Lawn Mower Collectors?

[classictvman81x]

Is there anyone out there, here in the USA, that is known to have a large collection of walk-behind lawn mowers?

I know how hard it is to do this: space is one thing, but being able to keep every mower in good condition is another (especially when it comes to gasoline used).

~Ben

 

[norgeway]

I dont have a large collection

But I DO love old mowers, especially Lawn Boys.

 

[wishwash]

I don't either. But I second the Lawn Boys.

 

[countryford]

I have two vintage lawn mowers. One is a Sunbeam electric mower(pictured is mine). It works with no issues. The second one is a Craftsman gas mower(Pictured one is not mine but identical). The Craftsman one is not running and I'm hoping to one day restore it. Just not on the top priority list.

 

[philr]

I'm not in the States but I do have a few old Lawn Boys. Here's the oldest one.

 

[classictvman81x]

Twin-Blade Electric Mowers

I have this 1983 Sears Craftsman 663.914126 (Sunbeam 4318A). Still runs pretty good, and the belts are also still good!


~Ben

 

[abcomatic]

It looks like Lawn Boy built mowers for Sears? They look a great deal alike.

 

[norgeway]

No

Sears mowers were not lawn boys, that engine is a Power Products 2 cycle, Lawn Boy built their own.

 

[philr]

Soon after, they switched to their own design after Lawn Boy was acquired by OMC.

This engine has a similar flywheel and also labeled as "Iron Horse" but it's a OMC product.

Lawn Boy did sell motors to MTD (in Canada at least) as the blue Lawn Flyte mower in the 3rd picture has a Lawn Boy "D" engine.

They also made mowers for International Harvester.

 

[goatfarmer]

I have lawn and garden tractors, does that count?

 

[duke]

vintagemowers.net

 

[dartman]

I love old Snapper mowers. I had a nice old commercial version that was great but had a welded deck from running over something and a bad drive belt and idler wheel. I paid 10 bucks for it after verifying it ran and at least tried to self propel. I bought a new belt and idler for about 30 bucks and used it for 10 years till I ran over a large stick and blew out the welded spot on the deck. I kept it around and bought a few other cheap mowers at garage sales and finally found a close enough deck for again 10 bucks and modified it to work with my parts and ran it a few more years till the spark quit. In the mean time I was given a newer conventional deck Snapper from my Step sister when she got remarried and didn't need it anymore. It has the same drive system the old red deck commercial I had but a normal deck and bag setup. Parts are cheap for it and it mulches too so I keep replacing or cleaning up parts as they wear out. They still make the old school Snapper high bag red deck machines but no longer make the conventional deck version with the same drive system. They also make a cheap front drive consumer version that places like Walmart sell now, made by mtd and junk. I used to pick up mowers cheap at garage sales and had a John Deer with a Kawasaki engine that was interesting and probably had been a great mower but had issues with the carb and electronics that made it randomly stop running once it got warm enough and refuse to start till it cooled down. I hate the newer front drive machines, they never seem to pull straight and that makes them hard to turn unless you lift the front wheels. If you want a good classic mower, or a newer good quality one cheap garage sales are your friend. I even picked up two older pro grade weed wackers for 120 one summer and still have my Shindia that is a tank and parts are cheap and easy to find for it too.

 

[tolivac]

Don't have any gas mowers-just cordless electrics-nothing new in my collection.Did sell the JD tractor-just too much hassle and expense for maintenance.Worse than a car.Considering having Kevin my yard care guy mow the front and sides with his Bad Boy ZTR-tried the mower was fun---but it cost 9 grand!!!He was saying if I let him mow he may let me drive his mower.

 

[fridgenut]

Hey! Another interest of mine

...is old engines, cars, and of course mowers. Working on old mowers is what I cut my mechanical tinkering teeth on. I have a 1967 Lawn Boy which up until recently I used every week. I feed it ethanol free gas, a healthy 16:1 (what it calls for) ratio of gas to full synthetic 2 cycle oil, octane booster, and lead substitute. I know that is a little much but I figure that I want to get as close to "original" gas as I can. I have never had to do any service to it. Unfortunately it looks like garbage. I think that somebody left it outside for a long, long time because the top cover is very rusty. However, most of the old "Lawn Boy" script is still there. It looks so ratty that I actually love using it and putting modern mowers to shame with its impressive power. It easily cuts through the tallest grass with ease. Sure, I had to fiddle with the carburetor to get it to work right but it was worth it. It almost never "4 cycles" which means that the mixture is spot on. People stare at it when I mow because they can't believe that this rusty hulk is mowing so well and actually sounds good. One guy knew what it was and stopped me one day. He was amazed that it was still running. I also love how light it is with the magnesium deck! I can't recommend synthetic oil enough. I use "Lucas" brand because it has a high rating "Jasco FD" which is about as high as you can get. Compared to "Lawn Boy" oil it is great. Almost no smoke except at start up. Believe me, when you are mixing at 16:1 this is important, I used to create a hazmat area every time I mowed the damn yard!

This isn't my mower but it looks just like it aside from being in much better shape.

 

[norgeway]

Those were known

As the Buttercup....Years ago there was a salesman at Bernhardt Seagles, our local Lawn Boy dealer, who still had a new one of these IN THE BOX!!!

 

[fridgenut]

New in box! That is amazing!

I think I heard somewhere that this model was the buttercup. Thanks for confirming that norgeway. What a cute name! I would fall over if I had seen that box with a lawn boy in it. So cool. I've always wondered if I need to rebuild mine or not.

