G'day all. I'm about to embark on my first restoration journey which 18 months ago I wasn't even contemplating. We'd just moved into our new house which had nice Santa Ana lawn and then end of 2019 I bought my first Scott Bonnar 45 14" solid deck which led me to the ODK forums to find out more about it. While watching all of the great things people were doing with restorations I got the urge to attempt one myself. I'd like to acknowledge Bonnar Bloke who has already gone out of his way to help me on my journey and imparting his knowledge on a novice. I managed to get a 20" twin rail in what looks to be ok condition apart from the catcher but if I could post some photos and get your opinions on cog/reel/bottom blade remaining life etc it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not anticipating a quick build but you never know. Anyway, thanks. Brewskies img]https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/u...umber/13994/filename/20200701_170834.jpg[/img]
The engine would most certainly be the original unit fitted and was assembled on the 8th of June 1976, thus I'd comfortably say that the mower itself would've been made around the end of 1976. The frames were never dated and approximation is made from the original engine and knowledge of what happened around what time during the lifespan of building these mowers.
I will say there's not much wrong with this one apart from it needs a new bottom blade and a reel grind. Also it could do with some serious lubrication. One has to take into consideration that this machine probably lead a pretty sheltered life in Adelaide's leafy Stonyfell from where it came. These folk up there just used these type of machines longterm as domestic mower every couple of weeks and thus this one shows all that.
The only thing that will be an issue is whether the rails show any signs of stress and resulting in general fractures that these twin rail 20 inch Series II machines all eventually suffered from.
Honestly I'd be pretty happy to use that one as it is......................a survivor, and not restore it. There's something about machines in good original condition.
Anyway Brew, if you require any help, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Always happy to help genuine enthusiasts.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
I gave the running gear a degrease and wire brush before I started to pull the gearing apart which is why it looks to be a bit dry. The first bearing I've seen behind the clutch sprocket seems to be in reasonable nick so I'm not sure whether it was regularly serviced and bearings were replaced etc but I will keep an eye out on the rest to soo what condition they are in. From my untrained eye the clutch cork, whilst looking a little burnt seems to have quite a bit of meat left on it. Is it acceptable to give it a little clean up with sandpaper and also rough up the metal mating face a little to get rid of the smooth surface to reduce the clutch slipping? The catcher is in really bad condition - I'm going to try and channel my sheetmetal tradesman days and see if I can't straighten it up and rework it but I'd imagine it would need a 2nd hand replacement or a new one therefore I may not have a matching catcher for it which gives me more reason to give it a freshen up. Even if when I pull the engine off and the rails aren't showing signs of cracking is it worth stiffening the rails up? I've had a good look around and there doesn't seem to be any signs of fatigue but I can't get a good look under it yet. In our discussions BB you mentioned about a paint formula from Protec that you had - I found the Richard Jones Green screenshot in one of the threads - Is this what you were talking about? Thanks, Brew
Reinforce your rails while it’s apart 40x25 angle 3 to 5mm thick weld it in , grind your engine mount nuts off and re attach to angle , , for the cost of less than $100 replace all bearings and both corks , clutch and drive , am just doing a 20” twin myself at moment , just about ready for paint . As for catcher you can buy new period correct catchers from a bloke on Facebook “ old time parts “ his catchers are magnificent great workmanship
Thanks Troy. I've been in touch with Old Time Parts and will probably go down that direction. I might have to get a list of bearings and head to CBC Bearings to have a chat with them. From what I have seen online some of the bearings are stocked at some places but others aren't so looks to be difficult to get the full kit unless buying them from Ebay for $130 if I remember correctly. I saw a reinforcement of rails done differently the other day which looked interesting. If I read correctly it was done IAW later Rover models with thicker bar and tapped holes instead of nuts. I'll try post a picture. I'm slowly pulling mine apart and have everything off just now giving it all a clean trying to bring the handlebars back to life. The rear rollers look pretty good and the external bearings seem to be ok after a wash out squirt with WD40 silicone lubricant so I'm thinking of leaving that assembly intact. What did you do with yours?
My rails were pretty bad , I cut down flat bar to 45mm width of rails and stitched in , only went about 400mm long as didn’t want to interfere with grass deflector, bar was 10mm thick so I tapped into this and also eliminated nuts. What haven’t I done would be easier New bearings thru out , new catcher & deflector, new motor , new bars , rear rollers vulcanised, new stainless bolt kit , new stainless front roller , These are my keepers mate so I replace everything, I would pull your rear roller apart , clean up palls and housing , just to make sure all is good
This is a great image of your interpretation of a Model 45. This is another example of the RAD45 movement [coined by me]..
Thank God and Allah and your god for doing this! Folks - like me - enjoy original interpretations. I'm no stickler, given the temporal nature of the 'lawnmower'.
It may not be to purist tastes', but this is an intelligent response
The 45 is so unique in lawnmower history. Name another make where one can get parts half-a-century after its introduction.
Thanks jack , a lot of blood sweat and tears went into this being my first restoration. Will be good for another 50 years I reckon . Thought about going original , but that’s not me . I wanted something unique as these are for my personal use and not for sale
That 17" looks schmick. I'm 99% certain I'm retaining the original green colour. It is such a classic colour matched with a red reel and I also think I'll keep the original engine and give that a freshen up. I removed the clutch and the keyway looks fine so I'm assuming there were no issues there with engine/clutch interface. I never started the machine but my mate did and said it ran fine. My concern at the moment are the handlebars. They are soaking in vinegar and I've been able to clean parts of it up with alfoil to get rid of rust but it has some heavy areas that I'm not sure I'll be able to fix. I may end up painting the handlebars but will see how I go. Cheers
Hi guys, it's been a few months since I last posted and after procrastinating for a while I have been busy in the last month and have somewhat completed my SB45 20" twin rail. The mower was really in great shape apart from some rail cracks so I was fortunate to be able to reuse most parts and freshen it up with a paint job and new front roller. The catcher has seen better days and is held together with sticky tape but as this is my everyday mower I've held off buying a new catcher just yet. I thought I'd post a couple photos of the finished product and I'd like to thank Bonnar Bloke for taking the time to answer my questions early on. Cheers
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