OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Scott Bonnar Model 45 - Restoration

Hi all. I�m new to this forum but I think I�m in the right place.
I have inherited a Scott Bonnar cylinder mower. The model number is 450423 and the mower number is 4568281. I inherited this mower from my grandmother after my grandfather passed away. My grandfather was one of a kind and was held in such a high regard by all. Someone I always looked up to.
I am looking to do a full restoration on this mower and am after a little help along the way. For example where to start. I remember the engine was replaced with a new Tecumesh 3HP engine in the early 90�s. I�m not sure if this was a good decision after reading a few threads on the forum? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

Hi Manch, and a warm welcome to the forum. It's great to have another Scott Bonnar owner on board. We all like to learn new things and tinker here

Manch, It is wonderful that you are contemplating a full restoration, and I'm sure that your grandfather will be pleased and proud!

We will need you to post some pics of your machine from different angles including:
(1) The cylinder reel
(2) The inside of chain-case (remove the cover) as we need to see the condition of chains and sprockets, including one of the cutter sprocket where it is not covered by the chain.
(3) One with the catcher installed.

We will need any numbers on the Tecumseh as well.
Once again Manch, to OutdoorKing.

Thanks for the response. I have attached a few photos for everyone. After a can of degreaser i managed to find the serial number on the motor 19-0-144.

Hi again Manch, Thanks for posting the pics.

Well mate, from the look of it, this will make a good restoration project.....it is a 70's model; with the vertical chain-case screws (earlier were horizontal) and it has the plastic front roller end-caps and the black plastic knobs on the grass deflector adjusters.
The cylinder reel has plenty of meat on it and doesn't look like it has been sharpened in quite a while.

It appears all original with the exception of the 3HP Tecumseh...the original engine would have been a 3HP Briggs and Stratton painted in the same 'International Orange' colour scheme (Same as the reel)

The sprockets and chains look reasonable for its age as do the chains.

We need now to come up a restoration regime for you to follow, what we need to know now is...how far do you wish to go? Don't worry, we will step you through the procedure and in the end, this machine will give you hours of mowing pleasure.

Thanks for the response Deejay. I am in the process of stripping my 45 down taking a heap of photos along the way. i am putting the parts in different boxes and degreasing them throughly. I have been in contact with a sandblaster/spray-painter and they are going to do all the paint work. I have looked at a couple of other threads in relation to the paint colours. What do you think of Galmet Avacado green? I am also getting the handle bars re chromed through Queensland chrome plating. I have just ordered the original decal of Ebay as well.
Mechanically the engine should be ok. I remember it was replaced in the early 90's. Is there away of telling when this engine was manufactured? (engine number 19-0-144)

Hi Manch, if you can get some Avocado Green, that would be fine, any dark green hammertone would do also.
You mentioned the decal, you should get 3, 1 for the catcher, 1 for the chain-case and the round decal for the handle-bar cover (in the same shape shield logo; as my avatar in the upper left here)
I cannot help with dating of the Tecumseh, maybe one of our other members can help there.
Looking forward to seeing the pics as you go along,

I have been looking around and you can no longer get Galmet Avocado green. I have had a look at a few post on this forum in regards to colour and Jade Green seems to be the closest you can get. Does anyone know the formula for the Avocado? Im thinking of taking a sample from inside the chain case to a few spray-painters to see if they can match it.
Any other help on other original paint colours would be greatly appreciated. For example the reel.
Thanks again for your help
Cheers.

HI all. I need a new catcher for my 45. The old one has quit a few dents and the bottom left hand corner has rust in it. I have had a look on the internet and have found a few. There is one you can purchase from High Wycombe lawn mower repairs for around $150. Its hard to tell from the photos but it looks a little cheap and nasty. Outdoorking stocks one for $417. I don't mind paying the extra $ if it's top quality. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Thanks

Hi again Manch, your idea of taking the chain-case cover to an automotive paint shop is the way to go....they may be able to match the original colour for you, which will look great. The correct colour for the reel is 'International Orange' but in my case, I had my reel powder-coated in 'Delicious Red' (makes cleaning easier and more scratch resistant. See the pic....

Hi Manch, re the catcher, you can get an original Rover catcher....you will have to repaint it, but it is as sturdy as the original Scotty catcher and exactly the same pattern...It was made by Rover-Scott Bonnar. Click HERE
Note the catcher you get will be painted black.
Hoping this helps,

Thanks heaps Deejay. That saves me around $200 on the catcher. I also made a few calls today about the Tecumesh motor. To get a full service will cost around $300 plus what ever parts are needed. The motor has sat in a shed since the early 2000's so who knows what type of work is needed. Because the tecumesh will cost $300+ to get running smoothly I decided to ring around and get a few prices on a new motor.
A Honda gx160 will cost around $580 fitted. Do you think this is the way to go?
Thanks again for all the help

Whoever told you $300 to service that engine is pulling your chain, less than half of that you could fully rebuild it yourself with all new gaskets and rings, there really isnt that much to them. Heck a brand new OHV 3.5hp briggs engine is $275 and would have well more than enough grunt to power it.

Looking at a few threads and a lot of people don't think to highly of the tecumesh. Do you think it would be a better option to put a new 3.5 Briggs engine on it? Do you think spending a little extra on the honda is a waste of money?
Thanks for all the help

I think the older and newer Tecumsehs each have disadvantages, though not the same disadvantages. There is a case for keeping the early Tecumseh (more correctly, Kirby-Lauson) if it is the original engine fitted to your mower from new, just because it maintains originality, which is a virtue to a collector. If your mower originally had a Briggs, it would be good to put an old Briggs on it, for the same reason. However a new Briggs is highly likely to have been made in China, and the experiences of Chinese Briggs engines reported to us so far have not been all that encouraging: the older ones seem to have often been badly built, and even the properly built ones made more recently may not be very durable due to materials issues. "Genuine" Honda engines are now often made in China as well, but we have not been getting multiple reports of them being badly built. Chinese copies of Hondas, known as chondas, seem to be worse than genuine Briggs engines made in China. So, it may be that the best engine of all is a Honda made in Japan, if you could get one. An old Briggs made in the US, if you got a good one or overhauled one that was undamaged, may be the second-best engine.

What I think all this comes down to, is if you value quality and reliability rather than originality, you might do well to go looking for a Japanese-made Honda, either new or lightly-used. If you value originality, you might go looking for an old Briggs of the same model SB used originally, which would be an 80102 I think.

Hi Grumpy. I have just spoken to the Honda dealer and he said the GX120 is made in Japan. He was also saying a lot of the Honda engines are know coming from China and Malaysia. Im going to go down and talk to them some more tm.

I was having a look at a few old posts. There is one in regards to Deejay and his Honda convertion. Did you find this to be a simple exercise?
Thanks for all your help

Hi Manch, the Honda GX120 (if made in Japan) would be an ideal conversion for your Scotty....3.5Hp @ 3600RPM.
Check out the specs: Click HERE and yes the conversion was an easy exercise; my Honda Dealer helped me get it sorted.
First pull starting...every time!!

Just dropped off my handle bars to get re-chromed. Have looked at a heap of different Hammer-tone finish paints and cant find one that matches exactly. I have just spoken to the guys at Dulux trade centre and the believe they will be able to match it.
Will let you know how I go.
Decals came in the mail yesterday. Look great.
Still undecided weather to go with the Honda gx120 or put an original Briggs on it.

Hi Manch
I just picked up a new Honda GX 120 yesterday. They look a brilliant quality engine.