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These were just given to me and i'm told both run fine. On the left is a 7260F and on the right a 7265. I can't see any major problems and they appear usable as is. I just don't know whether to keep them, sell them, restore them, or restore and sell them. I'm thinking i might keep one and sell the other but which one? It really all depends on what they would sell for. I have no idea what they're worth. I'm willing to spend a little time and money to make them look nice if it's worth it. So what do you say?

Cant tell you what you should do man, first off you need to evaluate them. See if you get compression and spark, check the decks and make sure they arent rotting. Are you a lawn boy fan?
From there you can decide if you want to restore and keep them or sell as is or in parts for more profit.

If they were mine I would keep the suitcase the one with the square cover if I could only keep one but that's not me I would keep both of them

Seeing I am not a old lawn mower fan and don't want junk sitting around they would go to the salvage yard if they were mine.

I get enjoyment cleaning up old mowers. Well, old snappers. If u enjoy doing the same and a few bucks spent on them brings u some joy I'd keep them and work on them as time and money allow. The old mower I just picked up I spent two hours cleaning up last night and loved every minute of it. When it's finally done I'll use it from time to time, and then just park it in the garage and feel nostalgic about a time long gone. If I could find an old lawnboy around here I'd grab it. My point is, it's all about what it's worth to u. What makes u happy. If it were me, I'd spend a little time and money on them and see how it goes. Not everyone would agree but that's just me.

It kinda sounds like your only concern is how much $$$$$$ they are worth. The answer to that is pretty simple: In their current state, almost nothing. Either of them could be worth a decent price to the right buyer if they where restored. Properly restoring one of the isn't as quick and easy as everyone thinks. Yes they are great machines because of there simplicity in design, but it takes bit of effort to restore one to sell for a profit.

Completely strip the entire mower down.
clean chrome handle, new new grip cover on handle,
find new or nice shape wheels, find good OEM wheel bolts with the correct logo,

strip the finish off of the deck, prime, paint, clear, (if you want the finish to have any kind of stability it will need to be done with heat and fuel resistant paint, and need to cure for approximately 3 weeks)

overhaul the engine, piston, rings, seals, rod, bearings, etc, etc.
media blast, wire wheel, clean and polish every single nut, bolt, washer, and piece of metal.
Repaint, repair or replace shroud,
new decals, new plate,
overhaul recoil starter assembly, correct starter handle,
fix or replace all sun faded plastic.
muffler, blade adaptor, blade, etc.etc.etc..

That is just the quick 15 second list of the top of my head, there is a ton more too. If you are just looking to turn a profit you should just sell them as they are. Since they were given to you, it will be 100% profit. The first couple of restorations I did where mainly a learning process. Sure, I made money on them, but if I were to consider the time invested in labor, I would have to say that "I lost money". If you are looking to restore one or both because you are a fan or at least interested in these old mowers then the time invested in learning is of no consequence.

Thanks everyone for the advice so far. I can't say that i'm partial to any particular brand of mower, but i certainly appreciate the ingenious idea of mounting a 2 stroke to an aluminum deck. I do enjoy tinkering so i think i will have a go at restoring them as time and money will allow.

On that note i should ask if there is a good source for parts? I have gone to the lawn boy website for part numbers. I'd much rather pay a little extra to get everything from one place as apposed to buying each part from a different place to save a few pennies. I realize that might not be possible for every single part but you get the idea.

If anyone has suggestions to help avoid common restoration mistakes i'd love to hear them, thanks!

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/

They have a ton of parts and support very many models, maybe they will be the "one" place you need.

I bought most of what I needed from Ebay from various sellers.

cessna151 said:

Thanks everyone for the advice so far. I can't say that i'm partial to any particular brand of mower, but i certainly appreciate the ingenious idea of mounting a 2 stroke to an aluminum deck. I do enjoy tinkering so i think i will have a go at restoring them as time and money will allow.

On that note i should ask if there is a good source for parts? I have gone to the lawn boy website for part numbers. I'd much rather pay a little extra to get everything from one place as apposed to buying each part from a different place to save a few pennies. I realize that might not be possible for every single part but you get the idea.

If anyone has suggestions to help avoid common restoration mistakes i'd love to hear them, thanks!

Click to expand...

You most definitely are presenting the early symptoms of the affliction commonly know here as "old Lawn Boy disease".

If you like mowing....then you are in for a treat, mowing with such lightweight mowers. It's like not pushing anything, as compared to heavy steel deck 4-stroke mowers.