OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Scott Bonnar 45 - 14" 3rd Generation

Hi everyone

This is my first post and a new thread on our family Scott Bonnar. My grandfather purchased it in 68-69 and then passed on it to my father. Ive been thinking about this mower for quite sometime. I came across ODK a few months ago and after reading everyones resto stories my desire to do ours could not wait any longer.

Back when I was a child we would only get out the SB to cut the cricket pitch or cut out a putting green. The rest of the time it just sat unused in the shed.

On Sunday I picked up the mower. I am now the 3rd generation holder of this mower.

My plans are to get it sharpened and running again. Then I want to scalp my lawn and sand it to get it level. While the lawn is regrowing I will get the body and reel painted.

I'm open to your suggestions on whether to repaint the motor or keeping the patina.





I will post more photos after I resize them.

Don

Here are some more photos

Hi Donny,

That's one of the first model 45's to be made as the engine is an early 1968 issue. Can't quite read the code that you've put up as it goes out of focus.

It's in fabulous condition and really hasn't done that much work. Give it a good clean and relube and you'll find after a reel and bed knife grind it will be as good as a new one. It's in much the same condition as my original 45 that I started with and I used it like that for over 30 years until someone stuffed the barrel of the block when re-ringing it which was it's only downfall as it was puffing smoke like "Puffing Billy".

Cheers,
BB.

First job was to remove the reel and bedknife and get it off for sharpening.

Here are some close up photos





Not long after dropping them off I got a call to say the bedknife would have to be replaced. Its hard to see from the photos above but the left and right tips were bent up. I can only assume this was the reason my father could not adjust it to get a nice cut.

Next step was to see if I could get the engine started. Any old fuel had already evaporated so I filled the tank with fresh petrol. I then took out the spark plug put about a teaspoon amount of fuel in the cylinder. With the choke out and full throttle I gave the starter a pull. The engine sluptered a little and stopped. I then pushed the choke in and gave it another try and it fired up.

It was pumpung out a little bit of smoke but not to bad.

I will post a video soon when I work out how to do it.


Cheers

Donny

Hi DonnyW,

I thought that this might be the case as the outer corners looked a tad suspicious.

Regardless a new bed knife will see it right for many more years to come.

One thing your bed knife photos clearly show and that is that Scott Bonnar painted their sole plates in the same colour as the overall chassis.

This has been a topic of debate many times over here in the forum but yours being an original paint job is proof of settling this argument for once and for all.

I hope that you are having new bearings installed onto the reel as if you are using the old ones there will be an amount of wear on them and you'll never be able to adjust the reel accurately and it won't be machined accurately either.

The only bearings you can obtain for these reels are sealed "RLS5" bearings which are far better than the original open sided units that allow grit to get into them and shorten their lives rather rapidly.

Cheers,
BB.

Hi BB

I will take your advice and purchase some new bearings for the reel before reinstalling.

Here are some pictures of the sharpened reel and bedknife.





When I was adjusting the height of the reel to be well above the bedknife I was having trouble with the left screw and lock nut which ended up snapping.



I have now ordered a new pair off ODK which I hope will arrive next week.

Here are some pictures of how the clean up is coming along





Out with the old air filter in with the new (still to oiled before final install)



My father was rummaging through his shed this weekend and found this gem.





Its been eaten by silver fish a little but considering its age its in great shape

Cheers

Don

Question

What would be the best way to remove corrosion from throttle controller?

Some scrunched up alfoil and some water works pretty well for the throttle controller, clutch lever and chrome on the handlebars. You can use some vinegar or Coke if the corrosion is really bad, just wash it it off afterwards. It is hard work, but will give a decent finish providing the chrome isn't too far pitted.

Hi Guys,

Honestly I've always used fine steel wool. It will remove all the unsightly stuff and take off the high spots that you can feel, but regardless of that it's the plating that is breaking down and allowing moisture to get to the base metal which is what is corroding.

Well that 17 inch model 45 is looking brilliant Simon, but then we've become used to your level of workmanship, it's simply first class and better than any factory finish that we've seen.

Cheers,
BB.

Hey Donny !!

Those new bearings "must be fitted prior" to the reel grind being done. There's no point in using flogged out bearings for the grinding work to be done with and then you change the bearings, that will give you a different base line level to work from and you'll struggle to have a straight freshly ground surface on the reel and then alignment will be impossible to obtain.

