Hello. Years and years ago, growing up, I started a little neighborhood business cutting peoples lawns. I was only 13, but I worked hard and made people happy. I started using my fathers 4 stroke briggs powered mower, however the wheels had to be removed to adjust the deck height, the motor was tired, it was heavy and there was no other option but side discharge. After working hard for a few months my grandfather gave me his old early 80's 21" supreme (sorry i don't remember the model number). It was self propelled and light, and the 2 stroke would go through what seemed like anything. I also had the option to bag or mulch depending on the customer and I could set the height extremely quickly. I used the LB for the rest of the summer and added the bigger rollers for the capstan and made some great money for a 13 year old kid.
In fact I had made so much money that winter I decided that for all its hard work, the F engine deserved a rebuild. With the help from dad, I tore it down, installed brand new bearings, piston, rings, and seals, and rebuilt the carb. I cleaned the exhaust port and cleaned out the muffler, and set out the next season with a formidable mower. It gave me many years of great service, but as I got older and got a real job, and got into cars, the LB ended up sitting in the shed and my dad didn't really like using it, preferring a newly acquired Yardworks mower with a LV195 Tecumseh. Eventually I came home one day to find out he had scrapped it and my mean little machine was gone.
Fast foward 17 years and now I have my own house, living on my own. I was gifted that Yardworks mower, but I never liked it one bit. The carb was ridiculously finicky, and to this day I still can not get the thing to run correctly. When setting the Governor spring it either will not open the throttle enough under load to keep it from bogging and dying, or it does not close the throttle after cutting in heavy grass, resulting in the mower going full throttle until I release the kill switch. Now maybe somehow this can be adjusted to function properly, but with a large rust hole in the deck and the lack of power I started looking for a Lawnboy, remembering how great mine was and not impressed with the current mowers on the market in my price range.
I have been browsing Kijiji (canadian craigslist) and happened upon the king daddy of them all, a Gold Pro 10550. Sadly, it was not meant to be, as once I replied to the ad the owner told me somebody over 300km away was very interested and had the first shot at it. So back to the listings I went until last week. I found a 8237, almost the exact same mower of my youth for sale for the bargain of 25$. Luckily for me, I was quick enough to snatch it up before somebody else bought it. It was being sold for parts, but aside from a broken front wheel, it was complete and last ran 4-5 years ago. I loaded it up and took it home with me. First order of business was to see if it would even run. I mixed up some gas and filled it up. After some priming and pulling, it fired up and then proceeded to rev what seemed to me to be way too high. I backed the governor off a considerable amount and tried again. This time it was much better. I started to mow the front yard, and then started on the back, where the grass is very think and grows fast. My 6.5 yardworks always bogs in this, even taking 1/2 cuts, and the discharge clogs very quickly. The Lawnboy plowed right through. Not bad for a mower made in 1979 that has likely never seen a rebuild.
I was satisfied, but I noticed the capstan axle stopped spinning. The motor was also running up in the rpm so I checked the end play in the crankshaft, and its at the very least 1/8 of an inch. Not good. I removed the carb to clean it out, and checked on the capstan drive. There is a drive shaft running from the PTO to the axle, and on the engine end its broken. On my first lawnboy, there was no solid drive shaft, but rather two square tubes, a square shaft and a spring inbetween. I looked on the Lawnboy parts site and this shaft is part #607654. Not available. I searched google and was lead to another part #, 683129, which looks like the driveshaft my first lawnboy had. Can this 683129 shaft be used to replace the 607654 shaft? It seems to be a better design.I also need to replace the wheel and would prefer some steel wheels with ball bearings. I happened across a site with exactly that listed, p#06-2976 and p# 06-2976. They are replacements for LB p# 681979 and #681980. Will these wheels fit on my mower?
I intend, like last time, to use this mower until I can get all the necessary parts to rebuild the motor. I also read that I can install a thrust bearing which would be desirable to reduce slop in the crank and make life easier on the roller bearings. I also need to service the carb as the play in the throttle shaft is excessive. Also, the deck has a crack in it running from the motor plate to the discharge hole in the top of the deck, but being a machinist I can easily get this repaired. Thanks for having me and I appreciate being able to join this community. I have loved the brand for 17 years now and it is extremely hard to beat the durability, light weight and cutting performance of a Lawnboy. I'm also hunting still for a Duraforce, and when one close to me goes up for sale hopefully I will be fast enough to get it this time. Thank you!
