Here we go again... another Lawn-Boy

I hope it becomes a real success story. Over the course of my entire grass cutting life, I've owned one new mower which is the one I own now. I've always done what your doing and always ran them until it just wasn't cost effective any longer or I couldn't get the parts as in my Hahn mower. My uncle retired and started a lawnscaping business in the suburbs where I grew up. This was probably not considered the norm as it is accepted today. Most residential properties were taken care of by the homeowners. Commercial properties always had grass cutting services and for them to do residential work was expensive. There always were the old guys in the neighborhood that would cut Mrs. Jones lawn and some of her friends practically for free and then there was the young kid like myself that would cut, rake and bag for $5. Ten times the amount of work I should've been paid for but that's how you acquired money.

My neighbor just purchased a electric. She paid $800 for this POS and all it does is scalp the lawn. It's deck is too long making it difficult to go over dips and bumps. It's also very heavy. She says to me that she thinks it's great for the environment. Now, if I add up all the mowers I've owned in my entire life, I don't think all of them would equate to a 1/3 of what she paid for this electric. In addition, we both have Zoysia for our lawns. If you cut it too short, it takes a month to recover and that's IF it recovers. The lawn needs to maintain almost a blade height of at least 3 1/2" in this heat wave. The electric bogs down so bad that it has a thermal cutoff which shuts off at least 4 times when she uses it requiring at least a 15 min cool down. I would've of returned that worthless POS within the first 20 minutes of using it. The geometry of the handle appearance wise looks totally off. and if not careful, it pushes down on the front wheels digging into the lawn. I have to wonder who designs this crap and how do the tree huggers feel this crap they're pushing on is will benefit us or the environment. When that battery ends up in the landfill, I can only imagine the heavy metals and the environmental impact of just that aspect and all the plastic as well.

I have been looking for one ever since Jacob started this topic, maybe they are out there someplace but I haven't found one.

Love this picture. Cast right into the mower deck.

Going right along with lazyness and the curiosity as to whether I can resurrect this Lawn Boy with the least labor and parts as possible (although I already spent time cleaning the tank, shroud, etc). I put the gas tank back on it and a new piece of fuel line. I special mixed 2 cups of 16:1 for it which filled the tank half-way. It wouldn't prime, couldn't even get a pop out if it. I wasn't going to stand there and wear out the recoil, so I let that sit with fuel in the carb while I went and cut the front yard with the rear-bagging model 4262 I posted about on the first page. That mower currently runs like a champ.

When I was done with the front yard, I gave starting this one a second shot. With a bit of priming, I managed to get it going on it's own. I didn't use any carb cleaner or starting fluid down the intake.



There it is, running without any work at all done to the carb.

Smoked like a chimney, but she's going! I only let it run for a short amount of time as the shroud isn't on it to help force air over the cylinder, and it has no air filter yet, plus its going to get a good carb cleaning and a new needle and seat at minimum. It really deserves to be torn down completely and cleaned from the top down.

No idea when the last time it was ran, but when I got it, the fuel tank was absolutely dry and the fuel line was rotted off of it. It's possible it was replaced with that 4262 back in the late 80s and parked since.

Jacob, I didn't realize that they made 2 cycle lawnmowers 40 years ago. All the mowers we had from the 1960's were 4 cycle. I remember cutting our lawn in Biloxi, MS back in the mid 1960's, as an 11 and 12 YO. When we moved to Hawaii shortly after, my parents bought an electric mower, but we had a smaller yard to deal with. It was an odd twin bladed Sunbeam, but it worked.

Your freebie 2-cycle mower sounds and runs good.

We have two mowers, a 30 inch (670 mm) rear engine rider and a 21 inch (533 mm) Honda engine mower. This Honda, a Troy-built is our second Honda engine mower. First one I got lasted us 14 years, still running, gave it to a friend needing a mower and bought ourselves another.

The home improvement centers are now pushing electric mowers, but I don't want the hassle of charging plus expensive battery replacement. We have a 1 acre (1/3rd hectare) yard to mow.

