Lawn-Boy Automower (Yardwork the Reto way!!)

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How fun! My dad had Lawn Boy mowers for years, 2 different ones I think. He has a John Deere rider now, but I think he still has a regular one around for doing certain places.

Is Lawn Boy still in business?
 
Rick, that is a gorgeous, gorgeous machine. And I don't have to tell you what a steal you got! I can't get over how clean the decals are. Is this going to be a daily-driver, or special occasions only?

Cory
 
Cool looking Lawn Boys-A truely nice "Lawn care Appliance"!I had one once.The motor was hard to start-but once it was going-grass--watch out!It cut thru tall grass like a small bush hog.I made it so the front discharge worked-the offset wheels made it easier to mow up against a wall-and cutting all of the grass against it so you didn't need to use the weed eater.The 2 cycle motors had to go becuase they couldn't meet new mower motor air pollution regulations-and the new Lawn boys are just green Toros.Toro bought them up and Lawn Boys are now made in Toro factories.The "teeth" on older mower decks had to go because they were a safety hazard--they made great projectiles for the mower blade to throw as they bent or broke off from age.That restored Lawn Boy is beautiful!!Around here sometimes the older ones showed up at mower shops.I also have some of those ads in my old Better Homes and Gardens magaznies from that time.you can see the new "Toro "Lawn Boys" at Home Depot-look at them and the Toros and you will see what I mean.one of the Mower shops here pointed that out.
 
Rick, that mower is beautiful!! My idea of a "Lawn Boy" doesn't have a gas engine but this is outstanding!

I probably shouldn't tell you this but I saw a vintage Lawn Boy at a sale last week. It was in the basement, which I thought was odd at the time but I did notice how cool looking it was. I would say it was a lower-end model, cream or yellow in color I think?
 
Mow-in!

Yay for vintage lawnmowers, the "automower" self-propelled system is a forerunner to the Toro mowers where you push down on the handle to make it go.

YAY!

I like vintage Snapper as well. Good ol' red and white with the classic noisy Briggs and Stratton engine.
 
Now that is nice Rick. Would be fun for occasional outings on the front lawn for sure. My "when I grew up" lawnmower story isn't near so exciting. My dad had a penchant thriftiness so all we had was a some old iron horse with a B & S engine that I hated by the time I was relegated to cutting the lawn. Made worse by the fact our neighbors had a beautiful green self propelled Lawn Boy and the neighbors on the other side had a shiny red Toro. When me and the partner bought our first house a good friend gifted us with his hardly used Toro. One day when my folks came west to visit I went to cut the lawn, mom was on the deck when I started the Toro "first pull" and exclaimed "what kind of lawnmore is that?" So I said "A Toro" and she replied "Oh I wish your father would get himself one of those" Later on, in 94, after he died, I was standing around in the garage with one of the neighbors and he took a look at my dads old iron horse and couldn't understand why my dad never bought a decent lawnmower either. I suppose in retrospect he must have loved the old piece of junk. But like the neighbor said, when they were away and he was looking after their lawn he'd bring his own over. Cheap as dad was though, when we bought this acreage and was seeding the lawn portion mom and dad came out for another visit. He asked me how I was going to cut all that lawn with such a small lawnmower and handed me check to go out and buy a new lawn tractor at Sears, which I'm still using.
 
Sweet machine there, Rick! So pretty and glamorous--perfect for a 'mo to mow!

Geez, one of these days I'd like you to do a restoration on ME!

veg
 
Thanks for the comments everyone! I just love this mower. I do intend to use this as my only lawn mower. In fact, I sold the modern (1989) Lawn-Boy that I was using. I use my vintage items, and feel that vintage items are built better, and with proper care, they will outlast modern items by far. To give an example: My first Lawn-Boy mower was from 1976. I gave it to a friend years ago,when I got my 1989 Lawn-Boy, and guess what....My friend is still mowing his lawn with my old 1976 Lawn-Boy!
I always spray my mower off when I finish mowing, both top and bottom. Of course, this one I will have to wipe dry also. I intend to care very good care of this baby! LOL!!
 
Thanks guys!
Mike the rollers attached to the bar on the rear are the drive for the rear wheels. When the self propelled is engaged, the rollers come down on the rear wheels and the mower moves forward.
This is the third self propelled Lawn-Boy that I have owned. The drive system on the other two newer mowers was not quite the same as this one. The newer mowers do not use a v-belt for the power from the engine,as this old mower does. The newer design uses a small drive shaft link to the rollers. The rollers did not have much pressure on the rear tires on the other two newer mowers either. This would cause the rollers to slip on the tires if the grass was high, or there was some dew on the grass. The system works much better with this older design. There is much greater pressure applied to the tires from the rollers. Therefor there is no slip at all with this drive system. The pressure on the rollers is so great in fact, the rollers cause an indentation in the rubber on the tires slightly, while the tires are turning. This is a much better drive system, and also a better mower in general.
 
Great thread!

Rick, beautiful Lawn Boy! I like the design of these machines. It sounds funny, but they seem to cut better and more even than traditional mowers. You just can't beat the simplicity of the venerable Lawn Boy 2 cycle. I am adding a pic of my retro lawn care item...it is a 1972 Lawn Boy Deluxe 5269A. I do not have the grass catcher but it cuts beautifully. Mine was found in a mower graveyard under a tree. I had been using my 1985 Snapper 4hp commercial "extra tough" 21 inch self propelled. However it was getting tired so I bought a new 2003 Snapper with the same quality as my old model. I ran across this Lawn Boy last fall and redid it by putting in a new plug, new governor assembly, cleaning the exhaust ports, and giving it some new points. It runs great and sounds great. I hate to admit it, but I love the smell and sound the machine makes. My parents had a beige version of this mower when I was a kid. So it brings back a lot of memories. I do need a new handle with the white grip as the elements have taken their toll on the chrome handle. I would like to find this version in a 21 inch model with the overhead belt drive self propelled as a companion to this machine. Thanks again for this thread. Not many people think of a lawnmower as a collectable.

--Tom

8-10-2006-18-49-45--myhooverco.jpg
 
Here is another view...

I was told that the "Mag" stood for magnesium deck...this is a very lightweight machine but very powerful!

8-10-2006-18-51-43--myhooverco.jpg
 
The famous name up front...

Some models even had the white wall tires...mine does not but they could be painted..I had to get the green air cleaner cap from my dealer...it was cheap and easy to get. I was surprised at how much was still available. I like the classic "triangle" wheels.

8-10-2006-18-54-3--myhooverco.jpg
 

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