Walt, I hope your mechanical ability is more controlled and attuned to what a mower needs than your lawn mower forum skills are. If they are not then your first tool of choice on a delicate Lawn-Boy repair would be a sledge hammer.That's too bad because you have a lot of knowledge but lately you come across somewhat harsh.

Hey, gear down guys. I have a great deal of respect for both of you and the knowledge you have displayed here but this is going nowhere. Disagreement and discussion are healthy, personal attacks are not so can we please leave them out of the forum. Thank you.

"Walt, I hope your mechanical ability is more controlled and attuned to what a mower needs than your lawn mower forum skills are. If they are not then your first tool of choice on a delicate Lawn-Boy repair would be a sledge hammer.That's too bad because you have a lot of knowledge but lately you come across somewhat harsh."

Well I don't see what you are talking about or what I have said wrong but I guess if there is something wrong with my posts, then I know how that can be taken care of.

Walt Conner

"Well once again, you have displayed your lack of knowledge. Try mowing a 30 degree bank with your favorite 4 stroke."

Can't tell you the degree of tilt but I cross mow a steep hill with a standard splash oiled Briggs powered Toro SR with no problems. And if oil starvation was a real problem I would look into a pressure fed 4 stroke. The 2 stroke motor was developed as a cheap easy to build engine at a time when pollution and minimizing unburnt fuel were not a concern. Two stroke engines served well in powering a wide variety of consumer products ranging from automobiles to lawn mowers. But their time has passed.

"The 2 cycle engine was only one part of Lawn Boys advantage of contemporary engines of not that many years ago. They also cut heavy, wet grass and *spread* it where others would not."

Nonsense. The mower doesn't care whether the rotational power came from a motor with ports or valves - there just has toi be enough of it. Deck, blade and bag design play a much bigger role in providing a good cut. If you buy a cheap underpowered mower mower chances are you will get an equivalent cut. Likewise if you buy Toro Super Recycler you will likely be able to bag or mow very effectively.

"You might want to read my previous post about my original dislike for them and you obviously have no experience with them."
When it comes to spinning a blade or turning a wheel it doesn't mattter what design the engine is as long as their is sufficient power provided. And 4 stroke engines have shown themselves to be more than up to the task while not polluting the atmpsphere with clouds of burnt oil and partially burnt gasoline.

"You are perfectly welcome to dislike whatever you wish but lots of us have enough Lawn Boys and access to parts to keep them running for the rest of our lives and they are much easier to use then the heavy, clumsy monsters that are sold as lawn mowers today."

If you like the old technology used in Lawnboy mowers, that is fine. I enjoy collecting and rehabbing old mechanical clocks but would never say they can keep pace with a modern quartz timepiece. Please enjoy collecting and using Lawnboy mowers but understand that there are valid reasons consumers began avoding that design. It is because of that declining demand that lawn mower companies decided to abandon the 2 stroke rather than correct it's design shortcomings.

There are many mechanical advantages with a 2 stroke over a 4 stroke. Ahhh, lets take apart the engines and compare. Ahhh, and where might the valves be? Oh, I cannot find them. And where is the handy dandy timing chain or cam shaft. Weird, where did they go? This engine is strange, hardly any mechanical parts that wear out. Mmmm.

Folks, there is no sense in cutting down one another in this arguement. I learned a long time ago that Lawn Boy lovers will not be persuaded to believe anything else is better then their beloved eye blinding green buzzers.

It really is no different then a Ford/Chevy arguement. There really is no long term gain to be made. Only short termed gotchya's until the return volley comes.

Yup, Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder....I like my smokescreen and sunburned skin and mangy old polluters.

BTW Tom, good points.

I guess the old smoky things are no good. All my old lawn-boy 1972 model 7260A has going for it is that starts on the 1st pull every time, doesn't bog down or leave windrows in the thickest of grass (where the neighbors JD Kawasaki powered mower does no better) and it weighs what, 40lbs, half of anything new?

