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

Hi, I just purchased a Scott Bonnar 45 mower (already taking it for a spin and love the cut) and I'm already thinking about pulling it apart to get it sandblasted and painted. I was wondering if there are any tips/tricks to dismantling it to the point to be able to sandblast it? Also are there any hammered green paint that is close to the original that is available in a spray can?

Many thanks.

Hi Melb,

Firstly a big warm welcome to the ODK Forum.

Before we go any further could you please be so kind as to take a whole heap of photos both close ups and general of the mower and its components not forgetting to remove the chain case and take some close ups of all the sprockets for assessment.

Just to give you a heads up, if you want to sandblast the chassis then you will have to remove every last nut and bolt. At first it might be rather daunting but we can help ease that anxiety for you here and make the task much easier.

Looking forward to those photos.

Cheers,
BB

Hi BB, good idea with the photos. Please let me know if you need any further detailed photos. I really appreciate any assistance that can be given.

Hi Melb,

Now that's a ripper you've managed to score and in such fabulous condition, just look at the front of the catcher as there's hardly a blemish in it compared to some I've seen.

What you have is a sparkling clean Model 45 Series 1, 17 inch machine which utilizes the original "solid deck" which is the superior unit (IMHO) to the twin railer for strength in the chassis department.

Not quite sure what rated size engine is fitted on it, but it's either a HK25 or HK30. Normally the 17 inch unit came with the 25 which is a 2 and a half Horse power unit, but sometimes they were ordered with the 30 (3 Horse Power). There is a red and silver plate on the front of the engine under the fuel tank which will have the engine model stamped into it.

Sadly because it has the "Kirby Lauson" Tecumseh engine fitted we can not date the actual machine but it will be somewhere between 1968 and 1974ish. Can you tell me whether it has only a single brass ID plate riveted on it or two over the top of each other as your last photo just misses the mark on that issue for me to see.

Another interesting point is that this machine has obviously come from a one owner caring home and if it did is there a possibility that you might be able to go back and find out if there was a purchase receipt or some history that is documented back to the original owner ? There is a very good reason why I ask this and it's to finally get some provenance of when this machine was made in relation to twin rail introduction at the Scott Bonnar factory as there is no documentation left over since the companies demise.


Meanwhile back on topic,

As far as I can see I'm not sure why you'd want to restore this machine as it's a great example of a "survivor" and with just the regular type of maintenance it will give you trouble free service for many more years to come. If this was to be a ground up resto then only a concourse factory finish would do it justice. Please don't take this personally but I hate seeing early machines like this getting modified. They are a work of art in their own right, but that's just my opinion as I have an identical machine as yours and also a larger 20 inch unit just sitting in my garage being admired by myself and a few friends that appreciate them for what they are, anyway I'm rambling on here.

Really now back on topic,

As far as maintenance is concerned I would probably pull the reel out, change the old open bearings for some new sealed units, have the bed knife assessed for machining or replacement (supplying us with a close up photo of the reel and contact area with the bed knife will give me the right answer to give you) and put it all back together and enjoy it.

I note that the engine side catcher rubber is missing. This is a must for replacement otherwise it will ruin the catchers lower edge. The chains could do with some lubrication (grease) and fine adjustment. If the engine is running well then your one lucky bloke as the Kirby's are renown for being a bit temperamental, but change the oil with a good SAE 30 oil or the one that's recommended on the engines ID plate and you're away.

I guess I have to ask the question, what is it you really want this mower to do and in the end what do you want it to be ?


Cheers,
BB

BB, I appreciate your response. The engine is a HK25, and with a bit of choke starts on the first pull every time, I think it's not bad for $120. The ID plate can be seen in the attached photo, it appears to be a single brass plate. The owner I purchased it off unfortunately was not the first owner, but I can ask the question to see if he still has the correct details of the person he purchased it from.

I tried my best to get a photo of the reel contact area with the mower on its end.

I purchased this as I have always been interested in keeping my lawn at its best and read that this type of mower is a must for the perfect lawn. My thoughts were to clean it up and paint it as I have some spare time over the coming month and thought this would be a good little project.

Hi again Melb,

Your bottom knife Balde is absolutely great as far as amount of material on it is concerned as is the reel itself also. I'm not sure if I'm seeing a small imperfection from hitting something near the 4th reel sector anchor disc from the left.

To be brutally honest if you were only thinking of a quick repaint then I'd suggest you just get it running perfect and use it until you feel that you want to do a full ground up resto on it, like I've said it's a beautiful survivor and it's previous tenants must be commended on keeping it like it is. Also at $120 that's against the law LOL !

As far as the single ID plate on it is this tells me that it's in the 1960's or very early 70's but not past 1971 ~1972.
If you do have the ability to track its provenance back, please do so as it would very much help out our historian CyberJack who is currently working on the SB history.

I shall write again tomorrow regarding the maintenance side of things with the reel and bed knife after you let me know about what I might suspect a small nick in the bed knife.