Ken Cook wrote:My neighbor just purchased a electric. She paid $800 for this POS and all it does is scalp the lawn. It's deck is too long making it difficult to go over dips and bumps. It's also very heavy. She says to me that she thinks it's great for the environment.
           

GallopingGhostler wrote:The home improvement centers are now pushing electric mowers, but I don't want the hassle of charging plus expensive battery replacement. We have a 1 acre (1/3rd hectare) yard to mow.

My neighbor has an electric mower, a pretty clunky thing that doesn't look like it can be maneuvered well. I think they have 2 batteries they swap out on it, but that's still not enough because they often stop in the middle of the yard for several hours to let the batteries recharge so they can finish.

I remember seeing Lawn Boy mowers in the 70's and 80's. I would see an occasional neighbor with one and I never gave it much thought. Sometimes the hilly landscapes can be problematic for the 4 stroke whereas the Lawn Boy runs in virtually any attitude. I always admired the color and the cleanliness of the examples I saw. My grandfather was a die hard Lawn Boy user and it surprised me. I asked him why and he took me outside and started it and said go cut. I was very impressed. My uncle replaced his Lawn Boy with a Snapper and he absolutely hated it and returned it.

Cleaning up the Lawn Boy.

I had to pull the reed plate in order to remove the carb. The carb doesn't look bad inside, not very dirty. There was a bit of expected crud sitting in the bottom of the bowl. Not surprised it ran considering that it's really not that bad. The rubber tip on the needle doesn't look bad either which tells me someone replaced it at some point in the not too distant past. It's honestly probably fine, but I'll toss a new needle and seat in it anyway. The cork float doesn't look bad either, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's original. I have a few new ones on hand, including a hard plastic one that should be more resistant to today's and future fuels containing higher amounts of ethanol. One of the adjustments is to bend the float arm so the float is at a precise height. The new replacement floats are slightly different than these old ones, so they require a bit of trial and error to get it set just right.







After removing the reed plate, I spotted a few chunks of carbon sitting inside the crankcase. Before attempting to start it again, I'll definitely need to pull the muffler and see if the exhaust ports are getting clogged. Hopefully there's no serious damage done to the piston.



I'll have to run up to hardware store later and see if they have a carb kit for it (and not at an overly inflated price), or else I'll have to order a kit. I have a few new needles and seats, but I don't have new gaskets for the bowl and reed plate.

Have you checked on-line for an after-market carburator? My son has been repairing old engines and it's remarkable how may he has found and at reasonable prices too.

I'm not sure anyone is making an aftermarket carb for these old D series engines. Once cleaned up and fitted with new parts like a needle and seat, these original all metal carbs should last just about forever.

I have a 1971 Brick Top 19" cut if anyone is interested
Disassembled
Powder coated deck
Extra parts

Jacob ,she sounds good the smoke will probably clear (some) LOL after it runs awhile and clears out the old fuel residue , When one would come through the shop the carbs rarely needed to much of replacement parts in them the cork float is coated with some kind of lacquer so soaking is rare . If you can't find parts try Parts Tree they carry a pretty good line of them >> https://www.partstree.com/models/8229-d-lawn-boy-walk-behind-mower-sn-400000001-499999999-1974  

I just got my carb kit and the new air filter came the other day. NOS aftermarket parts, haven't seen "Silver Streak" branded parts in quite awhile. Hopefully Monday I'll have a chance to get it all back together and running nice.

getback wrote:Jacob ,she sounds good the smoke will probably clear (some) LOL after it runs awhile and clears out the old fuel residue , When one would come through the shop the carbs rarely needed to much of replacement parts in them the cork float is coated with some kind of lacquer so soaking is rare .

The smoke did start to clear up a little bit the 2nd time I ran it just before pulling it apart, although it may have been running a bit on the rich side. The original float is probably fine, the metal arm is still tight on the cork. I did have one begin to sink after awhile in my other old Lawn Boy model 7025.

