to that type of thing, go for it. If you're really concerned
about the tires, I would think a good periodic spraying with silicone
lubricant would do better than armour all. I use my leaf blower to get rid
of grass and dirt after each use, but an air compressor would work better.

At the start of the season I change the oil, sharpen the blades, replace the
spark plug, clean the battery terminals, replace the air filter, air the
tires, grease the grease zerts and lubricate the chasis where needed. I
only use synthetic oil on my mowers even though I don't use synthetic on my
vehicles. My reasoning is the mower engine runs hotter and synthetic oil
performs better at higher temps and doesn't break down as quickly. While
I'm sharpening the blades, I check for any paint that's come off the deck
and remove rust and repaint as necessary.

After every 2nd mowing or so, I check the air filter for dirt and grass
build-up.

Half way through the season I change the oil and resharpen the blades. I'm
also checking the belt at regular intervals for wear.

At the end of the season I run all the gas out of the mower, and give the
mower a good cleaning. Every six weeks or so during the winter I pour a
shot glass or two of gas in and let the engine run it out. I leave my
battery charger pluged into the mower all winter. Once every two weeks or
so I turn the charger on for a few hours. I always use a fuel stabilizer in
my gas cans when I fill them up.

There's probably a few things I can't remember right now. Your owner's
manual should have a good maintenance schedule. If you do all those things,
a good mower will be with you for many years. I have 1/2 acre which I mow.
If you mow significantly more, you probably will need to do more periodic
maintenance than I do.

"DaddyMonkey" wrote in message
...

FIRST OFF... I'm an ASE certified Master automotive technician., so I
know the in's & out's of passenger vehicles (toot-toot)

I have just purchased a Southern Statesman (model #SP25PH48ST) and it is
sitting in my backyard. I have washed it and I am getting ready to wax
the exterior.

I am wondering if there is any other prep-work to be done that will
extend the life of this tractor. I have heard that putting a coat of wax
on the deck will extend the life... however, to me, this seems as if
this will 'bead moisture' and shorten the deck life... also, I have
heard the 'trick' about spraying the underside of the deck with "PAM"
cooking spray, and am wondering if there's any truth in this. (PAM
keeps grass from clumping under the mower deck).

This tractor was shipped with 30W oil.
What about under-coating?
What about tire treatment (Armor-all)


ANY input will be appreciated!
Dave


PS
tractor has 25HP briggs/stratton V-twin INTEK, Pressure lubricated,
48"electric blade clutch, automatic foot control trans, 'infinite'
height adjustment, and cast iron front axels.... oh yeah, and a
cupholder.

I've never used PAM or wax on my mower. The most important thing is to
clean all the grass clippings off the mower after each use. Grass clippings
won't cling to the underside of the deck unless the grass is wet. If you
HAVE to mow when the grass is wet, you might try the PAM trick. I suppose
it's worth a try. Make sure there are no clumps sticking when you're done.
That's the most important thing. If you have wet grass stuck to your deck
underside, rust will eat it up. You'll also want to make sure no grass or
dirt accumulates around the engine. The engine is air-cooled, so any grass
or dirt which accumulates on the engine will cause the engine to run hotter
and naturally shorten it's life. I assume you'll be storing the mower
inside. This will negate the need to wax or armour all the tires, but if
you're in to that type of thing, go for it. If you're really concerned
about the tires, I would think a good periodic spraying with silicone
lubricant would do better than armour all. I use my leaf blower to get rid
of grass and dirt after each use, but an air compressor would work better.

At the start of the season I change the oil, sharpen the blades, replace the
spark plug, clean the battery terminals, replace the air filter, air the
tires, grease the grease zerts and lubricate the chasis where needed. I
only use synthetic oil on my mowers even though I don't use synthetic on my
vehicles. My reasoning is the mower engine runs hotter and synthetic oil
performs better at higher temps and doesn't break down as quickly. While
I'm sharpening the blades, I check for any paint that's come off the deck
and remove rust and repaint as necessary.

After every 2nd mowing or so, I check the air filter for dirt and grass
build-up.

Half way through the season I change the oil and resharpen the blades. I'm
also checking the belt at regular intervals for wear.

