Capstan "self propelled" drive???????????

parkboy

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My 1989 L21ZSNA "self propelled" did not propel very well. So I found a pair of new old stock rollers and replaced the originals that were worn down. I have adjusted the clutch rod so the wheels are 3/16" away from the drive rollers when the machine is in neutral. Now it pulls good down hill and on flat ground but that's about it! Is there something else I can do, or is this as good as it gets? A boy my age needs all the power assist he can get!!

Thanks,

Parkboy
 

jp1961

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Hmmm, how are the rear wheels themselves? I read, Lawn-boy used a special type rubber on their wheels and you just can't replace them with non OEM wheels. Personally, I was never a huge fan of the capstan drive. My 10323 has a infinitely better drive that will tackle just about any incline.

Jeff
 

parkboy

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Hmmm, how are the rear wheels themselves? I read, Lawn-boy used a special type rubber on their wheels and you just can't replace them with non OEM wheels. Personally, I was never a huge fan of the capstan drive. My 10323 has a infinitely better drive that will tackle just about any incline.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff.

As far as I know these are the original wheels.

Parkboy
 

parkboy

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Hmmm, how are the rear wheels themselves? I read, Lawn-boy used a special type rubber on their wheels and you just can't replace them with non OEM wheels. Personally, I was never a huge fan of the capstan drive. My 10323 has a infinitely better drive that will tackle just about any incline.

Jeff

Does anyone know how long LB made the capstan drive system?

Thanks,
Parkboy
 

unclelee

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Capstans were available from 1957-1990.
Lee
 

fabricgator

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My 1989 L21ZSNA "self propelled" did not propel very well. So I found a pair of new old stock rollers and replaced the originals that were worn down. I have adjusted the clutch rod so the wheels are 3/16" away from the drive rollers when the machine is in neutral. Now it pulls good down hill and on flat ground but that's about it! Is there something else I can do, or is this as good as it gets? A boy my age needs all the power assist he can get!!

Thanks,

Parkboy

Parker,
Check to see if there is a spring missing on the left hand side. Mine had a missing spring and it seems to be better than it had ever been.

http://www.partstree.com/parts/lawn...00000001-h99999999/drive-group-models-l21zsn/

Look to verify if you have the #10 spring on this IPC.
 

Phototone

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You can clean the wheels (the tread) with something like Westleys Bleche-White, which is made for rubber tires and it will remove the dried up rubber surface oxidation. You need to spray it on, and then scrub the wheel with a stiff brush then wash off under the faucet. (Wheels off the mower). I haven't had such issues with old capstan drive Lawnboys. But I always clean-up my wheels. Also make sure the drive rollers are clean, and the grooves are not filled with dirt and stuff. I use a wire wheel on my grinder to clean them up.
 

parkboy

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You can clean the wheels (the tread) with something like Westleys Bleche-White, which is made for rubber tires and it will remove the dried up rubber surface oxidation. You need to spray it on, and then scrub the wheel with a stiff brush then wash off under the faucet. (Wheels off the mower). I haven't had such issues with old capstan drive Lawnboys. But I always clean-up my wheels. Also make sure the drive rollers are clean, and the grooves are not filled with dirt and stuff. I use a wire wheel on my grinder to clean them up.

Thanks for that information. I recently learned that the 2 new capstans I put on are mismatched. One is Right and the other Left, but they are different "speeds," so I have to get one or the other the correct "mate."
 

viperv10

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Hi Parkboy. Did you ever get the self propel to work good enough on your mower ? I see this thread was started about a year ago. I have the same mower and couldn't get it to pull by itself good enough to use. I found this one in a garage that was packed to the ceiling and wall to wall. I just saw the green handle bars sticking out. When I saw the green, I thought ahaa, rusty gold, like they say on American Pickers. Well anyway, I put new drive rollers and new correct tires on it and still couldn't get it adjusted good enough to work properly. So I swapped out the top handle bar and cables and now it is a straight push mower. It is a
1989 strong running F series mower. I was just curious to see how you came out with yours.
Jerry.
 

parkboy

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Hi Parkboy. Did you ever get the self propel to work good enough on your mower ? I see this thread was started about a year ago. I have the same mower and couldn't get it to pull by itself good enough to use. I found this one in a garage that was packed to the ceiling and wall to wall. I just saw the green handle bars sticking out. When I saw the green, I thought ahaa, rusty gold, like they say on American Pickers. Well anyway, I put new drive rollers and new correct tires on it and still couldn't get it adjusted good enough to work properly. So I swapped out the top handle bar and cables and now it is a straight push mower. It is a
1989 strong running F series mower. I was just curious to see how you came out with yours.
Jerry.

Jerry,

I put on new capstan rollers and then I discovered I had a mismatched a pair. I corrected that problem. Then, early this summer, I came up with a NOS pair of drive wheels, which helped immensely. I set the clearance between the rollers and the wheels with a pint mixing stick which is exactly 3/16" thick. It pulls pretty good, but is not nearly as strong as my Gold Series belt drive 3 speed 10518.

I just put the capstan drive 21ZSNA "to bed" for the winter. I slipped a 2x2 under the deck so the drive wheels are not setting on the floor for the next 6 months. I picked up another set of NOS drive wheels last week, so these wheels will likely outlast me!

There must be something about that Lawn Boy exhaust that messes with the mind. I lived 70 years and never ever owned one. A few months later, I have 8 and a Lawn Boy snowboy!

Parkboy
 
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