Yep, I'm putting it in the trash tomorrow.

walt your rudedness and hostility would get you banned on most forms. this lousey one must not have a moderator who screens posts.

Whatever. It's not about 2-cycles anyway. The question is, will Toro end the Lawn-Boy line, not whether or not you like 2-cycle mowers or are the old ones better than the new ones. Obviously the lightweight aluminum/magnesium-deck 2-cycle mower is a thing of the past. A very similar machine could be built to meet EPA regs using the Four-Mix engine and magnesium deck, but honestly you'll never see it. So the question for Toro is what to do about LB. I think they'll cut models and design machines that do not directly compete with Toro, as they already have with the 'Insight' line.

"I think they'll cut models and design machines that do not directly compete with Toro, as they already have with the 'Insight' line."

That makes sense. The Lawnboy brand is certainly recognized by a lot of people and it has value. Toro will have to find a segment of mowers to use it on that doesn't canabalize Toro sales.

It's kind of funny to me, a long term Lawn Boy user but not Lawn Boy only, to hear someone say that the only advantage to a Lawn Boy was that their 2-cycle engines were lighter or that they had a cult appeal like old VW's. There really was a bit more to it.

1. Competitors always talked about "no more messy mixing oil with gas" or similar. I wonder how clean it was for owners of 4-cycles to change the oil in their mowers. With pre-measured cans of oil mix, all advantages there go to 2-cycle engines.

2. I often took my LB's with me to mow my mother's yard. Compare putting a LB into a small hatchback car with putting in a 4-cycle Honda steel deck Masters Series some time. I have.

Truth is, though, those days are gone. The other truth is that the 2-cycle Lawn Boys had objective benefits to their design and the 2-cycle techonolgy, and that is why I continue to use my 10323 at times.

Thanks to all.

I for one will stick with the D and F model Lawn Boys and I'm sure others will also. Millions were made and they will be around for a long time to come. Lawn Boy's competitors have not produced a better product.

"There are many mechanical advantages with a 2 stroke over a 4 stroke. Ahhh, lets take apart the engines and compare. Ahhh, and where might the valves be? Oh, I cannot find them. "

That's an unfortunate omission. Valves would allow the engine to more completely combust the fuel and not have to perpetually burn it's lubricating oil. Pollution from a dirty engine would be reduced significantly.

"And where is the handy dandy timing chain or cam shaft. Weird, where did they go? This engine is strange, hardly any mechanical parts that wear out. Mmmm."

As hinted at above above, the omission of key components allows construction of a simple design that has unfortunate compromises.

''As hinted at above above, the omission of key components allows construction of a simple design that has unfortunate compromises.''

Unfortunate compromise really is in the eye of the beholder.

I own a 6.5hp Tecumseh powered LB and a 6.5 DuraForce powered LB. The last week we have had plenty of rain, heavy dew on non rainy nights, fall sunshine that hasn't allowed the turf to dry out. Half of my 1.5 acre property is "lawn". Clover and timothy mixed with some grasses. It hadn't managed to dry out before cutting. The maples have started to drop their leaves. I didn't feel like raking this past Sunday.

Out came the Duraforce and the entire lawn was cut in sections by mowing in one direction back and forth to direct the leaves and clippings to the edge of the property. My unfortunately compromised DF performed the task without breaking a sweat or leaving a single leaf or clipping behind.

I know that had I tried it with the 4 stroke LB, it would not have completed the task so easily, bogging down as the clippings got heavier and heavier with each pass.

Simple and powerful. It's too bad that Toro wasn't willing to spend the dough on an EPA compliant engine. The loss of two stroke power was the beginning of the end for the Lawn Boy name.

I'll bet anyone over 30 that owns a 4 stroke LB must feel strange every time they fire up their machine.

this may be blastphamey but mike 72 said no one has built a better 2 cycl than lawn boy? well suzuki and robin did. leave it to the japs to beat us at our own game yet again

Suzuki makes a nice engine no doubt. Lawnboy "M" series engine is also a very nice two stroke engine.