If your engineer is going to do the job with the old bearings still in place then I'd find a better engineer as that one has no idea as to what he's doing and is probably using very substandard machinery as well.

If you're going to spend the money and do the job correctly, you might as well do it once and right rather than do it wrong and twice.

Cheers,
BB.

G'day Don, BB and Simrice

From a historical perspective, it is a real treat to see an original,unmolested
Model 45 14". You have given us a great story, and great photos of the Maker's serial
number and the original instruction sheet. Amazing!

Would it be possible to confirm the engine model type and code.
I guess the spec was 60102 0144-01 XXXXXXX.

This is certainly a collectible machine and well worth preserving.
Looking at Simrice's magnificent machine reminds us of the unique position
the Model 45 holds in our lawnmower history - it is both vintage and
contemporary. It holds its own with any residential reel mower made today.

This topic goes to the provenance of your machine, now in the custody
of the third generation. It has been very well maintained too - just look at
the condition of the sprockets.

You are in good hands with Mod BB's and Simrice's advice.

Good luck with your restoration.
-------------------------------------
Jack

This is the best I can do with a photo of the model type and serial number.

Am I correct in saying the engine was built 5th August 1968?

hi donny
your machine is real barn find it looks like all origainl to me.
bon bloke right better to fit new bearings first before reel grind but in your case when I looking at your machine under chain case your chains sprockets chain tighting block all look like new. your machine still like new hardly no work so I thinking your reel bearings still like new like your chains.
I think just fit new bearings to reel and all will be ok as I sure your old bearing stll tight no play but you know to fit new bearings first next time reel ground
after you clean crome use oily rag to wipe over handles and throddle control just to leave very light oil film to protect crome stop rust do this every couple months
keep up the good work

Hi Cirillo, DonnyW and Freebird,

You are spot on with that date Cirillo.

Regardless of the current condition of the bearings I'd still put new sealed units on the reel shafts. The original bearings are open sided and allow dirt and grit in and thus the degredation has already begun.

Cheers,
BB.

Hi all

I really appreciate your tips and feedback especially as I'm a newbie to this site.

Simrice, you are a champion for your tip on using alfoil and water. Check out the results





Thats the best I could get on the throttle controller. It really needs to be rechromed as it has all been eaten away by the corrosion.

The rest of the clean up is coming along nicely. Cant wait to receive all the new parts including the new enclosed bearings for the reel and trying it out on my lawn.

Freebird, thanks for the heads up on lightly oiling the chrome work. I have applied a nice film to protect it for now.

I had a good play with the old bearings. There was no play in them at all but they did not spin as freely as I think they should which would be consistent with your feedback BB. I suspect they have accumulated a bit of grime.

Next time I will replace bearings before getting a reel sharpen. The things you learn in this new journey.

Whats everyones thoughts on the reel to reduce further rusting. Would you suggest oiling it or using some sort of rust coverter solution being careful to keep this away from the cutting edge.

Any secrets out there for removing the rust and rejuvenating the engine? For now I want to keep it all original but want to make it as clean and tidy as possible.

Keep the feedback coming.

Cheers

Donny

Hi DonnyW,

As far as the reel is concerned I'd just leave it as it is, especially if you intend to use it on a regular basis. Any clean up of the reel really needs to be done prior to spin grinding it. I always do it the hard way and sit they for hours using emery paper and rubbing it all back to bare steel and then paint it, after that send it off for it's grinding works to be done. Anyway as your mower isn't going to be a museum piece on display and being used for what it was meant to do I'd just use it and remember to clean it the reel off with a jet blasting of water from your hose while the reel is engaged in the spinning mode thus it will self clean all associated parts. Ensure that the mower is left out in the sun to completely dry out before putting it in the garage for storage. Don't put it away wet under any circumstances.


BTW it's looking really good for what we call a "survivor", just my original unit that I bought around 35 years ago as a secondhand mower which got me my passion for Scotty's.

Now the next thing is to set up the reel and bedknife contact arrangement. Do you know how to do this ?

Cheers,
BB.

Hi all

Super excited about going home tonight to a package of new parts.

In answer to your question BB I have watched Deejay's video and received advice from engineer who sharpened the reel and bedknife. I'll give it a go and see what happens.

