OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Question On Scott Bonnar Cylinder Mowers Should I buy this 20" Scott Bonnar

Hi all, I've had a look through the forums here and it looks like the perfect place to ask these questions.

I previously owned a 20" (or bigger) queen electric Scott Bonnar, I loved the way it left the Santa Ana couch looking like a bowling green but in moving out of a share house and into a place with only kykuya I let my brother have it (only cost me $20 on ebay).

Now we've bought a new place I've got Santa Ana again and have been looking for a new reel mower, prices seemed to have increased and I can't find any at the $20 mark again ;-) but it seems for a decent size you pay $300 or more.

I've found this one (~ $300) and would like some thoughts on whether it is worth purchasing, if I can use it straight away, if it would need work done before use, if it needs work done later, and if it's a good price.

It's a Scott Bonnar with a 20" cut and from reading here I'd say a Model 45 series 2.

The reel blades look like there is a lot of room for sharpening however it looks like they aren't all that straight, is that something that will cause issues and something that can be resolved? What would be price range to fix?

I haven't seen it in action yet so will need to listen to how it starts/runs, if it's good enough for a look is there other things I should look for or ask the seller?














Thanks for any help/advice.

Hi Miegs,

Well should I stay or should I go ? that's always the question when something like this turns up on Gumtree.

The main issue with 20 inch Series 2 machines are the fragility of the engine mounting rails. This particular model suffers heavily from fatigue stress fractures around the engine mounting area which eventually is terminal if not rectified early enough in its life. My suspicions are there because this machine has already had a clutch half replacement fitted not that long ago which would speed up the degradation of the rails.

The photos show the normal signs of wear and tear but as there are no close ups of the area's in question one must merely go and have a look.

I would say that it is a mid to late 1970's machine that's already been mucked around with a bit thus the shabby paint job that's been done at some time.

The deflections in the reel blades can be easily repaired but the bed knife will require re-machining along with the reel by the engineer of your choice. Bearings should be replaced at the same time.

I would pay no more than around $220 for it as it stands but if you want to chat over it and I'm also in SA I'm available if you forward on to me your phone number.

Cheers,
BB.