OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Question On Scott Bonnar Cylinder Mowers 20" scotty

Is this bloke dreaming or is this about on the money??? I have been keeping a eye out for a good quality scotty in this size for a few months now and this is the first one I have seen so my Question is IF another one come up would it be about the same price???


Cheers BDA

bdaearth,

It is worth the money because of the fantastic restoration work done on it. The model 45 which is a 17" model was retailing for over $1850 and did not look as good as the one on ebay.

Hi BDA, I agree with Bruce about this particular machines condition....It has been fully reconditioned to an extremely high standard, but there are a few discrepancies; the catcher is not original, the decals are from the early model Scotty 45, this machine has the later model chassis (as determined by the screw position on the chain case cover and the black plastic knobs on the grass deflector adjusters) and it has the early model Kirby Tecumseh engine....

I would prefer one with a later model Briggs. It is worth the money compared to the new price, but I have seen 20" models in reasonable condition sell for $500 on flea-bay, which you could restore yourself to that condition fairly easily.

Happy hunting,

I agree the awful Kirby-Lauson is a disadvantage, and as I read the ad, the engine hasn't been overhauled, just repainted. It's nice to have the mower original, but it would be nicer to buy one that was originally a good mower (meaning, one that was built with a Briggs engine).

Hi grumpy, Mate, I'll drink to that!! Plus the fact that parts will be hard to find for the Kirby now that Tecumseh has gone down the gurgler!

I agree Deejay, and that is why I pointed out that he may have only repainted the engine in existing condition. He seems to have done nice work visually, but if he has mismatched parts (as you listed) and has only partly restored it, it comes out looking kind of like mutton dressed as lamb.

Having said all that, I see no sign of him telling any lies or faking anything. We may just be expecting Cadillacs for Chevrolet prices - I know I have that tendency.

Thanks for the advice guys

I think I will give this one a miss looks the part but I will wait for a b&s one.

Cheers BDA

Hi all, a couple of comments worth noting about the above mentioned 20 inch Scotty. If u look closely the carburetor it does not have a choke lever but instead it has a fuel primer. This was a revision from Kirby for easier starting and put on the 1 piece chassis. Also the engine casting has the exhaust exiting to the left side instead of towards the operator.

The height adjuster knob is cast alloy not brass. Note the brass knob in the photo below has no hole for the red cap to go. I think the brass parts used were a Scott Bonner special as they use to make brassware and taps. That part of things where in about 1972. Also the clutch shaft pawl is plastic and not brass... Also these changes were around 1972.

The brass pawl being much better, as it self lubricates and the plastic pawl needs a few drops of oil before use or it ends up squealing like a pig and melts from the friction and what a bastard having to remove the engine to replace a $5 part. Another big give away is the rear roller its a 2 piece split set up the earlier 20 inch 45s had a 3 piece split rear roller but the 8 blade cylinder cutter was standard on the 20 inch Scotty.

I have attached some photos relating to the my gabble regards steve.....

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150583018951&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Just won this one on flea bay

Well, it has a Briggs engine and it seems to be all there. If it is all original and matches the ebay description, it sounds like a bargain.

I went and picked here up and got it home and all looks well Old mate fired it up first pull and even cut some grass with it so everything is working.

I have taken some photos, it's a bit ruff around the edges but seems to be in working order at least.

To me it looks like the cylinder and bottom blade seem to be ok and dont really look that old???

I will give it a good clean up over the next week or so and see how it comes up. I'm not really after a show mower just want everything to work well as it will be my full time mower for 1000m3 of grass.

Some things I did notice already is there is no model plate on there but I can see Model 45 08969 ???? and it looks like there should be more but I can't read it:(

Is there anything I should be looking for that would be a "don't use untill fixed" ??

Cheers BDA

Ok a few more photos after reading the replys again from the original post.
Mine seems to have the plastic pawl and have the cast ally ajuster. Anyone want to have a guess at the year of make???

Sorry about so many posts and photos but I am a little excited











Also one of the chains seems very loose as you can see in the photos should it be like that??? and can someone also let me know what you think of the condition of the sprockets.

