OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Question On Scott Bonnar Cylinder Mowers Scott Bonnar Model 65 Sole Plate Problem

Hi guys,

I think I've caused a near fatal injury to the flag ship of my reel mower collection today

I was angling it over a treated pine log split bolted down in my drive today and It came down a little awkwardly on the sole plate as it angled across it.

As a result it now has a slight high spot in the center of the cylinder as the cylinder blade is turned by hand IE the blades are making a tight contact only in the center of the bed knife as the blades come into contact with it and not contacting as much to the left or right of center.

I haven't had a chance to remove the cylinder/sole plate/bed knife assembly as yet but I did check the clearance straight away to verify that there is a situation happening there.

Is it possible to bend a sole plate?

I have read here on the forum that they can be easily cracked, could this be possible?

In the worst case scenario what is a ball park figure for a 24" sole plate? I feel slightly ill as I have only just replaced the bed knife and had the cylinder sharpened...

Hi GeeJay, sad to hear about the mishap.

I think that you may have bent the leading edge of the knife-blade (bedknife)...I don't think the sole-plate would be bent because they are fabricated in cast iron....However, they can crack or fracture if mistreated, but I doubt this happened here.

My suggestion would be to remove the cylinder reel and soleplate complete with the bedknife attached and take both back to the engineer. Let him inspect both and he will suggest the best way to proceed.

By the way, a replacement soleplate...$360.00....bedknife blade...$64.00 for the Model 65.

Please let us know how you get on.

Crikies thanks Deejay, I knew a sole plate was an expensive item that's why I was feeling ill at the thought.

When i get home from work I'll take it apart and see what transpires and I'll keep this thread updated with some pics as well... "watch this space".....

Thanks for the reply, Just don't be too pessimistic....all might be well with a bedknife surface grind.
Best wishes,