Uh Oh! The old "water vs compressed air vs putty knife or scraper" debate. Not everyone will agree on best method. Also depends if the bearings are sealed and if not, whether they're greased after each cleaning with the application of water.

No need to debate. Larso hit all the pros, cons, and fence straddlers right there.
As to the cutsie li'l hose connector, it is what it is......."a sales enhancer".

I agree with Larso and Mownie , got one on mine never use it,use a leaf blower it does the job.

Thanks for comeback, as I have and will continue to use air.

Aaatttttttt, I'm on the fence. IMO if you use it you need to blow it off afterwards with the blower.

I also think that it's much worse to let LT's set out in the rain leaving grass clipping and dirt on the top of the deck. That IMO will rust them out very quickly and no need to worry about whats under the deck. IMO the ones who jump on the mowers without checking the oil don't have to worry about it.

I got alot of opinions shall we get into 50 hour oil changes? course none of us operate our equipment in extreme conditions, so no need to change it before the 50 hours let alone check it?!?!?!

Now don't think I am referring to this post or anyone one, just making general comment of some of the posts I read over the years and IMO most of them could of been avoided with simple pre-ventive maintenance techiques spelled out in the owners manual that seems the majority don't read?!? bon, bon, bon!

I feel a mower will tolerate some moisture , after all the grass is full of it unless you cut hay. I tried mine out and all it did was make the underside gooey. I have moved away more from washing my mower to just wiping it once in a while ,,,,, getting back to a "real good wax job does the trick" at least on top , under the deck a set of ramps and a putty knife.....

The biggest thing about using water is that any leftover wet grass will start to rot, and will eventually rust the deck.

I think one of the biggest variables on whether your deck lasts, resists corrosion from grass and water, is what the climate is in your area. Here in Southern CO it's predominantly dry....dry air, dry ground, but especially dry air. Moist grass may sit on top of your deck after a mow in dry climate, but it'll be like dry straw in a very short time, as long as it's not covered with a plastic drop cloth. We have to water our lawns here every other day in mid summer, but I'm not complaining.