Why didn't Toro keep the "M" engine around? Was it not cost effective?

Neal

"this may be blastphamey but mike 72 said no one has built a better 2 cycl than lawn boy? well suzuki and robin did. leave it to the japs to beat us at our own game yet again"

True, but IMO it is a bit of splitting hairs. All of them have great power, and last a very long freaking time with minimal maintenance.

o

Of course each engine design has it's pluses and minuses and all internal combustion engines produce pollution. After all the recent EPA laws have been enforced, eliminating the two stroke from production and cleaning up the four stroke as much as practical, it turns out CO2 is the real culprit. CO2 is produced by both two and four stroke engines, however now its mostly four stroke engines that are producing all the CO2.
Getting back to lawn mowers, the two stroke engine (especially the Lawn Boy) is ideally suited for a mower. As pointed out above a four stroke will stall in heavy grass where a two stroke will not. Experiencing that for the first time is what sparked my interest in two stroke powered mowers. Weight is another issue. I have heard some four stroke mowers weigh in at near 100 Lbs. What is the purpose of this weight? Does it help you when you are mowing? Can you do one handed back and forth passes in tight quarters?
When it comes to engine simplicity the only thing with less moving parts than a two stroke is an electric motor. Four strokes are great in cars and trucks but for a lawn mower I'll take a two stroke any day.

"I own a 6.5hp Tecumseh powered LB and a 6.5 DuraForce powered LB. The last week we have had plenty of rain, heavy dew on non rainy nights, fall sunshine that hasn't allowed the turf to dry out. Half of my 1.5 acre property is "lawn". Clover and timothy mixed with some grasses. It hadn't managed to dry out before cutting. The maples have started to drop their leaves. I didn't feel like raking this past Sunday.

Out came the Duraforce and the entire lawn was cut in sections by mowing in one direction back and forth to direct the leaves and clippings to the edge of the property. My unfortunately compromised DF performed the task without breaking a sweat or leaving a single leaf or clipping behind.

I know that had I tried it with the 4 stroke LB, it would not have completed the task so easily, bogging down as the clippings got heavier and heavier with each pass."

Sorry, but your test doesn't mean much unless you do the following:

1. Both machines mowed the same lawn in the same condition.
2. Both machines had the same frame, blade, transmission, wheels, bag, etc. The only variable is the motor.

2 CYCLE has my vote!

My dad bought our first Lawn Boy I guess in '58 or '59. Back then a quality cut meant a 3 HP Briggs powered reel mower with freshly sharpened blades. I still like the cut of those old reel mowers. No scalping, no way no how.

Anyhow, I got kidded about the new fangled 'rotary' mower that you had to push to cut grass. Hah. I could cut two yards to their one. That mower cut grass 3 or 4 days a week in South East Texas, where grass grows from March till November, for at least 3 years. It was probably the best push mower I've used.

The reason it threw clippings so well was the same reason it cut so well. Blade tip speed. That lil 2 cycle ran at somewhat higher RPM than the 4 cycles. I'm not sure how much faster but fast enough you could tell. They still run that fast?

Y'all are right about the weight, too. I used to drag that thing all over the south end of Beaumont, the handle lashed to the back of my bicycle seat and the gallon can of gas mix threaded on my handlebar. All gas cans were cans, back then.

"Sorry, but your test doesn't mean much...."

Whatever, all I know is that my two stroke has fun blowing 2" of wet grass, clover, leaves and clippings to one side of the yard and I wouldn't even bother trying with the four stroke. It stays set up for mulching under more reasonable conditions.

Ahhhh, the smell of my LB reminds me of my CR500 aka "the widowmaker". Funny how the 4 stroke KLR 650 I own can't hold a candle to the two stroke CR500 I owned over a decade back. Yep, my CR was unfortunately compromised.

