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The History of Jacobsen Mowers

Mar 28, 2011#1

Two-Stroke

Jacobsen isn't a big brand these days in terms of consumer (homeowner) products. They now specialize in equipment used on golf courses and similar applications.

I found this illustrated time line (PDF) of the company's evolution from 1921 to 2007.

One thing I'm curious about that I couldn't clarify on their website (jacobsen.com): I think they stopped making two-stroke mowers sometime in the mid-1960s. Does anybody have any details about that?

Mar 29, 2011#2

Two-Stroke

To give homeowner-type members like me an idea of what market Jacobsen is into these days check out this video [an ad produced by the company]:

That thing cuts 16.5 acres an hour.:biggrin:

Mar 30, 2011#3

Two-Stroke

Here's a video of a 1947 Jacobsen Lawn King. It's a two-stroke, reel mower -- very sturdy looking but heavy as a result.

Mar 30, 2011#4

K

KennyV

Neat old reel...
I prefer the steel or wooden, full width roller on the back... and the weight never seemed to be too big a problem... :smile:KennyV

Mar 30, 2011#5

Two-Stroke

KennyV said:
Neat old reel...
I prefer the steel or wooden, full width roller on the back... and the weight never seemed to be too big a problem... :smile:KennyV

The caster is a curiosity -- I guess it makes it easier to turn but almost all reel mowers have some kind of roller. I like the wheels and tires on the sides and the overall construction of the machine.

Mar 30, 2011#6

Two-Stroke

I just found these photos of a "Jacobsen 26" Estate mower". I don't know when it was made -- can anybody help me?

Another pic:

Last one:

Apr 1, 2011#7

Two-Stroke

Here's a video of a two-stroke Jacobsen rotary mower -- it looks like it's probably 1960s vintage. I like the grease fittings on the wheels and the large tank.

Apr 5, 2011#8

Two-Stroke

This video shows a late 40s or early 50s Jacobsen Manor 21 reel mower. It seems to be in very good running order.

I like seeing these old mowers in action.

Apr 5, 2011#9

K

KennyV

Two-Stroke said:
This video shows a late 40s or early 50s Jacobsen Manor 21 reel mower. It seems to be in very good running order.

I like seeing these old mowers in action.

Now that's the type reel mower that I wish I had as a kid, back in the 50's :smile:KennyV

Apr 19, 2011#10

Two-Stroke

This video shows a circa 1937 Jacobsen rotary mower. The video was posted somewhere in another thread but it belongs here so it's worth re-posting.

Apr 19, 2011#11

twall

That was so cool! I liked the other videos, too, when it finished....the Victa videos were cool......man those thing were strange! Betcha they (Victas) also hurt a lot of people.......there are no sides to the deck! Just a blade with a top! Thanks for the vid.......

I see victa is still around! Now owned by B&S.....(who isn't...

)

Apr 19, 2011#12

Two-Stroke

twall said:
That was so cool! I liked the other videos, too, when it finished....the Victa videos were cool......man those thing were strange! Betcha they (Victas) also hurt a lot of people.......there are no sides to the deck! Just a blade with a top! Thanks for the vid.......

I see victa is still around! Now owned by B&S.....(who isn't...)

Were the Victa videos in another thread? I missed something.

Apr 19, 2011#13

twall

Two-Stroke said:
Were the Victa videos in another thread? I missed something.

No, if you watch the video to the end, it'll give you suggestions for related videos at the bottom (they're tiny).....they came up for me. Australian two stroke. Oughta be right up yer alley...:wink:

Apr 19, 2011#14

Two-Stroke

twall said:
No, if you watch the video to the end, it'll give you suggestions for related videos at the bottom (they're tiny).....they came up for me. Australian two stroke. Oughta be right up yer alley...:wink:

Thanks, twall. I've heard of the brand but have never seen one. I'll look it up.

Apr 20, 2011#15

twall

Two-Stroke said:
Thanks, twall. I've heard of the brand but have never seen one. I'll look it up.

You find those videos yet?

Apr 21, 2011#16

Two-Stroke

twall said:
You find those videos yet?

No, I haven't gotten to it yet. I like your Snapper avatar -- BTW.

Apr 21, 2011#17

twall

Two-Stroke said:
No, I haven't gotten to it yet. I like your Snapper avatar -- BTW.

Thanks! So do I! :thumbsup:

Jul 25, 2011#18

C

CJH

Great to see some of the old Jacobsens! Spent many an early morning behind a two cycle greens mower at a local golf course. Great job, outside in the early morning, beautifuly surroundings, cutting perfectly straight stripes (the goal anyway). Also used their F10 & F20 fairway mowers, big beasts!!

