Mastercut Collection?

[northwesty]

Yes now I have too many electric mowers. But that doesn't even tell the story of the three or so really cool ones I had to pass up that I saw at estate sales. I can't remember the names but they were old, high-end neat ones but I just have too many. Somehow this one followed me home. They all seem to work fine. Thanks for looking.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Yes, it was a great find. Although my grandfather had no problem with me trying to tackle all the brush and uneven ground with that Jacobsen, EVERYONE ELSE told me how reel mowers were 'not suited' (some such drivel) for the yard as it was hardly a golf course. Strangely, the ONLY time *I* had a problem was when I used it to cut back the blackberry canes more than 1/4" or so. Go figure. I don't know the Jacobsen's size. but I can tell you it was larger than anything I've seen in a store since.

If I ever have to buy a mower with my own money, I'll definitely look at a reel before I consider a rotary. It's unlikely though. I mowed entirely too many lawns in my younger years. Although I've inherited my grandfather's love of gardening, I've no desire to mow another lawn ever again, lol.

Jim

 

[classictvman81x]

Northwesty

Brian,

I only have one electric mower and that is a 1983 Sears Craftsman deluxe twin blade model which, like three of yours, was made by Aircap Industries.

~Ben

 

[classictvman81x]

Northwesty

Brian,

I forgot to add that both your Mastercut E127 (1982?) and your Black & Decker 8000 are pre-compliance models, which obviously makes these mowers rarer than those that do comply, like your two yellow Mastercuts.

~Ben

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Please excuse my attention to a possibly irrelevant detail of the pic in Reply #22.

There are electric mowers loud enough to warrant noise protection?

Jim

 

[classictvman81x]

warmsecondrinse

Jim,

The loudness of it used to bother me, just like with my Kirby Classic III vacuum cleaner. That was why I wore hearing protection at the time.

~Ben

 

[classictvman81x]

wiskybill

Bill,

That Wizard (MTD) 18" electric mower you have (or had)... that Westinghouse motor seemed ancient by the time this particular model was last made in 1974 (model 184-830A). With only 1725 RPM, you'd have to use a pulley just large enough to bring blade tip speed up to 16,000 FPM.

The motor switch was not on the handle, but rather on the motor unit itself... the Sunbeam cord-reel single-blade electrics shared that same distinction.

~Ben[this post was last edited: 4/13/2017-18:37]

 

[wiskybill]

Good eye, Ben

Yes, I still have it, hanging on the wall in the garage.

Can't read the model number, that part of the tag is missing.

The switch is indeed on the side of the motor at the top, original
as far as I can tell.

The "blade" has a center bar with a moveable tip at each end.

When I was young, I think the electric mower we had then was a Huffy. It had
a large circular disk with six smaller moveable blades attached to it. I know it went
thru several motors. Each time it would die, Dad went to a washing machine
repairman and got a used wringer machine motor to keep it going.

Bill

 

[panthera]

I use an electric lawnmower for one reason.

It drives our fossil-fuel nut of a neighbour apeshit. By the time he's bought gasoline, cleaned the fouled plug, gotten it started in a cloud of blue haze and stink, I'm done.
But its electric, so it can't be strong enough.I use a 1984 Sears, want my old,1967 Sunbeam back. That was a great mower.

 

[classictvman81x]

wiskybill

Bill,

I did find another Wizard/MTD similar to yours on eBay, but the deck is aqua green. The cord on this model is fed through the center of the handlebar, but this one appears to have it disconnected from there.

~Ben

 

[tolivac]

Gas,fumes,NOISE,HASSLEt,hat is why I went to cordless electrics-and they have more TORQUE than gas mowers.But the runtime is much less.Now-if someone builds a cordless AFFORDABLE rider-I would be interested.Bring back the Elect-Trac?

 

[classictvman81x]

For those of you interested in this old Wizard mower I mentioned here earlier, here is the eBay link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-WIZ...728645?hash=item2a7bdd52c5:g:BcMAAOSw2gxYsI0b

Steal it for $60 or make your best offer (local pickup preferred, if not in area then please send seller a reply to work out a possible shipping fee and arrangement to your destination).

~Ben

 

[jfv1103]

Sunbeam Model 7019A burning out extension cords

Hello, I'm looking for some guidance from someone who has restored or repaired a mower like the yellow Mastercut at the top of this thread. Mine is very similar, 12 amp, but says Sunbeam, not Mastercut across the front. I picked it up before the garbage truck did & I've used it for about 10 years.
I use it 3-4 times per year to cut the crabgrass at a vacation home.
Only problem I've had is keeping the extension cord plugged in. About a month ago, the female end of the heavy duty 50 foot extension cord that I've used for 10 years started smoking where it plugs into the mower. Used a different extension cord to finish mowing and put a replacement end on the cord.
Trying to eliminate the problem of the plug falling out, I got the bright idea to make a short extension cord that would stay attached to the mower in case the taking it on and off was part of the problem.
Did that and the next time I was mowing, everything was working fine so in addition to mowing I was mulching lots of leaves for about an hour when my new little extension cord started smoking at the female end, where it attached to the mower. This time in addition to killing my little extension (which might not have been heavy duty enough), the male "plug" on the mower is also burnt.
Am I correct that the male "plug" in the handle switch are actually called leads that can be replaced?
Does anyone know what might be causing this problem? I guess the mower is at least 30 years old but I can't find any info about it online. Handle/Power switch is similar to photo below.
Many, many thanks for any help or information!

 

[classictvman81x]

Jfv1103

Jo,

Sorry for being five years late, but if you still have this machine (the Sunbeam 7019A), it should be known that you are supposed to at least have a 100-foot, 14-gauge extension cord. That is why your 50-foot extension was smoking on you the last time you used this.

~Ben

 

[sudsmaster]

Most likely the cause of the cord overheating is due to a not-thick-enough wire gauge.

Another possibility is a problem with the connectors on the extension cord where it plugs into the mower. They may not have a good enough connection/contact. One remedy could be to polish the handle prongs a bit so they conduct better. Another possibility is the handle connection has deteriorated to the point where it needs to be replaced.

Offhand, I'd say a shorter cord could carry more amps better than a longer cord of the same wire gauge.

I'd probably take it all to a lawn mower shop and ask them to diasgnose the problem.