When I said Lawn Boy's competitors had not produced a better product I was referring to competitors with four stroke engines. I totally forgot about the Robin and Suzuki both of which I hear are excellent two strokes.
Well, the 6.5 hp Lawn Boy Duraforce two stroke will easily out perform the 6.5 hp Tecumseh four stroke, and for the same reason the 3.5 hp Lawn Boys out performed the 3.5 hp Tecumsehs and Briggs. It's called power strokes per minute. At the 3.5 hp level it becomes apparent when the four stroke encounters heavy grass and stalls and the two stroke bears down and keeps going. It is less apparent at the 6.5 hp level because it would take some really tough grass to stall a 6.5 hp anything swinging a 21 inch blade. However if you do encounter such heavy grass it will be the 6.5 hp four stroke that stalls while the 6.5 hp two stroke will mow on. Which brings us to what mowing is all about : wacking grass with a spinning blade attached to a crankshaft. At 3200 rpm the two stroke Lawn Boy is producing 3200 power strokes per minute. The four stroke Tecumseh or Briggs at say 3600 rpm is producing 1800 power strokes per minute. Even though the hp is the same on both engines it's the quality of the power that is different. What may not be apparent here is that the two stroke also has the ability to mow more grass per minute. Does anyone remember the ad where a Lawn Boy is shown mowing ahead of a competitor (four stroke) with a reference to time. These facts are the cornerstone to Lawn Boy's success at building mowers.

"Ahhhh, the smell of my LB reminds me of my CR500 aka "the widowmaker". Funny how the 4 stroke KLR 650 I own can't hold a candle to the two stroke CR500 I owned over a decade back. Yep, my CR was unfortunately compromised."

Man, those CR500 were some wild bikes! Their power level was insane, and much of it you couldn't use unless you wanted to be on your back. I don't know if they still make them, maybe they came to their senses. Gosh, those things were awesome!

the lawnboy 2 stroke does put out the most power even over the suzuki and robin. my lawnboys will mow what my toro/suzuki and snappers/robin will not.

'Well, the 6.5 hp Lawn Boy Duraforce two stroke will easily out perform the 6.5 hp Tecumseh four stroke, and for the same reason the 3.5 hp Lawn Boys out performed the 3.5 hp Tecumsehs and Briggs. It's called power strokes per minute. At the 3.5 hp level it becomes apparent when the four stroke encounters heavy grass and stalls and the two stroke bears down and keeps going. It is less apparent at the 6.5 hp level because it would take some really tough grass to stall a 6.5 hp anything swinging a 21 inch blade. However if you do encounter such heavy grass it will be the 6.5 hp four stroke that stalls while the 6.5 hp two stroke will mow on. Which brings us to what mowing is all about : wacking grass with a spinning blade attached to a crankshaft. At 3200 rpm the two stroke Lawn Boy is producing 3200 power strokes per minute. The four stroke Tecumseh or Briggs at say 3600 rpm is producing 1800 power strokes per minute. Even though the hp is the same on both engines it's the quality of the power that is different. What may not be apparent here is that the two stroke also has the ability to mow more grass per minute. Does anyone remember the ad where a Lawn Boy is shown mowing ahead of a competitor (four stroke) with a reference to time. These facts are the cornerstone to Lawn Boy's success at building mowers.'

You make some valid points that many of us have used before. However, as the owner of a Duraforce and a Tecumseh LV195, both on Lawn-Boy mowers, I have to say that the Duraforce has the greater reaction to hitting a sudden load, as far as RPM drop is concerned. It's been my experience that the Duraforce (in factory trim) cannot match the smooth consistent power delivery of the Tecumseh. I only keep the 10550 around because I dig 2-cycles and because the thing cuts, mulches and bags great. Even so, there is no doubt the 10684 out-torques the 10550.

It's been my experience that the Duraforce (in factory trim) cannot match the smooth consistent power delivery of the Tecumseh. I only keep the 10550 around because I dig 2-cycles and because the thing cuts, mulches and bags great. Even so, there is no doubt the 10684 out-torques the 10550.

Give an example of out-torques.