That 7025 is going to have to be pulled apart again one of these days. I've used that one for years before getting these other Lawn Boys. It will begin to run very rich after it warms up. Runs like a champ for the first 5-10 minutes, then will suddenly begin to drink fuel. There must be an air leak somewhere that develops, could be the 45 year old plastic carb is warping, which is actually not too uncommon with these old plastic carb models. Acts similarly to as if the float is sinking, or when the primer bulb developed a crack. A new float didn't help, which it already had a newer one that I replaced a few years ago. New carb gaskets didn't help either. I might need to try RTV sealant. I can sand the back flange flat, but it would be difficult to do the same for the float bowl surface on the carb body. I also need to fit bushings for the wheels as they have gotten pretty worn. That mower has just about had it, it honestly must have a ton of hours on it (especially from before I got my hands on it). I'm afraid to compression test it, although it does start easily and smooth out nicely under load...before it starts to run rich.

The 7025 from 1979:

I finally got the carb back together with a new carb kit. I had to wait for a reed plate to case gasket to arrive. I also cleaned out the exhaust ports and muffler, as well as sharpened the blade.

It's running decent...well, it was until it killed about a minute and a half after that video ended. I was going to shoot another video of it in action on the lawn but she said "nope". I have no spark again. I checked the wires to the switch, also disconnected the switch in case there was some carbon tracking taking place inside the switch (I've seen that before), but nope. As you may recall, it had no spark when I got it. At that time, I cleaned the points with some alcohol and a piece of paper which brought back the spark. I'll strip it back down again and give it a bit of Deoxit on the points, but in all intents and purposes, a new set of points and condenser are in it's near future.

I did have it running a few times before that video was taken. I made a couple of passes with it in the yard until it ran out of the little bit of gas I had originally mixed for it. I have a freshly mixed gallon of 16:1, and I fully expect to be cutting the front yard with it this weekend.



I still need to get 3 mounting screws for the starter motor which were missing, and find a cheap suitable 12 volt battery that fits in the battery box. Just something so I can play with and show off the electric start feature. These pull start easy enough that they really don't need electric start.

It's too hot out for this BS. It hit 95°F today, was 100°F yesterday with high humidity.

It sounded good while it was running Jacob. Sure is a pretty thing. I keep an eye out for one.

Bob

I took the shroud off, pulled the flywheel, disassembled the governor parts, cleaned the points, and put it all back together in probably 10 minutes.

I used a piece of paper soaked in Deoxit ran between the points a few times. Brought the spark back.




I just got in from cutting the front yard with it. It ran like a champ and cut nicely.

Ken Cook wrote:My grandfather was a die hard Lawn Boy user and it surprised me. I asked him why and he took me outside and started it and said go cut. I was very impressed. My uncle replaced his Lawn Boy with a Snapper and he absolutely hated it and returned it.

For years I used a Snapper self-propelled mower from the late 70s. It had a Briggs & Stratton four stroke engine. It was a well built mower and ran well up until it was replaced with a fancy electric start Craftsman in around 2005-2006. That Craftsman is a nice mower too, and currently sits neglected in the back of my shed ever since I got an old Lawn Boy which quickly became my go-to mower. I wish I still had that old Snapper, although if it was still here, it too would be stashed in the back of the shed not seeing the light of day. The Snapper was given to my great-uncle after his mower died. I still have the piston from his old mower somewhere around here (the rings were worn down to nothing and the skirt was scored the worst I've ever seen...he never changed the oil). He passed away a couple of years after that, and his house has since been torn down, so who knows if that Snapper still exists.

The Lawn Boys being so lightweight with the offset front wheel makes them easy to maneuver. I did have that Craftsman out a few years ago, and I forgot just how heavy it was compared to my Lawn Boy.

How did you get the flywheel off. Tapped for a puller or claws under the flywheel. Perhaps a bit of dynamite...........

rsv1cox wrote:How did you get the flywheel off.  Tapped for a puller or claws under the flywheel.  Perhaps a bit of dynamite...........