Cheers BDA

Your reel looks as if it has never been sharpened, so the biggest potential expense - replacing the reel when it is ground all the way down - is likely to be a long way in the future. If you want a good lawn finish you will need to have the reel and bedknife sharpened, and we don't know what condition the bedknife is in at this point. However I suggest you get it cleaned up, tune the engine, and get used to using it before you move on to blade adjustment and/or sharpening. Sometimes new owners spend money on sharpening before they have developed skill in adjusting and using the mower, and the result may be a wasted sharpening. You might try rotating the reel by hand and checking that it does not actually touch the bedknife at any time. Of course you need to ensure that your engine is filled with the correct grade of clean oil. Look at the foam element in the air cleaner to check its condition and cleanliness. Check that there are no squeals or clunks from it when you turn it over by hand, or when you start it. At that point you should be ready to tune it, inspect and lubricate the chains, and start mowing. One of your chains is very slack, and you will need to check whether it is worn, and if it is OK, adjust it with the sliding adjuster at the front of the chain case. Another chain's lower (front) sprocket looks rather marginal as well - it seems to have lost the tips of its teeth due to the chain being out of pitch, and the mating sprocket seems to have the same type of damage.

Your Briggs and Stratton engine has the Choke-O-Matic system. We can tell you more about the engine, including type and its date of manufacture, if you give us the long list of numbers stamped into the air cowl. We can also give you any tuning information you want.

Hi BDA, and congrats on your new purchase. I think it is a great score for the price.

It is all original, and the numbers; 08969 you have posted, would be the serial number of the machine. The model number would be 450531 I would guess, being for the 20" manufactured in the early 80's. If you could post the complete string of numbers stamped on the engine cowl, grumpy can date the engine for you.

It should have an 8 blade cylinder reel, and from the look of it,it has never been re-ground. The bottom knife blade appears in good nick as well.
It is a late model, with the alloy height adjuster and is from the same series as mine, which is the 17" model.

I agree with grumpy, a good clean-up is the way to go, and once used to handling the machine, a cylinder and bottom blade re-grind would be in order...However I do think a re-spray would be in order at some stage, after surface rust removal, to protect it from further deterioration. Who knows, you may learn to love it so much, that you decide to give it the full treatment!!
Just remember, all parts are still available for Scotties.
Best wishes,

Ok the sting of numbers go like this 80202 0879-01 78092101

Cheers BDA

That is an 8 cubic inch (131 cc), first generation (hence the old Choke-O-Matic rather than automatic choke), horizontal crankshaft, plain bearing non flange-mount, rewind starter engine made on 21 September 1978. Hence it is a bit older than estimated - which is good, older is better for most collectors' items.

HA HA HE HE that gave me a bit of a laugh there Grumpy I wasn't expecting a date so much as a year

Thanks for your help I will have to cough up some cash and get the manuals for the motor and mower now.

Cheers BDA

BDA, your engine's "type" is what identifies it. In most Briggs manuals it will be referred to as an 80000 series engine. I don't think there is anything on it in the Parts and Manuals section on this site. You can get the overhaul details from the all-models Briggs manual here:
http://www.tpub.com/content/recoveryvehicles/TM-5-4240-501-14P/css/TM-5-4240-501-14P_70.htm
Just use the "next" button to page through it (224 pages).
However an all-models manual is obviously cumbersome compared with a specific model manual. Bruce may have something coming up in that area, I don't know. I think Deejay (the resident Scottie guru) posted today that there is no workshop manual for the model 45, but there is an owner manual and a parts list.

Hi BDA, we have both the parts list and operators/owners manuals in the Parts List and Manuals area which is located in the main forum topic "Lawn Mower Frames". This is accessed by subscription, instructions for which is in the second topic in any thread on the main forum page.

The ones you need to download are the Scott Bonnar Spare Parts List for 14" 17" & 20" and the Rover/Scott Bonnar Operators Manual for Models 45048 & 45148. Don't worry about the model numbers, it will cover your model as well as most parts are common for all Model 45 Scotties.