"Well, the 6.5 hp Lawn Boy Duraforce two stroke will easily out perform the 6.5 hp Tecumseh four stroke, and for the same reason the 3.5 hp Lawn Boys out performed the 3.5 hp Tecumsehs and Briggs. It's called power strokes per minute. At the 3.5 hp level it becomes apparent when the four stroke encounters heavy grass and stalls and the two stroke bears down and keeps going. It is less apparent at the 6.5 hp level because it would take some really tough grass to stall a 6.5 hp anything swinging a 21 inch blade. "However if you do encounter such heavy grass it will be the 6.5 hp four stroke that stalls while the 6.5 hp two stroke will mow on. Which brings us to what mowing is all about : wacking grass with a spinning blade attached to a crankshaft. At 3200 rpm the two stroke Lawn Boy is producing 3200 power strokes per minute. The four stroke Tecumseh or Briggs at say 3600 rpm is producing 1800 power strokes per minute. "

Come on...you know better than that. The 2 stroke is creating less power per stroke but it is firing more frequently. If you have 6.5 hp reaching the blade it is the same power no matter whether it came from a 2 stroke or 4 stroke. There is no magic here - both engine designs transform energy from one form to another. If the 6.5 hp two stroke was really putting out more power than the 6.5 hp 4 stroke then it would be consuming a lot more gasoline. And someones power ratings were seriously wrong.

The advantage of the two stroke has been that it is a cheap to build compact power plant that can deliver more power than a 4 stroke motor of the same outside physical dimensions. Those values made it useful at one time in microcars, motor cycles, washing mahcines, lawn mowers, trimmers, etc. It has decided disadvantages which have caused consumers to turn away from it over the long term.

There are more advantages to 2 cycles than just production costs. Look at motocross engines. While the 4 cycle's have come a long way, in the "250cc" class, 480cc 4 strokes are competing with 250cc 2 cycles, and the 250cc 2 cycles are preferred for most (but not all) tracks. They also have the ability to run at any angle for any amount of time. Even dry-sump 4 cycles are limited. Wherever power vs. weight is the critical factor (EPA not withstanding) 2 cycles are king.

Of course the design is simpler, but thats part of the beauty of it

Oh, the EPA has more to do with the phasing out of 2 cycle engines than consumers. A lot more.

"Come on...you know better than that. The 2 stroke is creating less power per stroke but it is firing more frequently. If you have 6.5 hp reaching the blade it is the same power no matter whether it came from a 2 stroke or 4 stroke. There is no magic here - both engine designs transform energy from one form to another. If the 6.5 hp two stroke was really putting out more power than the 6.5 hp 4 stroke then it would be consuming a lot more gasoline. And someones power ratings were seriously wrong."

You're right there is no magic here. It's the quality of the two stroke power that makes it ideally suited for a mower as I stated. Have you ever done a stall test to compare a four stroke mower with a two stroke one? Also, the advantages of a two stroke in a lawn mower come before production costs. The lower cost of production is just a bonus.

hey roadbike,

design shortcomings
unfortunately compromised
decided disadvatages

Nice buzzwords, but do you have any hard facts? (If I read "pollution", I'll take this opportunity to remind tree huggers that the world isn't going to be saved by outlawing small outdoor power engines.)

"design shortcomings
unfortunately compromised
decided disadvatages

Nice buzzwords, but do you have any hard facts? (If I read "pollution", I'll take this opportunity to remind tree huggers that the world isn't going to be saved by outlawing small outdoor power engines.) "

I'll take ownership of the first and third descriptives, but the second one must belong to someone else. I do agree with it however.

And, yes pollution output from two stroke motors is a fundamental problem with the design. The 2 stroke design saves on production cost and weight by not having to carry around a sump and oil pump. The consequence of not having a permanent source of lubrication is that it is continually burning a temporary source of lubrication. The two stroke design also saves on production cost and weight by dispensing with a valve train and shortening the cyle into one rotation of the crankshaft rather than two. The consequence squeezing intake, compression, ignition and exhaust into such a short timespan is that the process is not completed cleanly. Fuel is not burned throughly and emissions increase significantly.