In fact I had made so much money that winter I decided that for all its hard work, the F engine deserved a rebuild. With the help from dad, I tore it down, installed brand new bearings, piston, rings, and seals, and rebuilt the carb. I cleaned the exhaust port and cleaned out the muffler, and set out the next season with a formidable mower. It gave me many years of great service, but as I got older and got a real job, and got into cars, the LB ended up sitting in the shed and my dad didn't really like using it, preferring a newly acquired Yardworks mower with a LV195 Tecumseh. Eventually I came home one day to find out he had scrapped it and my mean little machine was gone.
Fast foward 17 years and now I have my own house, living on my own. I was gifted that Yardworks mower, but I never liked it one bit. The carb was ridiculously finicky, and to this day I still can not get the thing to run correctly. When setting the Governor spring it either will not open the throttle enough under load to keep it from bogging and dying, or it does not close the throttle after cutting in heavy grass, resulting in the mower going full throttle until I release the kill switch. Now maybe somehow this can be adjusted to function properly, but with a large rust hole in the deck and the lack of power I started looking for a Lawnboy, remembering how great mine was and not impressed with the current mowers on the market in my price range.
I have been browsing Kijiji (canadian craigslist) and happened upon the king daddy of them all, a Gold Pro 10550. Sadly, it was not meant to be, as once I replied to the ad the owner told me somebody over 300km away was very interested and had the first shot at it. So back to the listings I went until last week. I found a 8237, almost the exact same mower of my youth for sale for the bargain of 25$. Luckily for me, I was quick enough to snatch it up before somebody else bought it. It was being sold for parts, but aside from a broken front wheel, it was complete and last ran 4-5 years ago. I loaded it up and took it home with me. First order of business was to see if it would even run. I mixed up some gas and filled it up. After some priming and pulling, it fired up and then proceeded to rev what seemed to me to be way too high. I backed the governor off a considerable amount and tried again. This time it was much better. I started to mow the front yard, and then started on the back, where the grass is very think and grows fast. My 6.5 yardworks always bogs in this, even taking 1/2 cuts, and the discharge clogs very quickly. The Lawnboy plowed right through. Not bad for a mower made in 1979 that has likely never seen a rebuild.
I was satisfied, but I noticed the capstan axle stopped spinning. The motor was also running up in the rpm so I checked the end play in the crankshaft, and its at the very least 1/8 of an inch. Not good. I removed the carb to clean it out, and checked on the capstan drive. There is a drive shaft running from the PTO to the axle, and on the engine end its broken. On my first lawnboy, there was no solid drive shaft, but rather two square tubes, a square shaft and a spring inbetween. I looked on the Lawnboy parts site and this shaft is part #607654. Not available. I searched google and was lead to another part #, 683129, which looks like the driveshaft my first lawnboy had. Can this 683129 shaft be used to replace the 607654 shaft? It seems to be a better design.I also need to replace the wheel and would prefer some steel wheels with ball bearings. I happened across a site with exactly that listed, p#06-2976 and p# 06-2976. They are replacements for LB p# 681979 and #681980. Will these wheels fit on my mower?
I intend, like last time, to use this mower until I can get all the necessary parts to rebuild the motor. I also read that I can install a thrust bearing which would be desirable to reduce slop in the crank and make life easier on the roller bearings. I also need to service the carb as the play in the throttle shaft is excessive. Also, the deck has a crack in it running from the motor plate to the discharge hole in the top of the deck, but being a machinist I can easily get this repaired. Thanks for having me and I appreciate being able to join this community. I have loved the brand for 17 years now and it is extremely hard to beat the durability, light weight and cutting performance of a Lawnboy. I'm also hunting still for a Duraforce, and when one close to me goes up for sale hopefully I will be fast enough to get it this time. Thank you!
