I have just completed the rebuild of my 14” SB45 solid – except for the catcher, which is beyond repair due to rust and holes.
The original mower was in worse condition than I originally thought. After sand blasting I noticed a small crack in the solid deck, so had the deck strengthened. During the strip down I noticed that a few parts were broken (cutter bearing holder, PTO bearing holder) and a number of other parts were very worn and nearing the end of their working life (front roller axle, clutch shaft). So I ended up ordering a number of new or reconditioned parts. While I had the mower in pieces I elected to replace all bearings, corks and woodruffe keys. To finish things off, I ordered a new 10 blade reel. The old engine had not worked for 10+ years, so ordered a new Briggs and Stratton. Had to wait a while for that to arrive.
The ‘new’ mower cuts like a dream. Cannot wait for the warmer weather to arrive so the lawn will grow!
Thanks to the experts on the OutdoorKing forums for the advice they offered when I had problems.
Regards Foles
Celebrating 50 years of mowing lawns with my Scott Bonnar 45s