The two stroke motor served a very useful purpose for a long time. For the countries recovering from WWII it provided a cheap small and relatively powerful motor for microcars, motor cycles and small trucks. And it powered untold numbers of farmhouse washers and gardening machines.

You should understand i'm actually fascinated by small and unusual powerplants including the many designs of two stroke motors. I've got a 50 year old well-worn book that describes those designs in detail. I enjoy listening to that oddball motor found on so many old John Deere tractors and other farm machines.

But the fact is the 2 stroke motor has to be cleaned up it it is to be used in todays world. The decision to drop the 2 stroke was based on economic and not emotional reasons. And yes, the world will not be saved by eliminating two stroke motors, and I'm sure you know that no one fix will save the world. But lots of smaller fixes will make an overall improvement in air quality.

'Give an example of out-torques' PLEASE! I'm sure you meant to add that so I'll just put it in for you. There's really no need to expose yourself as a cretin merely to ask for supportive data.
'Out-torques' to me means the engine, which is set for a steady speed, responds to drag on the blade by not slowing down as much as another of the same power rating, and recovers the set speed quicker. Both mowers at the same height and blade diameter, of course.

'Give an example of out-torques' PLEASE! I'm sure you meant to add that so I'll just put it in for you. There's really no need to expose yourself as a cretin merely to ask for supportive data.
'Out-torques' to me means the engine, which is set for a steady speed, responds to drag on the blade by not slowing down as much as another of the same power rating, and recovers the set speed quicker. Both mowers at the same height and blade diameter, of course.

Under the same load conditions do you know which of your mowers would stall first? Have you ever done a test like this?

"Have you ever done a stall test to compare a four stroke mower with a two stroke one? Also, the advantages of a two stroke in a lawn mower come before production costs. The lower cost of production is just a bonus. "

Other than running a mower through heavy grass I don't think many of us are really equipped to do much more. But I understand the concept - small motors are designed to increase power output to maintain RPM's as near as possible. I'm not convinced that there is a measurable difference in RPM recovery between two comparably and honestly rated motors on identical frames and using identical blades. Remember they are both converting energy from one form to another and unless the 2 stroke is somehow burning a bunch more gasoline it's power output is gonna be the same. In my experience 4 mower stroke engines handle themselves very well in heavy grass if they have enough initial poweer. Same I'm sure goes for 2 strokes.

The "same deck, blade, honest engine output" argument makes logical sense to me especially not having seen a Lawn-boy's torque curve, and I use the 2 strokers.

But - I wonder if that funky wind blown governor has more to do with the responsiveness of the engine than the # of strokes? Don't really have an opinion, just wondering. Huh?

From what I have heard and also experienced, I believe Lawnboy's HP claims are much more accurate/realistic than those of Briggs and Tecumseh.

Lawn Boy is not being phased out. 2 cycle engines are. You can still get the very maneuverable, light, no rust aluminum deck mowers but with the 4 cycle gas motors. I bought the last of the 2 cycle mowers so that I would have a mower that one of my sons in laws would fight over when I croak. But alas my well meaning wife ran it with straight gas. Now it is shot.
I have contacted Lawn Boy/Toro and they are trying to find me parts so that i may rebuild it.
My new Toro with the 6.5 briggs engine can not hold a candle to my Lawn Boy!!!!!

Since this thread started I personally 'phased out' all my 2-cycle LBs and now run the same old 10684 plus a new 22271. I don't think the Lawn-Boy division is going to be 'phased out' any time soon!

Let's talk about power and RPMs of four strokes and two strokes meet me out back with a comercial 4-stroke Honda or Makita string trimmer I'll bring my

Commercial Maruyama or Redmax 2-stroke string trimmer I would run circles around you so fast that I would enclose you in my clippings talk about it come on now

Woo

It’s good to see this forgotten thread again.