 

[sambootoo]

Mine are not Lawnboys and I really never considered these a collection but here are my vintage mowers.

First up is my Kinco sickle bar mower. I use this for all the underbrush, hillsides, and banks on my property. This thing is a beast and will give you a workout mowing with it!

The other 4 are my Yazoo Master Mowers. These were made in Mississippi and are especially good for long, overgrown grass or for uneven terrain--very popular in rural, southern areas. The newest of these I bought new in 1979, the oldest is from the 50's, the other 2 somewhere in between. The 2 on the left get used frequently, the 2 on the right need some work to get them operational. Like all our other vintage things, it's getting harder to find parts.

 

[wayupnorth]

I mowed our lawn as a kid with a 2-stoke Lawn Boy that you had to wind the starter cord on and pull quick to get it started. I still have a 1988 John Deere NON self propelled that is like pushing cement as cast iron is so much heavier than cheap aluminum. I now use a Troy-Bilt self propelled. Both the JD and Troy always start first pull. My lot is way too big to use a cordless and too hilly for a rider. Waiting for it to try to somewhat dry out here so I can just mulch all the leaves the wind decided to place back on the lawn after cleaning them all up last fall.

 

[fridgenut]

Sambootoo

Those mowers are vicious looking. Especially that sickle bar mower. The belt drive mowers I have never seen before. That's what I need for my horrific, hilly, uneven, mole infested yard.

 

[tolivac]

I used to have a Kee mower-had to sell it when I had to move back to Wash,DC.Now so wished I still had it-not only a GOOD mower--but a collectors item.Also liked KEE mowers which were belt drive brush mowers like the Yazoo.The advantage of a BD mower is if you hit a stump,survey stake,etc you won't bust the crankshaft of your motor like on a DD mower.The belt absorbs the shock instead.Yazoo is no longer with us went out of business a few years ago-Yazoo and Kee mowers were common in the South.Folks that have either won't sell them at ANY prioce-don't blame them.

 

[speedqueen]

Vintage mower...

I am now the proud owner of a 1985 Toro mower model 16570. The previous owner was meticulous with keeping it up. It looks like it is only a week old. By comparison to MTD side discharge, it is lighter, stronger and easier to push. I ordered the grass catcher kit, NOS on ebay. I will post pictures later next week when the side bag arrives.

 

[classictvman81x]

MTD Electric Mowers

Does anyone remember any of MTD's 1975-82 electric mowers? Here is a trio of electrics they sold in Canada, including to Eaton's (under the Viking brand).

Counterclockwise from right:
18" Standard Single Blade Mower (red steel deck; adjust wheels with wrench)
18" Deluxe Single Blade Mower (patina gray deck; height adjuster on all fours)
18" Deluxe Twin Blade Mower (patina gray deck; height adjuster on all fours)

This trio of electrics had the same CGE (Canadian GE) motor units as those mowers CGE themselves made, including those sold to Sears and Canadian Tire.

~Ben

 

[speedqueen]

It's later next week...

...and as promised here are the pictures of the Toro Model 16570. Sorry for the boasting of the last picture showing what a good job it does(and my hard work eliminating the creeping charlie).

As a side note we used to have a garden in that bare spot and I seeded it last week or so.

 

[philr]

I used to have a slightly older Toro Whirlwind II that had a similar deck.

 

[classictvman81x]

Hahn Eclipse Mowers

Is there anyone on here that owns at least one of these bad boy walk-behind mowers?

That's right: the Hahn Eclipse Pow-R-Pro 22! I know there are numerous Hahn Eclipse mower owners scattered throughout the USA, but are any of you here at AW.org among them?

The Pow-R-Pro series is unique in that it predates the CPSC's June 30, 1982 requirement of manufacturers being told to sell all their new walk-behind rotary mowers with some form of blade stopping. This one has the BBC (blade brake clutch), but on the early machines circa 1962 it was in the form of a slide lever similar to the engine throttle control, meaning you will have to disengage the blade by sliding this lever to off before you turn the engine off. Around 1968 that changed to a lever <span style="font-size: 12pt;">(what Hahn called the "BladeMaster") </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">similar to those units with the self-propelled power drive, for even greater safety (no longer does the blade remain engaged after you let go of that bail). </span>

~Ben

 

[michaelsemanoff]

Mowers

One of the reasons I joined today was to answer this thread. Yes, I collect mowers. I have over 200 vintage mowers,mostly power,including a Coldwell "H" from the late teens,a version of the first electric (1923 Coldwell) one of the first rotarys (1930 Pioneer). What do you want to know? I also have a collection of appliances, mostly kitchen smalls. Toasters, waffle irons, irons,few vacuums, I try to stay with Connecticut made stuff. To keep some kind of control-I know you all know what I mean- usually unsuccessfully. I recently picked up a Landers, Frary and Clark wringer washer.

 

[countryford]

Sounds like you have an impressive collection of vintage mowers. I for one would love to see pictures of them. Is there a site dedicated to vintage mowers?

Justin

 

[michaelsemanoff]

Mowers

There are several lawn mower organizations including a local (New England) bunch that gets together once a year. The guru is a gentleman from Massachusetts named Jim Ricci. He knows all. Heres a small sample picture. I overdo everything.

 

[lorainfurniture]

You wouldn't happen to have a vintage snapper with a cast aluminum deck?

 

[philr]

Or a correct handle for a 1954 Lawn Boy? Or rear wheels for a 1957 Lawn Boy?!