Mid Century Mowing: done

I had started to get a little anxious and almost settled on going to the local hardware store to buy a new mower when a gentleman from craigslist emailed me and said he had an old Lawn Boy for sale that was "rough" but he thought it would run with some work. I met him at the predetermined location where he promptly arrived. We after greeting each other a few minutes of haggling and a handshake I came home with this:



It was "old" and "rough" alright! As most 1960's Lawn Boy self-propelled mowers are. But the engine seemed mechanically sound. I quickly assessed the condition of the mower and headed to a local service station that specializes in lawn mower repair. A few minutes later I was on my way home with a new air filter, spark plug, and some 2 cycle oil [yes it's a 2 stroke :)]

When I got home I tinkered with it while Lucy was brewing some coffee for me. After a new plug, filter, fresh tank of pre-mixed gas, sharpened blade, cleaned carburator and exhaust port...it started on the second pull! Probably would have on the first if I had the throttle set right. The neighbors probably think I'm crazy for mowing with something that looks like such a jalopy. But that won't stop me. This old girl mowed as good...no better than any modern push mower I've ever used.

Here she is resting after a solid hour of work, can't wait for the grass to grow so I can get it out again!



For those of you wondering what's going on with the belt and pulleys this is the deal. The flywheel nut doubles as a pulley which turns a belt that goes over the two pulleys you see in the photo then to a pulley on a jackshaft which contacts the rear wheels. Probably the most simple self-propelled push mower ever made.

Let us know what you think about the lawn!