At the end of the season I run all the gas out of the mower, and give the
mower a good cleaning. Every six weeks or so during the winter I pour a
shot glass or two of gas in and let the engine run it out. I leave my
battery charger pluged into the mower all winter. Once every two weeks or
so I turn the charger on for a few hours. I always use a fuel stabilizer in
my gas cans when I fill them up.

There's probably a few things I can't remember right now. Your owner's
manual should have a good maintenance schedule. If you do all those things,
a good mower will be with you for many years. I have 1/2 acre which I mow.
If you mow significantly more, you probably will need to do more periodic
maintenance than I do.

"DaddyMonkey" wrote in message
...

FIRST OFF... I'm an ASE certified Master automotive technician., so I
know the in's & out's of passenger vehicles (toot-toot)

I have just purchased a Southern Statesman (model #SP25PH48ST) and it is
sitting in my backyard. I have washed it and I am getting ready to wax
the exterior.

I am wondering if there is any other prep-work to be done that will
extend the life of this tractor. I have heard that putting a coat of wax
on the deck will extend the life... however, to me, this seems as if
this will 'bead moisture' and shorten the deck life... also, I have
heard the 'trick' about spraying the underside of the deck with "PAM"
cooking spray, and am wondering if there's any truth in this. (PAM
keeps grass from clumping under the mower deck).

This tractor was shipped with 30W oil.
What about under-coating?
What about tire treatment (Armor-all)


ANY input will be appreciated!
Dave


PS
tractor has 25HP briggs/stratton V-twin INTEK, Pressure lubricated,
48"electric blade clutch, automatic foot control trans, 'infinite'
height adjustment, and cast iron front axels.... oh yeah, and a
cupholder.

I've never used PAM or wax on my mower. The most important thing is to
clean all the grass clippings off the mower after each use. Grass clippings
won't cling to the underside of the deck unless the grass is wet. If you
HAVE to mow when the grass is wet, you might try the PAM trick. I suppose
it's worth a try. Make sure there are no clumps sticking when you're done.
That's the most important thing. If you have wet grass stuck to your deck
underside, rust will eat it up. You'll also want to make sure no grass or
dirt accumulates around the engine. The engine is air-cooled, so any grass
or dirt which accumulates on the engine will cause the engine to run hotter
and naturally shorten it's life. I assume you'll be storing the mower
inside. This will negate the need to wax or armour all the tires, but if
you're in to that type of thing, go for it. If you're really concerned
about the tires, I would think a good periodic spraying with silicone
lubricant would do better than armour all. I use my leaf blower to get rid
of grass and dirt after each use, but an air compressor would work better.

At the start of the season I change the oil, sharpen the blades, replace the
spark plug, clean the battery terminals, replace the air filter, air the
tires, grease the grease zerts and lubricate the chasis where needed. I
only use synthetic oil on my mowers even though I don't use synthetic on my
vehicles. My reasoning is the mower engine runs hotter and synthetic oil
performs better at higher temps and doesn't break down as quickly. While
I'm sharpening the blades, I check for any paint that's come off the deck
and remove rust and repaint as necessary.

After every 2nd mowing or so, I check the air filter for dirt and grass
build-up.

Half way through the season I change the oil and resharpen the blades. I'm
also checking the belt at regular intervals for wear.

At the end of the season I run all the gas out of the mower, and give the
mower a good cleaning. Every six weeks or so during the winter I pour a
shot glass or two of gas in and let the engine run it out. I leave my
battery charger pluged into the mower all winter. Once every two weeks or
so I turn the charger on for a few hours. I always use a fuel stabilizer in
my gas cans when I fill them up.

There's probably a few things I can't remember right now. Your owner's
manual should have a good maintenance schedule. If you do all those things,
a good mower will be with you for many years. I have 1/2 acre which I mow.
If you mow significantly more, you probably will need to do more periodic
maintenance than I do.

"DaddyMonkey" wrote in message
...

FIRST OFF... I'm an ASE certified Master automotive technician., so I
know the in's & out's of passenger vehicles (toot-toot)

I have just purchased a Southern Statesman (model #SP25PH48ST) and it is
sitting in my backyard. I have washed it and I am getting ready to wax
the exterior.