Their two cycle rotary mowers were indestructible, ours were late seventy vintage (worked on courses from 1980 thru 1983).

Learned to drive manual transmissions on a variety of Cushmans at the age of 14. Great machines, from an old tiller steering three wheeler, single cyliner Kohler to new two cylinder OMC engined sprayers, top dressers, and hydraulic dump bed machines. Would love to have a property large enough to warrant buying & restoring one!

Thanks for the fond memories!

Aug 5, 2011#19

B

benski

I've got a Jacobsen Park 30 model, vintage 1952. I've just got to make time to mess with it. A big, nasty WICO magneto on the side of the little 4 hp Kohler. The whole thing must weigh north of 250 lbs!

:biggrin:

Sep 14, 2011#20

Two-Stroke

Here are a couple of photos that I found of what I believe is a 1960s (??) Jacobsen two-stroke. In the second picture notice the disk-type blade. That design wasn't unusual at the time, I think.

Oct 10, 2011#21

Two-Stroke

I found a picture of a relatively recent Jacobsen two-stroke. I'm excited about this one because the mower is powered by the same series Suzuki engine that's mounted on my 1987 Toro mower that I've been talking about in this thread.

Here's the Jacobsen, powered by Suzuki! :thumbsup:

Does anybody know the model number of this mower?

On the front of the deck I think it says: "Commercial 20".

Nov 24, 2011#22

bwdbrn1

I've got three old Jacobsen Reel mowers myself. A 1949 Bantam 18", a 1949 Lawn King 26" and a 1952 Lawn Queen 20". The Bantam and Lawn Queen both have the 321 engine, which was probably the most widely used of all Jake engines. The Lawn King's engine is larger. All of them are amazingly quiet when running! And all are a work out to keep up with, even at idle!

If you have the serial number on a pre 1975 Jake, you can look up the year of manufacture on this site;

Hit & Miss Model's Jacobsen serial number lookup for products made before 1975

It seems a lot of manufactures put a third wheel on their larger reels mowers like you see on the Lawn King back in the day. It did make them much easier to handle and turn. Many of them were outfitted to easily hitch up a sulky, which probably had something to do with the choice of a third wheel instead of rollers.

Jan 10, 2012#23

bwdbrn1

I don't think that one in the earlier video is a 1937. Jacobsen didn't start with rotary mowers until the 50's when they acquired The Standard Manufacturing Company of Lebanon, Indiana in 1948. They bought them out specifically for their pioneering work in rotary mowers. Look at the similarities to the mower pictured in this patent issued to Jacobsen in 1956 for the forerunner of their Turbo Cut system.
Patent US2737772 - JACOBSEN - Google Patents
The deck also looks quite a bit like this Johnston in this 1954 ad. Johnston was a subsidiary of Jacobsen. A company they acquired for their steel push reel mowers, which they later motorized as well.
1954 JOHNSTON LAWN MOWER CORP. JOAN TUBY AD ART | eBay
This short little article gives a brief history of the company.
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/groot/article/1986sep19.pdf

Jan 11, 2012#24

Two-Stroke

bwdbrn1 said:
I don't think that one in the earlier video is a 1937. Jacobsen didn't start with rotary mowers until the 50's when they acquired The Standard Manufacturing Company of Lebanon, Indiana in 1948. They bought them out specifically for their pioneering work in rotary mowers. Look at the similarities to the mower pictured in this patent issued to Jacobsen in 1956 for the forerunner of their Turbo Cut system.
Patent US2737772 - JACOBSEN - Google Patents
The deck also looks quite a bit like this Johnston in this 1954 ad. Johnston was a subsidiary of Jacobsen. A company they acquired for their steel push reel mowers, which they later motorized as well.
1954 JOHNSTON LAWN MOWER CORP. JOAN TUBY AD ART | eBay
This short little article gives a brief history of the company.
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/groot/article/1986sep19.pdf

Thank you for an excellent post, bwdbrn1.

I haven't read the history article but it seens to be exactly what I've been looking for. It's funny but I tried searching many keywords on different search engines but never found that link. :confused2:

Jan 11, 2012#25

bwdbrn1

Interesting that Jacobsen's buddy, Dremel, (recognize the name?), who was working in Jacobsen's shop, was the one who suggested the notion of motorizing the mower. From that the 4 acre mower was born, and the Jacobsen lawn care equipment business took off. Dremel of course went on to create more wonders. How many of us have one of his little rotary tools in our shops?

