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Thinking of trying to score a self propelled Lawn Boy, must be 2 stroke, for the hill in the back yard.

Are the drive units all the same over the years, all belt driven? Are they reliable with some maintenance, I know they are RWD, my Dad had one years ago, but he killed the mower some how. I have daughter moving back in, my thinking is with 2 mowers, we can knock it out the whole yard pretty quick. Of course, her thoughts on this subject may differ....

Mike

Dura Force would be the one,lot of power and rear wheel drive.

About where do you live? I have a self-propelled Lawn-Boy first started three years ago with less than three hours on it. I prefer my push mower, so the self-propelled mower is just taking space. There are two threads I have on here on the subject of this mower, a model S21ZSN.

FuzzyDriver, I'm on SW Ohio. How good are the self propelled LB's? Do they work well? Primarily thinking of hill in back yard, I'm not getting any younger. My push mower is fine, just thinking this might make my life a bit easier, but only if they reliably work well.

I have no idea about long term reliability of the self-propelled part. Since my 'daily-driver' push mower, a S21ZPM, is 28 years old and still running great, I am sold on Lawn-Boy mower-part reliability. I also have a 7073 that runs great; it's on loan to my son. The self-propelled mower I was referring to (S21ZSN) is of an unusual drive design. The drive is not visible, it looks a lot like a non-self-propelled mower. The drive runs the rear wheels through a ratchet type mechanism, which allows you to push faster than it is driving even while engaged. Kind of hard to describe, but the upside is you can make turns (whiere the outside wheel turn faster) while still driving the inside wheel. I don't know if that was what Lawn-Boy was after, or maybe the no-visible-moving-parts mechanism. I have to add that the ratchet mechanism means that the driver is never completely disconnected from the rear wheels, unlike other drive types. This is both good and bad. The good part might be important to you, it means that even when you haven't got the drive engaged, the mower resists rolling backwards (since the drive mechanism ratchet ties the rear wheels to the transmission when it rolls backwards), but it also means it is harder to pull the mower backwards. Like I said, both good and bad. The other interesting part of this type of drive is the belt is always engaged, the transmission itself has a (I don't how else to describe it) 'clutch' inside it.

SW Ohio, like the Cincinnati area? I live 3-1/2 hours north, about 13 miles north of Toledo.

Yep, Cincinnati area. Thanks for the info, some research suggests I'd prefer the 3 speed set up. Also, looking to keep search local.

Sounds good, researching can really help to make a good decision. Just make Just make sure you keep it Lawn-Boy! : )

I have 2 model 10525 1999 vintage Lawn boy 2 stroke Gold Series self propelled mowers. Absolutely no self propelled issues other than 1 set of rear wheels replaced after 18 years. Just make sure you keep the rear wheel grease fittings lubed!

Don't get one with dog drive. Slip too much. I had 69 and 73 models and both had dog drive and both slipped in wet grass when the wheels were wet. The 69 model year had a rubber band size belt off top of flywheel that ran down to drive dog shaft. Looked junky but I guess it always worked, except when wet.

Hey guys, saw a 8237 for sale pretty cheap, figuring it needs work. Not sure if this is a "dog drive" or not. Its got the steel grooved rollers that push on the rear wheels. My Dad had one of these years back, but I never used it. This drive set up work OK on hills and maybe damp grass (got a curtain drain that drains way back there). Thanks. Mike

Milanomike said:

Hey guys, saw a 8237 for sale pretty cheap, figuring it needs work. Not sure if this is a "dog drive" or not. Its got the steel grooved rollers that push on the rear wheels. My Dad had one of these years back, but I never used it. This drive set up work OK on hills and maybe damp grass (got a curtain drain that drains way back there). Thanks. Mike

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I can't help you with that vintage ….pre 1983. You can check on Parts Tree however for a schematic of parts of the unit.

https://www.partstree.com/search/?t...walk+behind+mower+1978+sn+800000001+899999999

Usually the rim drive propelled deal is dirt simple, belt drive off the side PTO to a cross shaft to the drivers. Not on this mower. Lots of components with this and in general not to beefy. I'd avoid the mower as a self propelled (propeller?) but would still be a decent push Lawn Boy with a bonus if the drive works - I think.

Good luck, Mike. If it's REALLY cheap, make sure you check it out closely before showing your cash.

I hadn't thought about what Bill52 said, where the steel rollers slipped against the rear wheels when wet. Most RWD mowers have this kind of set up, I guess because it is cheaper and a little simpler. Slipping can't happen with inside driven wheels like the one I have since it is gear driven. There are lots of these by the more premium brands like Toro.

I'll probably hold off as this one hasn't run in a while and will no doubt have issues.