Lawn-Boy Mower Madness

[crazycart]

Needed a lawnmower....grabbed this one from work and tore her apart....pics say it all Didn't get too extreme as it wont be revved but it Runs like a raped ape...next is paint job!!!! I love the look of this mower...wish a knew what year it was..Russ?

 

[crazycart]

Well from sources online seems to be around 1974. D engine

LETS SEE THOSE CLONES LAST ALMOST 40 YEARS!!!!!

 

[Russ2251]

Yup, model D engine. Lawn-Boy mowers make for a different mowing experience, however, I'm concerned about removal of exhaust port holes.

1980 Model D powered GoKart:

 

[Blazkowiez]

How do these lawnboys make for a different mowing experience? Please explain!

 

[crazycart]

I'm concerned about removal of exhaust port holes.

I am a bit also. By the time i realized the piston had to pins to keep the rings in place i had already cut the dividers too thin. I then worried about the dividers heating up so i just cut them out. Rings haven't stuck yet so we will see how it goes.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Schweet!

 

[That One Guy]

I have never seen a mower like this in my life. id it like commercial, or industrial?

 

[crazycart]

Nope, just old. And blazkowiez, these are really something else to mow with. Extremely light, and it cuts grass beautifully. The vintage aspect also makes it fun.

 

[Russ2251]

Please explain!

Try one.
Lawn-Boy mowers have had a cult following for decades.
I knew about them, when I was very young, but never paid much attention to them.
I got smarter as I got older.

 

[robbie]

We went through a couple of Lawn Boy mowers when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. They don't seem to have a ton of torque, which was too bad for us because we had a huge yard and it seems our grass was always way overdue for mowing. It was weird how the exhaust came out under the deck, and if you killed the engine in tall grass there would be a bunch of smoke in the grass after the mower was moved back for re-starting. They are definitely light weight. Pretty cool mower.

 

[newrider3]

I would love to see one of these mowers with a hand-coned expansion chamber. I'm sure it would make the neighbors happy (hey, haven't had any complaints about my flatty mower with a unbaffled header)

 

[crazycart]

Looks pretty cool, But with that one hogged out transfer all the way across the base gasket area, How is sealing going to work out?

Got a bit excessive....Its fine

 

[devino246]

Whats the advantage of the exhaust coming out from under the deck?

 

[devino246]

Makes sense.

 

[Russ2251]

Last 2 cycle Lawn-Boys have exhaust routed to top of deck.
All 2 cycle models previous to Duraforce had exhaust coming out of underside of deck.
I suspect that directing exhaust down into the ground made them (somewhat) quieter as well as making them less expensive to manufacture. Direct with no plumbing.
The jump in HP (muffler size/design?) may also have been a contributing factor. Duraforce equipped mowers are very much easier to work on because of the new plumbing.

@crazycart: Get a new exhaust flange and gasket, otherwise it will leak. Crank seals (both) must also be changed. Just a heads-up. I'm sure you probably already knew this.

 

[crazycart]

Yeah it is leaking a bit. I took out the little flange/restrictor. Wheres a good place for parts? The recoil spring snapped. I suppose you don't have a whole working recoil you'd be willing to get rid of? i have been using a rigged up Lb electric starter off a diff model to start it.

Here's a couple updated pics. Still running strong.

 

[Fast Eddie]

LB mowing benefits (that I've observed)

1. Lightweight
2. Offset front wheel allows for close mowing to objects, and if you mow L to R, you won't leave wheel tracks
3. Higher governed RPM than 4 stroke engines=higher blade speed. Cleaner cut.

Drawbacks
1. LB carbs suck
2. chute clogs easily
3. Wife hates the smell

 

[robbie]

Yeah, that's the other thing I remember about Lawn Boys. We spent a lot of time clearing clogs out.

As a kid I was always amazed at how much smoke was under the deck when I killed the engine in long grass. I figured out that the air from the blade was blowing the exhaust away and dissipating it. If it were routed to the top like a regular mower it would have made a big cloud. That's probably 50% of the reason why they put it on the bottom, the other 50% being noise reduction.

 

[devino246]

It certainly is an interesting and unique mower. Russ, how many of these do you have and where do you find them all?

 

[BLACKEDOUTX19]

**** if i only took some pics of my old Lawn-boy 2 smoker duraforce gold series that i found in the trash! it only needed 3 dollars worth of parts to get it back to mowing.

Mine looked similar, i painted my rims black, and gave it a nice pinstripe job on the pull start cover and everything...my uncle mite still have it!!!!! Il try and get it back and take pics!