I'll report back on progress soon.

Cheers

Donnyw

Hi Donny,

Well you're about to enter the danger zone from where we at the ODK sit. That video you've watched refers to the "NON CONTACT" method which on a Scotty is incorrect. If you read the original owners manual you'll see that it refers to a "CONTACT" method where the reel and bed knife come in very slight contact with each other and act exactly like a pair of scissors.

https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/u...r/2675/filename/manual_operator_sb45.pdf

This is the correct method and the old idea of non contact is for different types of "greens mowers".

The Model 45 uses the method that is clearly described in the Owners Manual and if you utilise Deejays video but add the contact method into that you'll be on the right track.

Cheers,
BB.

Thanks BB

I'm on the right track then. I'm planning to set up like scissors with my test being it will cut paper right across the bedknife.

I will have some more questions later I'm sure

Appreciate the guidance

Hi DonnyW,

You're definitely on the correct Highway then.

Cheers,
BB.

Hi all

The SB is back together and has had its first run over my lawn, well thats a bit generous when describing it.

I have adjusted the reel so it cleanly cut paper all the way across the bedknife.

Oiled up the new air filter and lubricated the chains.

The engined started easily, it only takes half a gental pull of the starter. One adjustment it needs is the throttle. When the throttle is at the lowest point it is still running quite fast. I can see that the cable has fully release and then some. Is there an adjustment I can make?

Also noticed that the two new reel height adjusting screws have normal thread but the original ones I took off were a reverse thread.

With all the sunny days and good rain in Melbourne at the moment the santa Anna couch is growing fast and will be lush in no time.

Cheers

Don

hi donny great news you have you mower back in action again
if your shure throttle cable has some slack and engine idle is till to high next step is to remove aircleaner, for under the aircleaner assembly you will see throttle linkages governer spring ect
look for the throttle arm lever this lever will have a idle speed screw that controls idle speed when you move throttle lever to slow position
try backing the idle screw out a bit to see if that slows it down a bit

Thanks Freebird for your help. When I next started the mower it worked fine so no further changes were required.

For the last few weeks I have been researching rust. So many methods available on the internet but most worked well on unpainted parts. What I wanted was to remove the rust with out damaging the paint and original stickers.

I ended up purchasing a product called Evapo Rust. It's a non acid based product. I tested first on the air filter lid. Here is how it turned out.


Next I removed the cowl and submerged it in the solution. Here are the results.











It's not perfect but it has cleaned up well considered the age.

Please let me know if you notice anything else in the photos.

What should I now do to these surfaces to prevent rusting again.

Also the starter cable is now grabbing a lot and not retracting very well. Is there any good threads on here describing how to diagnose this and get it back to normal.

Appreciate your advice

DonnyW

Hi there guys

I have a question for you all. While replacing the coils on my sb45 68 model which is the exact same motor as pictured above. I lost the the spring and plate that is on top of the motor and I was wondering where I get these parts from

Thanks in advance

hi joey
what parts you missing are the they the governor vane and governor spring which is connected to it
please let me know if its these parts as I may have them

Donny your machine looks in great factory finish condition
now that you have controlled the rust good way to keep it away is to wipe the mower over with a oily rag just enough oil to leave some on the surface of the mower you can apply this to the whole mower handle bars reel motor except muffler of course.
to help stop rust I never wash my cylinder mowers after use
I use my air compressor to blow them down to remove grass clippings dust ect reel and mower come up spotless this way and never get wet. just don't use to much air pressure if you try so you don't blow your paint off
I think you mean your starter cord is not retracting fully some times it just needs some lubrication
to do this remove engine cowing this also contains the rewind starter
with the cowling off the engine you will see the nylon starter pulley which the starter cord is wrapped around
you can spray some wd40 and squirt some oil in the pulley hub hole then pull the starter cord half a dozen or so times till it frees up and rewinds firmly
after a while no lubrication and grit makes the pulley stick and not rewind properly the wd40 and some oil gets it working again

I have the governor spring it is the other one I am missing

hi joey
I am sorry for delay getting back to you as have been very busy

I have had a look for the parts I think you need and think I

have what your after

governor vane which fits up to the coil

if this is the part you need on my profile is a contact phone number for me

just text me your postal address and I will send you the part for free of charge if you want it