There are still quite a few people who own and use two cycle Lawn Boys. In fact two cycle Lawn Boys have increased in value and are now sought after. At the time this post appeared my Lawn Boy mowers were all around 30 years old. They’re over 40 now, and still in use. Yes they have been rebuilt, and they also run and cut grass as well as ever.

For the traditional Lawn Boy owners who like smoke and don’t mind chipping and scraping carbon there’s still plenty of Lawn Boy oil out there or you can use 4 cycle motor oil. Many Lawn Boy owners have switched to one of at least a dozen two cycle oils now in production that are formulated for a 50:1 mix ratio and produce very little smoke, small amounts of soft carbon and will increase your spark plug cleaning intervals 10 fold. With these new oils owning a two cycle Lawn Boy makes even more sense than it did 45 years ago.

13 years ago I mentioned 4 cycle mowers that weighed near 100 lbs. Today I hear some top out over 100 lbs.

I'm still running an "F" engine Lawn-Boy and an "M" series. I'll run 2 cycle mowers as long as I can.

I've burnt up two briggs/stratons, splash oil gravity fed motors on my 45 degree banks, that i mow all summer. The 1st time i thought it was a fluke. Because of that I switched back to an old 2 stroke lawn boy (self propelled). The motor's still strong, but over the years, I've worn out the "drive train" wheel. I have four lawn boys, 1 gold pro, 2 reg silver pros and a non self propelled model. All motors run fine, it's just the accessories around the motor that wear out. Still looking for the "drive train wheel" for my 1 worn out self propelled. I have bushes/trees on these banks (alot of in/out), so I've been reluctant to try a big heavy commercial 4 stroke with oil injection. I have weed eated the banks, but that's alot of time and effort. Let me know if anyone has suggestions to replace the correctly geared drive train wheel (I think it's the back left one on my mowers).

If you get the part number from the Lawn Boy master parts viewer, you can probably find the part on e-bay. parts viewer

Another year has passed and two cycle Lawn Boy mowers continue to increase in value

and are sought after by many for restoration and use. To all the people who posted here 14 years ago how are your four strokes doing? Are they worth as much as a two cycle Lawn Boy? As I previously mentioned, one of the most important factors that brought the two cycle Lawn Boys strongly into the 21st century was the improvements made in two cycle oil. Today’s oils are nearly smokeless , produce soft carbon, and give excellent lubrication at a 50:1 mix ratio.

Lawn Boy manuals printed in the 1970s said to check the ports every 50 hours of operation and warn about the danger of carbon particles breaking loose and scoring the piston. They also say to remove, clean and gap the spark plug every 25 hours. We have to assume these maintenance intervals were based on using Lawn Boy oil at a 32:1 ratio. At the time these manuals were written, Lawn Boy Engineers might have had a hard time believing that one day their mowers would go 300 plus hours on the same CJ-14 spark plug without removing it once, and only need port checking and cleaning at 100 hr. intervals with no worry of hard carbon scoring. They might have been even more surprised to learn this would be possible using a 50:1 mix ratio. Oil has changed so much since then that it could now be said that using the old Lawn Boy oil today would be the last thing you would want for your two cycle Lawn Boy.

Gentlemen i know less about rpms and torque and engine capacity than any writer here but i can tell you this: i mowed hundreds upon hundreds of yards in the 80s and that 2 stroke lawnboy outperformed all the other heavy push mowers made by any and all criteria as far as getting the grass cut. I loved the way that light little mower would bear down on a thick patch without any hesitation where the heavy clunkers would sputter and spit while you wrestled them around. No contest. I didnt even really understand why, i just knew how it felt. In all my mowing days nothing equalled the lawn boy.

Crap the handle on my lawn boy broke cor the third time, nothing left to weld. ill try to find a replacement handle. looked at new Lawn boys 4 cycle with steel decks? My first LB had a magnesium deck should have kept it, lite as a feather. The aluminum decks wern’t bad but not nearly as lite. Now steel so they rust out like all the rest. Just gotta love our decline in engineering.