I replied in your thread: https://www.coxengineforum.com/t17470-chain-saws-cox-made-them-and-the-silver-bullet#226644

Hi Admin,
That LawnBoy must be the 'Cadillac' version !
The ones here were rear bag/mulch. Light as a feather compared to anything else.
Trimmers/Blowers used the same mix fuel.
Could flip them carb up on the side, to clean the deck, power wash, sharpen blades.
Very simple.
Almost Cox like....
Thanks for sharing,
Take care,
Have fun,
Dave

Here's a video of it in action when I cut the front and back yard with it on Friday, including some shots of it running earlier this evening. Speed adjustment set about in the middle, between "normal" and "heavy".

I'm using the original old style flat Lawn Boy 603703 blade that was on it. Sharpened and balanced. It cut nicely.




I still need to fabricate a control rod to actuate and self-propelled mechanism. I'll have to get a steel rod from Menards, bend hooks on the ends, cut it into two pieces, thread those ends and then fit a turnbuckle so it can be fine adjusted. That appears to be how the original rod would've been constructed. I searched the actual Lawn Boy part numbers for those components, but I only found one part of the setup available. I did see a used rod assembly on eBay but it was visibly broken and welded back together at one point, it also looked like the turnbuckle was not original...so I might as well make one myself.

Edit:
Or I can just buy this, which I did: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255454630681

I got the OEM self-propel control rod. It's supposed to have a wingnut and a left-hand thread nut that tightens up on the turnbuckle to keep it from vibrating out of adjustment. It appears to be 10-24. I'll have to see if the hardware store has a left-hand 10-24 nut, otherwise I'll need to order one.

The turnbuckle feels like something that would be easy to break, so that's probably why it's missing in the first place.

I installed it on the mower just to "get the effect" of it.




The actual Lawn Boy part numbers for the wingnut is 606062 and the left-hand nut is 606539. Both available online at prices that I can hopefully beat by going to the hardware store.

For future reference, the part number for the turnbuckle is 606567. The upper short part of the control rod (with LH thread) is 606565 and the longer lower part of the control rod (with RH thread) is 606566.

It just purrs right along Jacob.

Nice edge on that blade. I just slap mine on a grinder and clean up with a fine file. Original parts are always a problem, especially on vintage products. I think Leroy or his people went to the trade periodicals to find hardware for his Beaver chainsaw, perhaps LawnBoy did the same.

Safety wire that turnbuckle or it may unwind. I forgot to wire the steering turnbuckle on my Soapbox Derby racer during a test run and it separated sending me into a stone wall and knocking me out.

I was using the 8229EA to cut the front yard earlier this afternoon when it just shut off like someone turned the switch.
Yeah... no spark once again.  

I finished up the front yard with the 4262 and then I tore into the old one again. This time I ran some fine sandpaper between the points and finished them up with Doxit. I also blew all the dust out of that area. As I said a few times before, new points should be in its future.

While I was in there, I reinstalled the starter motor. It was missing 3 of the 4 motor mounting screws, so the last time I was at the hardware store, I bought some 10-24 screws that I had to trim down to make them seat all the way in. After all the wires were reattached and routed where they are supposed to go, I clipped a 12 volt battery to the battery wires and the motor spun the engine over pretty good. Unfortunately, the battery I was using is on its way out (pulled from a jump starter pack that will no longer charge fully) so it didn't spin it over for long enough for me to actually start it. Someday I'll have to get a suitable battery for it. Probably uses something like a motorcycle battery.





I used it to do the backyard, picked up leaves nicely.


Solid state bag on it. Not a solid state machine.

I still need to track down a left-hand thread 10-24 nut for the linkage rod. The hardware store had a drawer with left-hand nuts but no 10-24s. I’ll have to try a different hardware store or two. I miss Seven Corners hardware store, they had everything, even the 5-40 screws that nobody else stocked. I since removed the linkage rod until I find that nut.