New Member From Wisconsin

[2smoked]

Hello everyone. I am a long time Lawn Boy fan and owner since 1980. My Lawn Boy model 5247 was purchased about 34 years ago at a hardware store located about 2 blocks from my house. It cost me $231.00 which was a lot of money for a mower back then. It was the the first and only new mower I ever purchased. I still have it and I still use it. My lawn has never been cut by any other lawnmower and never will as long as I am able.

This last spring I got bit by the old Lawn Boy collecting bug(a perplexing disease) and now I have a total of three (5247, R7070, a work in progress 8255). My favorite is the R7070 that I found this last spring by chance in a warehouse. I spent some time and money reconditioning it and the reward for my efforts is a wonderful running and beautiful looking machine. Some people think I'm a little strange because I enjoy cutting grass. The combination of 2-stroke exhaust and fresh cut grass is what does it for me. And it also helps to hear that nice gentle burbling sound of a vintage Lawn Boy.

I will try and upload some pictures of my machines for everyones enjoyment later.

 

[Two-Stroke]

:welcome:

Wisconsin is a good place to have the disease -- the supply of old LBs is much tighter down here in Georgia. You mid-westerners can find lots of nice old mowers that just need a little TLC. And if you ever need to "cull the herd" you can make some bucks selling them on eBay.

Don't forget to post your photos.

I also enjoy cutting grass. :laughing:

 

[2smoked]

:welcome:

Wisconsin is a good place to have the disease -- the supply of old LBs is much tighter down here in Georgia. You mid-westerners can find lots of nice old mowers that just need a little TLC. And if you ever need to "cull the herd" you can make some bucks selling them on eBay.

Don't forget to post your photos.

I also enjoy cutting grass. :laughing:

On the other side of the coin, you folks in the south get a longer grass season. With this last horrible winter, I wasn't able to fire up a Lawn Boy until nearly mid May. And by early October it's all over until April if we are lucky. Winters up here last WAY too long.

 

[Two-Stroke]

On the other side of the coin, you folks in the south get a longer grass season. With this last horrible winter, I wasn't able to fire up a Lawn Boy until nearly mid May. And by early October it's all over until April if we are lucky. Winters up here last WAY too long.

That's a good point. If you enjoy mowing you get to do a lot more of it down here.

The grass (in my case that includes some weeds :laughing: ) will grow some up into Novenber -- maybe a little beyond -- and starts again in March.

 

[2smoked]

I just got a new coil for the 8255 and a quick test shows that I have spark. I'll be going away for a little vacation but when I get back I'll work on getting that mower running and then I'll post pictures of my "herd".

 

[2smoked]

I finally got my 8255 running and it only took two pulls. The govenor only needed some minor adjustment along with the carb. Someone had replaced the original coil with an electronic unit from a Briggs & Stratton. No wonder I couldn't figure out why the points wiring was cut. I have never putzed with a D engine so it's no wonder why I had little or no spark! Thank goodness I was able to solve the problem by getting a new coil. The rest of the mower looks pretty nice but it will need crank seals and a good degreasing. It sure is fun hearing an old Lawn Boy come back to life.

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to replace the seals on a D engine by prying them out and driving in new ones without disassembling the crankcase?

 

[Phototone]

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to replace the seals on a D engine by prying them out and driving in new ones without disassembling the crankcase?

There are a number of videos on Youtube that detail a very easy way to remove the seals. Basically it entails a long screw screwed into the seal with a screwdriver bit
on a power drill. This pushes the seal out. But view the videos for technique. Then it is a relatively easy matter to drive new seals home (gently) without dis-assembly.

 

[2smoked]

As promised, here is my herd. The 19 inch as you can see has an auxiliary gas tank that I put on about 15 years ago. I couldn't get the leak fixed in the original tank, but my retrofit gets the job done. I used the 8255 for the first time today, and it runs very sweet. I'll be working more on the engine later.

 

[Two-Stroke]

As promised, here is my herd. The 19 inch as you can see has an auxiliary gas tank that I put on about 15 years ago. I couldn't get the leak fixed in the original tank, but my retrofit gets the job done. I used the 8255 for the first time today, and it runs very sweet. I'll be working more on the engine later.
View attachment 22716

I like the look of the external tank - :thumbsup: - I'm not a stickler for all original equipment.

How much of the engine on the 19" is original? That's the one you've had since it was new -- right?

 

[2smoked]

I like the look of the external tank - :thumbsup: - I'm not a stickler for all original equipment.

How much of the engine on the 19" is original? That's the one you've had since it was new -- right?

Believe it or not, the only non-original engine parts are the air filter cover, the crank seals and the coil. Consdering how much I have used it, I think that's quite remarkable. I doubt that any push mower made today could match that kind of durability. It's shame that they can't make them like that anymore.