I am wondering if there is any other prep-work to be done that will
extend the life of this tractor. I have heard that putting a coat of wax
on the deck will extend the life... however, to me, this seems as if
this will 'bead moisture' and shorten the deck life... also, I have
heard the 'trick' about spraying the underside of the deck with "PAM"
cooking spray, and am wondering if there's any truth in this. (PAM
keeps grass from clumping under the mower deck).

This tractor was shipped with 30W oil.
What about under-coating?
What about tire treatment (Armor-all)


ANY input will be appreciated!
Dave


PS
tractor has 25HP briggs/stratton V-twin INTEK, Pressure lubricated,
48"electric blade clutch, automatic foot control trans, 'infinite'
height adjustment, and cast iron front axels.... oh yeah, and a
cupholder.

I've never used PAM or wax on my mower. The most important thing is to
clean all the grass clippings off the mower after each use. Grass clippings
won't cling to the underside of the deck unless the grass is wet. If you
HAVE to mow when the grass is wet, you might try the PAM trick. I suppose
it's worth a try. Make sure there are no clumps sticking when you're done.
That's the most important thing. If you have wet grass stuck to your deck
underside, rust will eat it up. You'll also want to make sure no grass or
dirt accumulates around the engine. The engine is air-cooled, so any grass
or dirt which accumulates on the engine will cause the engine to run hotter
and naturally shorten it's life. I assume you'll be storing the mower
inside. This will negate the need to wax or armour all the tires, but if
you're in to that type of thing, go for it. If you're really concerned
about the tires, I would think a good periodic spraying with silicone
lubricant would do better than armour all. I use my leaf blower to get rid
of grass and dirt after each use, but an air compressor would work better.

At the start of the season I change the oil, sharpen the blades, replace the
spark plug, clean the battery terminals, replace the air filter, air the
tires, grease the grease zerts and lubricate the chasis where needed. I
only use synthetic oil on my mowers even though I don't use synthetic on my
vehicles. My reasoning is the mower engine runs hotter and synthetic oil
performs better at higher temps and doesn't break down as quickly. While
I'm sharpening the blades, I check for any paint that's come off the deck
and remove rust and repaint as necessary.

After every 2nd mowing or so, I check the air filter for dirt and grass
build-up.

Half way through the season I change the oil and resharpen the blades. I'm
also checking the belt at regular intervals for wear.

At the end of the season I run all the gas out of the mower, and give the
mower a good cleaning. Every six weeks or so during the winter I pour a
shot glass or two of gas in and let the engine run it out. I leave my
battery charger pluged into the mower all winter. Once every two weeks or
so I turn the charger on for a few hours. I always use a fuel stabilizer in
my gas cans when I fill them up.

There's probably a few things I can't remember right now. Your owner's
manual should have a good maintenance schedule. If you do all those things,
a good mower will be with you for many years. I have 1/2 acre which I mow.
If you mow significantly more, you probably will need to do more periodic
maintenance than I do.

"DaddyMonkey" wrote in message
...

FIRST OFF... I'm an ASE certified Master automotive technician., so I
know the in's & out's of passenger vehicles (toot-toot)

I have just purchased a Southern Statesman (model #SP25PH48ST) and it is
sitting in my backyard. I have washed it and I am getting ready to wax
the exterior.

I am wondering if there is any other prep-work to be done that will
extend the life of this tractor. I have heard that putting a coat of wax
on the deck will extend the life... however, to me, this seems as if
this will 'bead moisture' and shorten the deck life... also, I have
heard the 'trick' about spraying the underside of the deck with "PAM"
cooking spray, and am wondering if there's any truth in this. (PAM
keeps grass from clumping under the mower deck).

This tractor was shipped with 30W oil.
What about under-coating?
What about tire treatment (Armor-all)


ANY input will be appreciated!
Dave


PS
tractor has 25HP briggs/stratton V-twin INTEK, Pressure lubricated,
48"electric blade clutch, automatic foot control trans, 'infinite'
height adjustment, and cast iron front axels.... oh yeah, and a
cupholder.