Jan 12, 2012#26

Two-Stroke

bwdbrn1 said:
Interesting that Jacobsen's buddy, Dremel, (recognize the name?), who was working in Jacobsen's shop, was the one who suggested the notion of motorizing the mower. From that the 4 acre mower was born, and the Jacobsen lawn care equipment business took off. Dremel of course went on to create more wonders. How many of us have one of his little rotary tools in our shops?

I've been a hard-core fan of Dremel moto-tools for longer than I care to admit. I currently have two - one is a dedicated chain saw sharpening tool.

Apr 16, 2012#27

F

fredsluck

I have a Jacobsen 50 mower. A heavy walk behind with Honda engine that I bought new in the early 90s. Still use but need to find a source for the blades. It has two and takes a 50 inch cut.

Apr 19, 2012#28

G

George Newton

That 50" mower may be an Exmark. In the early days of their attempt to market that size mower they bought Exmark's and repainted and put their own decals on them. As for the early days (50's and 60's), they had a couple of 2 cycle engines. There was a "J125", a "J175" and finally, the workhorse, the "321" (as in 32:1 gas/oil mix). The 321 was used on all their production of mowers that used a 2 cycle engine from about 1962 to about 1975. They then changed to a 501 (50:1 gas/oil mix) about 1975 until about 1988. All the parts were the same, just less smoke. As for the Park 30 mower, it had a Wisconsin engine on it. In those days, Wisconsin was the industry's "Cadillac" of engines. All cast iron and lasted forever if taken care of. I was in the parts business for Jacobsen for 30 years. There wasn't much I didn't see. By the way, the "F10" golf tractor was also the top of the line when it came to large area mowing. My company sold a ton of them.

Apr 19, 2012#29

F

fredsluck

The Jacobsen 50 has a Peerless transmission with 5 forward and one reverse. It is heavy. The weigh listed in manual is 424 lb. for the 11 hp option. I have a Honda engine. The blade is similar to those I have seen on smaller Jacobsen Mowers with a keyed cutting bar adaptor that bolts to the blade with two bolts at 2 7/8 or 2 13/16 center distance. The blade part number in the manual is 390481. It does not look like any of the Xmark machines I have seen but that does not mean a lot since I am not very well versed in the available equipment.

Apr 20, 2012#30

G

George Newton

I checked with a friend at Jacobsen and he said the mower was probably an Encore, not an Exmark. If you can find an Encore dealer (don't tell them it's a Jacobsen), and just take the blade to them, they might be able to help you. Sorry about the mixup. You might also try a Tractor Supply Co. store, as they have some "replacement" blades that might fit. Good luck.

Apr 20, 2012#31

F

fredsluck

I will try the Tractor Supply and use the Encore hint at other sources. I have checked with a couple of good service shops in the area and went through their catalogues with them and have found nothing with the length I need ( 25.5 + inches). Just for general information I will try to post picture. Thanks for the tips.

Apr 20, 2012#32

K

KennyV

You didn't give the other dimensions... but here are some 26 inch blades, they could be Easily fitted to a 25.5+ size ...
Lawn Mower Parts - Blade Search By Item Attributes

Is yours a right side or left side discharge? :smile:KennyV

Apr 20, 2012#33

Two-Stroke

George Newton said:
That 50" mower may be an Exmark. In the early days of their attempt to market that size mower they bought Exmark's and repainted and put their own decals on them. As for the early days (50's and 60's), they had a couple of 2 cycle engines. There was a "J125", a "J175" and finally, the workhorse, the "321" (as in 32:1 gas/oil mix). The 321 was used on all their production of mowers that used a 2 cycle engine from about 1962 to about 1975. They then changed to a 501 (50:1 gas/oil mix) about 1975 until about 1988. All the parts were the same, just less smoke. As for the Park 30 mower, it had a Wisconsin engine on it. In those days, Wisconsin was the industry's "Cadillac" of engines. All cast iron and lasted forever if taken care of. I was in the parts business for Jacobsen for 30 years. There wasn't much I didn't see. By the way, the "F10" golf tractor was also the top of the line when it came to large area mowing. My company sold a ton of them.

That post was packed interesting information. Thanks.

With those model numbers I was able to locate some photos. This, I believe, is a J125 from the late 1940s or early 1950s.

