OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Question On Scott Bonnar Cylinder Mowers My new restoration

Hey guys/gals, here are some photos of the sb I was given from a mate.
I have included the S/N for any info on it..

Couple of questions about it..
1. Did these black engines come original or would this have been added later?
2. Is the reel repairable?
3. How do I get the drive shaft off frame? Is it opposing thread?






Thanks
Justo

Your engine was made on 18 August, 1984. If it is the original one fitted to your mower, the mower was probably made about six months or so later. The engine is 8 cubic inches (130 cc) displacement, of the first design generation, has a horizontal crankshaft, a Pulsa-Jet carburetor, plain main bearings, and a recoil starter. That engine was made for a long time and has a good reputation. It was the most desirable of the engines fitted as original equipment to the SB45.

Your reel looks as if it has never been reground, and the dings in the blade do not look very serious. However you need to get an expert's opinion on that. We traditionally recommend that people contact their local bowls club and ask to speak to the greenskeeper. As him/her where they get their own mower reels and bedknives sharpened. (Yes, both of yours will need sharpening, especially after the mishaps that have befallen that mower's reel. I hope you'll be a lot more careful to remove all stones and foreign objects from the lawn than the previous "tenant" of that mower was.)

To remove the drive shaft, hold the shaft in a Stillson or gas plier and unscrew the nut retaining the sprocket with a socket or ring spanner. The thread is a normal right-hand one. If the sprocket turns out to be rusted onto the shaft, you will need to soak it in Penetrene for perhaps a day then remove it with a small gear puller. If it isn't rusty it should come off fairly easily. It is on a key.

Thanks grumpy, will have a go with the stillson and see if I can get it off!

As Im planning on a restoration I am looking at painting the reel, should I do this before the sharpening and straightening. My concern is the process will remove the paint and painting will effect the sharpness....

The reel is black, should that be the colour scheme? Is there any reference for colour schemes to keep original. I really (reelly) like the orange colour however.

Regards
Justo

Thanks again great help

Usual practice would be to paint it before sharpening, but the de-dinging process will louse up the paint. (Sharpening needn't disturb the paint, and our resident SB guru, Deejay, paints before sharpening.) I think you will need to apply at least a coat of paint to it after it is straightened. You might try discussing it with the technician who is going to straighten and sharpen it. He won't be putting it on the grinder to straighten it, that is a separate operation, so you can probably arrange to have him straighten it, you pick it up and paint it, then you take it back for sharpening.

To get good information on original colours, you will need to hear from Deejay or Steve (deviosi), they are both deeply into what is original and what is not.

You could paint it after.

Set the reel up so it will spin.

Paint and then with a rag soaked in thinners, wipe the paint off the cutting edge. Not sure how sharp they get them but i get the idea that your fingers should be pretty safe.
Trial and error will soon tell you when the best time is to wipe.

Considering a friend of mine has decent scars from handling a reel barehanded, leather gloves are reccomended after a sharpen.

Hi fatjusto, and a warm welcome to the forum. It's great to have another Scott Bonnar owner on board.
You have been give good advice here, however I would like to add further info for you...

With regards to the reel, take it and the soleplate (complete with the bed-knife still attached) to the engineer and ask him about the bent reel blade...he may straighten it or if, in his opinion it is too far gone, he may replace the blade and weld the new one in place. Once this has been done, get the reel and mask (with masking tape) the shaft on either end and take the reel to a sand or grit blaster and have it blasted.
This will allow you to inspect it thoroughly for any fine cracks that may have resulted from the incident that caused the bending and warping if that reel blade.
Then prime and paint it in either the orange (which is the original colour) or any colour you like....I powder coated mine in 'signal red'. The Chevvy engine orange or 'International orange are very close... The sand-blasting will help the primer adhere to the reel and leave a smooth finish. Then take it back to the engineer for sharpening. Once sharpened, please as Joe has said, wear leather gloves to handle it, the edges are very sharp!

Hi again Justo, I forgot to mention...It would be a good idea to replace the bearings before fitting the reel back to the machine...this is most important when doing the reel to bed-knife clearance.

Sweet thanks heaps.

I have given it to a local bloke who sharpens them to have a look at it.

$70 for the reel to be sharpened, forgot to ask how much for bed knife thought that was reasonable.


If he can straighten it he will then give it back to me for cleaning up and painting.

Fingers crossed can be resurrected....

When you get it going make shore the lawn has no rocks etc i have learned my lesson check the front roller for wear too. The plastic ends are on eBay $25 hopefully the shaft is ok.
These mowers are tops! Especially on couch lawns..

My bad on the bad handling advice.