Cheers for now,
BB

Very good pickup BB. When I checked the photo after reading your post I was certain it was a chip. But on inspection this morning I found it was a piece of grass stuck to the blade. I have done a closer inspection of the rest of the cylinder and it appears to have no chips in it. The guy I purchased from said he had the cylinder sharpened 12 months ago but not the bed knife. It doesn't feel sharp to touch, so I'm not sure if this was a little white lie. How sharp should the cylinder be? Do you know anywhere in Melbourne that you would recommend to sharpen the cylinder and bed knife?

Hi Melb,

Well I'm glad that turned out to be a winner for you and it was merely an illusion on the photos.

Now regarding the job at hand, basically the previous person that worked on your machine cheated and only did half the job.

What needs to be done now is that the reel needs to be removed along with the sole plate that holds the bed knife as it's exactly what I thought has happened and that is that just a new bed knife was fitted to the sole plate and that's an incorrect procedure.

Most sole plates will have some sort of a bow or deviation in them and when fitted in the machine it will not mate up perfectly with the reel all along the cutting line. So, what needs to be done is to remove and send the reel off along with the sole plate complete with bed knife still attached and have both items machined together by an experienced operator.
Only then can you refit them and carefully adjust the reel to the bed knife until it's perfectly aligned.

Have a good look at DeeJay's video of Reel and Sole Plate removal and refitting a couple of times and you'll see what you're up against, it's not hard. Taking it step by step you'll end up with a perfectly cutting machine and suddenly you'll probably be happy with it just like it is, bit like driving an old EH with no rust or dents.(that's if you're a Holden lover)

As far as a recommendation is concerned, just go to your nearest Bowls club and speak to their Greenskeeper as usually they are quite a friendly bunch and always happy to point you in the right direction as far as machining is concerned. If you were in Adelaide I could give you a name of a guy that's really good, but not so for Melbourne, love Melbourne !

Let me know your thoughts on this and we'll take it from there.

Cheers,
BB

Thank you for your response. While the reel is it can you think of anything else that is worth replacing?

Found a place called ADE Turf, which is close to home. They charge $110 for the sharpening of the reel and bedknife. This is with me supplying the parts already taken off the mower. Is this reasonable?

Hi Melb,

$110 is a tad on the high side. I must admit that I'm used to paying around the $70 mark, but then I have a good machinist which doesn't mind good beer money if you get what I mean, also everything in Melbourne is substantially dearer compared to Adelaide I guess as we are the "Centrelink State" (which will probably be the next new slogan on our number plates)

I think you could find cheaper and not go from one end of Melbourne to the other to try and save $30 which you'd blow in fuel, so have a bit of a look around and as suggested check out your local bowling club, that's provided they haven't swapped to synthetic turf yet as many have done.

Also don't forget that catcher rubber block to preserve the catcher. Apart from that and a bit of general lubrication and preventative maintenance I can't see much else to do on your beauty.

Cheers,
BB

Would I have any issues with removing these 5 bolts to remove the cover? Just want to check they aren't head bolts. Thanks.

I think all five of them are head bolts. As far as I am aware, it is common practice to remove the minimum number of bolts required to remove the cooling air cowl for maintenance, then reinstall them afterward. I agree it is not good practice, since it risks disturbing the head gasket, which may then blow at some time, but as long as the head does not physically move, the gasket is unlikely to delaminate.

Thanks Grumpy. With that said I'm going to leave them in place and strip the engine back to bare metal using paint stripper (it actually comes off easier than I thought). Would I run into any issues if I painted the engine fully assembled?

That is what Briggs and Stratton does in the factory, Melb, so I don't see why you would have problems, unless you allowed paint to run and get into the wrong places. Spraying is safer than brushing though, unless you are very careful.

The main issue is the paint stripper, which is quite unfriendly to some parts of the engine.

Hi Melb and Grumpy,

I can positively confirm that the offending bolts are in fact head bolts that go all the way through to the block, thus making the job of doing a really nice engine surface strip down rather hard to look perfect. I'm not even sure if new head gaskets are available for the Kirby Lauson engines, maybe Grumpy could clarify on that point. Villiers made it somewhat easier with head bolts that had a receptacle on on the top for the cowling bolts to screw into, thus you could remove the cowling without disturbing the head bolts.


Cheers,
BB

Thanks bb. Most of the overhaul parts, including head gaskets, were available two and a half years ago anyway, and probably still are. You can get the where-and-for-how-much detail in this thread:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=37736#Post37736

Hi Grumpy,

That would have to be one of the most comprehensive threads I've seen regarding Kirby engines. I'm not sure how to book mark it as I'll most certainly want to refer to it when I rebuild one of my Kirby's due to that massive oil leak out of the governor shaft hole.

Cheers,
BB.

I think it is an excellent thread, BB, one of my favourites in fact. Unfortunately Mr Bonnar has not visited in more than a year now - I hope he'll be back.

Hi Grumpy,

If only many other members would be as concise as he is then there would be far less nurturing to be done by moderators etc.

Cheers,
BB