Apr 20, 2012#34

F

fredsluck

KennyV said:
You didn't give the other dimensions... but here are some 26 inch blades, they could be Easily fitted to a 25.5+ size ...
Lawn Mower Parts - Blade Search By Item Attributes

Is yours a right side or left side discharge? :smile:KennyV

The mower is right side discharge; Blade has ctr hole 7/16 inch with two 7/16 inch holes on 2 3/4 inch between centers. Blade is a shallow U channel with an outside width of 2 1/4 in. Thickness approximately 3/16 in; I could use a 26 in blade. May have to grind a small amount off the ends; I have not accuracely checked center distance. Keyed hole on cutter bar attachment is 1 5/32 in. (29.5 mm) These are the blades that came with the mower when it was new. However, the manual specifies 2 3/4 in (70mm) width and a thickness of .164 in (4 mm). The rest of the parts manual description are in English units. My measurements diagonally on blade give me about 25.5 in.

Apr 21, 2012#35

B

buzzzmeister

fredsluck said:
The mower is right side discharge; Blade has ctr hole 7/16 inch with two 7/16 inch holes on 2 3/4 inch between centers. Blade is a shallow U channel with an outside width of 2 1/4 in. Thickness approximately 3/16 in; I could use a 26 in blade. May have to grind a small amount off the ends; I have not accuracely checked center distance. Keyed hole on cutter bar attachment is 1 5/32 in. (29.5 mm) These are the blades that came with the mower when it was new. However, the manual specifies 2 3/4 in (70mm) width and a thickness of .164 in (4 mm). The rest of the parts manual description are in English units. My measurements diagonally on blade give me about 25.5 in.

Post a pic of the blade. I'm wondering if a Jake Turfcat blade would work. Jacobsen Blades | Lawn Mower Parts | MFG Supply

Apr 21, 2012#36

F

fredsluck

I have tried to attach three different pictures of one of the blades from the Jacobsen 50; two pictures of the blade (tape is offset 2 inches) and one of the manual cover. I can not get to mower for actual picture today. I could only find a Turfcat blade 25 inches long. I think the mounting in the center is the same. I may be wrong on the center distance between holes if this is the case. The 390515 Surfcat blade has 2 7/8 between hole centers and is 25 inches long.

Apr 21, 2012#37

B

buzzzmeister

fredsluck said:
I have tried to attach three different pictures of one of the blades from the Jacobsen 50; two pictures of the blade (tape is offset 2 inches) and one of the manual cover. I can not get to mower for actual picture today. I could only find a Turfcat blade 25 inches long. I think the mounting in the center is the same. I may be wrong on the center distance between holes if this is the case. The 390515 Surfcat blade has 2 7/8 between hole centers and is 25 inches long.

If the Turfcat blades would bolt up you'd still have an inch gap between blades. I don't know of anything else off the top of my head that would be long enough without cutting something down.

Apr 23, 2012#38

F

fredsluck

Thanks for all the help. The distance between the spindles is 25 7/8" and you are right a 25 blade would leave a strip. However I have not tried to account for the spindle offset My current blades are wore back as the picture shows but still cut clean. I have decided to buy a set of 26" with 1/2" hole and a set 25 7/32". I then plan to go to a local machine shop and have holes put in and shorten the 26" by an 1/8". I bought them from Tulsa Engine Warehouse but they could not tell me what material they were or what the hardness is. I assume it is a medium carbon steel with a some degree of hardening. Thanks again for all you help and I will post a picture of the mower on this site since this is suppose to be a history of Jacobsens.

Aug 16, 2012#39

T

tybilly

Two-Stroke said:
This video shows a circa 1937 Jacobsen rotary mower. The video was posted somewhere in another thread but it belongs here so it's worth re-posting.

i had one of these but the square fuel tank wasnt mounted to the engine,and it said worthington mower comapany

Jul 16, 2013#40

B

bjl8691

Jacobsen was started here in racine wiscosin in the 1930s by the founder of the dremil tool company which is also from here in racine Wisconsin the company was located on racines south side in a industrial park area with many many corner taverns near by it was located accross the street from modine manufacturing they make heaters radiators etc.. the jacobsen plant has been demolished its just a grass lot with park benches and trees now the plant closed in the late 1980s and moved operations after being acquired by homelite.....homelite is now owned by a chineese company tech tronic industries aka tti they own toro ryobi homelite milwaukee tool hoover dirt devil royal and many other brands of power equipment and floor care

Aug 19, 2013#41

B

bjl8691

Two-Stroke said:
Here's a video of a two-stroke Jacobsen rotary mower -- it looks like it's probably 1960s vintage. I like the grease fittings on the wheels and the large tank.

