OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Scott Bonnar in Africa

hi All,
I am constructing a lawn tennis court in Harare and have managed to buy an electric Scott Bonar mower off a local bowls club that has closed down. I know little about the machine and want to get it up and running. The cutting width is approx 30" and the serial number is 30 01198 . I am looking for an Owners manual, or copy of, so I can get the cutting height sorted out - someone has made a mod to it. Also the clutch mechanism is not working properly. Any assitance is appreciated.
William

Hi Will, and welcome to Outdoorking. Is your mower a 30" Queen like this one?


I can't find a copy of an Owner Manual in the manuals section at present. However here is the section from the Rover Queen manual on height adjustment:



You can view the 28 pages of this manual on-line free here:
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/142599/Rover-300361.html

Your 30" electric Queen is a rather special piece of precision equipment, and I recommend that you proceed very carefully in adjusting and maintaining it. I'm sure our reel mower guru, Deejay, will join this thread and help. You should pay attention to his advice on the reel adjustment procedure, in particular.

Wow what a cool looking mower that is.Is that yours grumpy or from an article?

Somebody seems to be trying to sell it, so I found it with a simple internet search:
http://www.precisemachinery.com/new-machinery/scott-bonnar-queen-mower. I agree, it is a thing of beauty that deserves to be well looked after.

Wow [Censored] would it really be worth that much? wow.

I think the price of Queens varies all the way from very little to very much, Blumbly, due to the smallness of the market, the number of bowls clubs that have retired their Queens, the stupendous price of the machines when new, and the poor communication between willing sellers and willing buyers. An ideal opportunity for entrepreneurs, I would think. However I think most Queens are three phase, though they seem to have had a single phase option. Not everyone has three phase power at home.

They were never a cheap mower to begin with Jeffrey, a 17" model 45 retailed back in the 80's for $1700, a very well made bit of gear though that runs very tight tolerances, all this machining and care takes time and money

OK I understand that,but really that much?

Hi all, I can see that the festive season has kicked in....Wholly dooley....Guys, the Scott Bonnar 'Queen' has been around since 1928 and was called the "Queen City" It has (and still is) in production after all these years. (Golf and Bowling Equipment manufacture them, these days) and yes, they are 3 phase power. They are not a machine to use at home. They are professional bowling green mowers. Please, just let the new member ask his questions.....I will try and give him some advice.

Hi William, and a warm welcome to the forum. Its great to have another Scott Bonnar owner on board.
Your machine is a Model 30 SB 'Queen', first introduced in 1958.
I have found an 'Operators Manual, covering early and late 2 speed models. Click HERE

In order for us to be able to help you with the repairs, we will need you to post some pics of your machine from different angles; including the offending area where the previous 'tenants' improvements to the height adjusters.
Once again William, to OutdoorKing

hi Deejay and Grumpy, thanks for the picture and information. I see now that what I thought was a local modification, is in fact a replacement for the original adjusting screw arrangment. The original must have worn out and without spares available in this country, the Greenkeeper simply copied it. Its not shiny metal but it works!
My mower must be a very old one judging by the lack of any protection around the pulleys and rotating shaft - a present day armageddon for health and safety fellows.
thansk for the link to an operators manual.
William

William, your mower was made in several versions over the years, and unless you post pictures of it, we are in the dark about which version you have. The first version, I've never seen and can't comment on. The second version, after Rover bought Scott Bonnar, had covers over the moving parts. The third version, which is still in production and is shown in the picture I posted earlier in this thread, also had covers. Hence I can't tell whether your mower originally had covers or not. Here are the parts list pages showing some of the guards fitted to the second, Rover version of the 30" Queen (from the owner manual):

Hi to William and grumpy,
I agree grumpy, without pics we are flying blind here as to which year/model it is.
However, prior to the take over by Rover in 1980, no covers were fitted over the pulleys or counter shafts by Scott Bonnar as OH&S (and political correctness) had not kicked in....the people operating these industrial machines were apprenticed as greenskeepers and expected to know the dangers of working around moving parts (and responsible for their own actions).... (the sport of litigation had not become fashionable either)
In fact, the Model 45 did not have a cover until 1988, when Rover fitted them.

William, can you please post some pics...
Thanks mate,

OK......MMMMM kicking safety? A bit low... Political correctness (a contradiction of terms there) by all means; but safety? Come on thats a bit rough, they always had a common law duty of care Deejay... Amputation disfigurement and a disability for life for the sake of a $10 gaurd? Not even humourous

A court case as an example:

In Clarke v Holmes (1862) PLEASE NOTE THE DATE 1862! (Re quote: "the sport of litigation had not become fashionable either")
Plaintiff injured because of a defective gaurd, Chief Justice Cockburn held that "Where a servant is employed on dangerous machinery...it is the duty of the master to take DUE CARE and to use all reasonable means to gaurd against and prevent any defects from which increased and unneccessary danger may occur"

I guess Rover dragged Scott Bonnar out of the dark ages...

Another ripper here:

In Thrussell v Haynside (1888) Judge Hawkins Stated that:
"the poverty of the worker, not his will, consented to inccur the dangers" (Re: quote: the people operating these industrial machines were apprenticed as greenskeepers and expected to know the dangers of working around moving parts (and responsible for their own actions))

Sounds like a broke low paid apprentice, doesn't it?

Don't Kick Safety It is written in someones blood!!

Hi FAST GRASS, and thanks for your comments.
I think you may have been a bit harsh...as we have been discussing the differences between the Model 30 'Queen'..... and I was also considering what was factory fitted original equipment (guards) so that William can restore his machine to original condition if he wishes. We were not discussing safety issues per se.

I was stating that SB did not fit them and possibly the reasons for it.... I was not 'kicking' safety....I am extremely safety conscious, and always advocate good, safe, workshop practise. As a moderator that is one of my responsibilities.
I can tell you as an ex-apprentice myself, the very first thing that was drummed into us was workshop safety.
But I did feel that I was responsible for my own actions.

If William wishes to install the relevant guards to his machine, that would be a good thing for safety's sake, if not, well that is his decision.
I feel you may have taken my post out of context.

No worries Deejay,
Hopefully we'll get to have a friendly "philosophical" OHS discussion over a brew and a Bonnar one day (I don't want to further corrupt this post).... back to the mower!

FAST GRASS

Hi Fast Grass, I will look forward to that....I never could pass up a good "philosophical" discussion on any matter!

Merry Xmas mate, to you and yours, keep safe and well over the Festive Season and thanks for your contribution to the forum since joining. Looking forward to seeing more posts in 2013!

Wow had to take my shirt of then as it got a bit heated in that conversation.I think what we can all agree on is safety is a lot more in place now that what it was.Well even in the last few years it has changed a lot.Can never have to much safely.Yes Will Zim some pictures would be fantastic.

Guys can we keep the off topic banter to idle chatter and focus on the opening posters questions. Thanks.

hi, apologies for the delay but here go some pics. I did get the old Queen running for the first time in years and it does not take long to run over a tennis court - perfect. I do have the catch box for it.