Its 1980s powered by a 4.2hp subaru robin engine

Aug 19, 2013#42

B

bjl8691

Two-Stroke said:
I found a picture of a relatively recent Jacobsen two-stroke. I'm excited about this one because the mower is powered by the same series Suzuki engine that's mounted on my 1987 Toro mower that I've been talking about in this thread.

Here's the Jacobsen, powered by Suzuki! :thumbsup:

Does anybody know the model number of this mower?

On the front of the deck I think it says: "Commercial 20".

Thats not factory its modified the orginal engine is a subaru robin

Aug 19, 2013#43

B

bjl8691

Two-Stroke said:
Here are a couple of photos that I found of what I believe is a 1960s (??) Jacobsen two-stroke. In the second picture notice the disk-type blade. That design wasn't unusual at the time, I think.

Its a 1961 or 1962 its missing the shroud its called a turbo cut 18" its 2 1/4 hp runs on a 16:1 mix

Aug 20, 2013#44

Two-Stroke

bjl8691 said:
Thats not factory its modified the orginal engine is a subaru robin

You're right. The Suzuki engine came off a Toro. I wish I had one of those Jake decks with the side discharge -- I have a spare Suzuki engine.

Aug 23, 2013#45

B

bjl8691

Two-Stroke said:
You're right. The Suzuki engine came off a Toro. I wish I had one of those Jake decks with the side discharge -- I have a spare Suzuki engine.

i have 4 of those decks with the 4.2hp robins

Aug 23, 2013#46

B

bjl8691

theres 2 of the jakes in that pic they are tanks

Aug 23, 2013#47

Two-Stroke

bjl8691 said:
View attachment 16660
theres 2 of the jakes in that pic they are tanks

The durability is the main thing that appeals to me. :thumbsup:

Oct 7, 2013#48

B

BobbyFlay

Two-Stroke said:
The durability is the main thing that appeals to me. :thumbsup:

Do you have any info on this machine? I am looking to buy it.

Oct 7, 2013#49

Two-Stroke

BobbyFlay said:
Do you have any info on this machine? I am looking to buy it.
View attachment 17709
View attachment 17710

I sent you a PM about this in response to your PM.

I just looked at the ad again (including the second photo which I don't remember seeing before.) I now think the engine is probably original.

My overall opinion regarding the mower hasn't changed: if you can use it (a reel mower) then it's probably worth the money but don't count on it being valuable as a collectible.

Let us know if you examine it (look for markings on the engine) and if you decide to buy it.

Sep 24, 2015#50

U

uptown

Two-Stroke said:
I just found these photos of a "Jacobsen 26" Estate mower". I don't know when it was made -- can anybody help me?

Another pic:

Last one:

the 26" estate was made from 1960 to 1973

Sep 24, 2015#51

U

uptown

the estate 26" was made 1960 to 1973

Feb 8, 2016#52

R

rjaaaaaa

I recently acquired a very unusual engine. I posted some photos on smokstak forum and they came through with the info that this engine was an early Jacobsen twin cylinder / 2 cycle engine. I can not find any photos or info on such an engine. Anyone who might have more info and some photos of this engine and what it powered would be greatly appreciated. One person had a blurry picture of a brochure showing a similar engine mounted on a reel mower. His info said it wasn't produced many years ?? This engine turns over and has good compression, I haven't tried to get it started yet but will very soon.
Thanks
Ron

Mar 8, 2016#53

U

uptown

I know of two twin mowers complete the twin mower was a reel mower made from 1931 to 1941 almost impossible to find parts good luck getting it going if you need any specs let me know I prob have some in fo I can prob dig some up

Mar 8, 2016#54

U

uptown

ohh I forgot if ya want to sell it let me know also hahahahaha good luck and let us know!!!! GREAT FIND!!!!

Mar 8, 2016#55

U

uptown

and by the way that is a Jacobsen twin reel mower engine made in racine wisconsin

Mar 17, 2021#56

B

Buckbros

Two-Stroke said:
Jacobsen isn't a big brand these days in terms of consumer (homeowner) products. They now specialize in equipment used on golf courses and similar applications.

I found this illustrated time line (PDF) of the company's evolution from 1921 to 2007.

One thing I'm curious about that I couldn't clarify on their website (jacobsen.com): I think they stopped making two-stroke mowers sometime in the mid-1960s. Does anybody have any details about that?

Would you have a copy of the illustrated time line PDF. I cannot open it.

Apr 7, 2021#57

Two-Stroke

Buckbros said:
Would you have a copy of the illustrated time line PDF. I cannot open it.

I found it ( I think) but the file is too large for this forum. I'll try to find a work-around. The original link (from 2011!) is dead.

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The History of Jacobsen Mowers

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