old (80's) Toro & Lawnboy 2 cycle mowers

13 years ago

I just moved & gave away my collection of +- 15 mowers to a kid who helped me schlep stuff for close to a week...he earned every one. However, now the mowers are annoying his dad & I've an opportunity to reclaim them.

All are either runners, or cool projects...most notably a 99.9% complete 2 stroke lawn boy (offset front wheel/steel deck) & an operational 2 stroke Toro (alum deck/Suzuki eng). The former sat for many yrs OUTSIDE, yet somehow still runs...but nds a major go over. The later works great, save for the notorious overheating coil issue which is only an issue if the mower is shut off mid mow...then it'll be non-op for an hour till it cools off.

Soooo...do I want them back? I do NOT have the space to accumulate mowers anymore. I'd basicaly be saving them from the scrap iron salvage place & possibly making a few bucks selling them on eBay.

Effort vs reward...worth my time?

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Comments (9)

roadbike
13 years ago
If you didn't pay the person (kid) who helped you to move for 7 days then you should have paid him. He should have been paid in cash and not with 15 (gawd) worn out lawn mowers. What a cheapskate. That is how his dad is likely viewing this one-sided deal and it's how I as a father view it. And yes you should take the collection of junk back and dispose of it as you see fit.
saaboc
Original Author
13 years ago
Hmmm...thought this was a lawn mower forum, not a Miss Manners forum. Well "Dad", perhaps you should spend more time w/your children & less time here making insipid remarks. Fyi, the kid who heled me move was also reimbursed w/a pretty nice 27spd Cannondale mtn bike, needing a bit of work, but not so much so as to prevent him from riding it 15 mi to my house & back for a week...I also bought him lunch every day. The mowers were his idea. Why don't I bring them to your place...might get your kids out from in front of the TV?
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I would not worry about 1/16 inch. I have seen these work fine with more play then that. The seal is fairly easy to replace. If you dont have the seal removal tool in the tool kit best thing to do is remove the engine from deck. remove the blade, blade adaptor, muffler and then inside the muffler area you will see the 3 bolts that hold the engine to the plate. Remove the engine and pry the old seal out with very small screwdriver. The bearing will be in plain view when you remove the seal however it is built into the engine block and non replaceable. When intstalling the new seal first clean the crankshaft of rust and dirt with wd40 and sandpaper so the debris wont be pulled down with the new seal. The seal needs to be countersunk below the mounting piece. Use a flat head screwdriver place with blade on angle so you dont punch into the seal and press the seal in firmly on both sides. While the engine is off the deck open the carb bowl and check the main jet for blockage. By the way you may need a new exhaust seal if it tears when removing the engine and may need new blade adaptor if it bends when removing. Also regurdless of what anyone says i never recomend using a mulch cover on any d series engine including this one since mulching makes the engine work harder then designed and will accerate wear on this bearing. Let us know what you come up with
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I assume you are talking about the Suzuki 47P engine used on both Commercial Proline and Consumer Toro mowers from the early 1980's to about 2003. Great engine with few weaknesses but parts have always been expensive and are getting harder to source. Given your symptoms, I would follow the earlier advice, and also consider the coil and the crankshaft seals. Coil can be a weak area, and they are expensive. Earliest ones (to 1986) used breaker points and 81-1990 coil; later with electronic ignition used 81-2820 ($140.00 to $160.00 online). If crankshaft seals are leaking because of wear, this can cause hard starting and low power as crankcase pumping is affected. Parts are fairly cheap ($6.00 for 81-0720 Upper and $8.00 for 81-0740 Lower), but a major amount of labor to split the cases and replace the seals. When the mower dies and won't start, try burping it with some ether starting fluid. If it lights up and then dies again, you have a fuel related problem. If it won't run even on starting fluid, probably not carburetor or fuel supply, but ignition, compression, or elsewhere. Before you get too deep, is this a Commercial mower, or is it a Consumer? Also look at overall condition. A lot of Commercial Prolines were rode hard and put away wet. Although the owner and crew boss were usually pretty careful, the laborers just ran them until they quit. By now, even the latest Prolines are near 10 years old and have had a lot of hard use. Consumer mowers had fewer hours, but were often neglected. You said yours is 25 years old!!! A Commercial in very good condition is worth $500 or more. At the same time a Consumer machine might only be worth $200 or so. You need to make a hard eyed judgement whether restoring the machine makes economic and operational sense. Call me silly, but I can't see sinking $200 in parts, plus several hours professional labor in a machine that is only worth $200 or $225 at the end of the day.
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roadbike
13 years ago
Hmmm...maybe you should spend more time composing your messages. That way you will include all relevant information. And you should take the time to look up the definition of the word If, which precedes my statement.

But I notice you offloaded a junk bicycle instead of paying the kid in cash. And I'll bet you never took back those busted mowers either. What a cheapskate! I'll bet his dad is real unhappy about this whole deal. Why don't you take all that junk back and pay the kid with real money that he can actually use.
indy452
13 years ago
Wow....who pissed in his post toasties??

Anyway, Saaboc. I totally think they are worth your time and effort if you have it to give. Old Lawnboys and Suzuki two cycles are still sought after machines. Shipping them can be a pain in the butt but if you get a descent return its worth it.

BTW...those Cannondales are killer old bikes. I think you did a service to this youngster.
rustyj14
13 years ago
When i started in fixing mowers, a local kid gave me advice on how to do it. So, i gave him the Tecumseh engined ones, as a favor to him, for his advice. Over the years, he got around 20 or so, fixed them and sold them, and made ready cash from them. His Dad talked to me one day and thanked me for doing that, because it gave the kid some ideas about getting a better education, instead of running around with the bad-ads's at school. As for the Suzuki Two strokes, i always thought they were ok. An easy fix.
ewalk
13 years ago
Only Suzuki 2-stroke I found easy to work on was the "Spirit" Snowmobile Version 1975-1980 within Arctic Cat's lol !
roadbike
13 years ago
The mowers may have been his idea but he is a kid and not an adult. Kids need guidance from the adults in their lives and his father apparently realizes that 15 beat-up lawn mowers are not a good idea. You should follow the fathers lead and take those junkers back.

Actually I spent lots of years raising my now fully grown kids and am involved with several grandchildren. Over that time I found that kids do need guidance and to be told by the adults in their lives when something is not a good idea. That's something you should try.
ewalk
13 years ago
To get back on Topic and away from Parental Guidance Lesson 101 Issues , Yes Saab collecting various Small engines and repairing or parting out same can be an interesting side line activity . Numerous Buyers online searching for hard to find parts for various Older Mowers . Next Time you get a chance have the Kid assist with repairs and reconditioning as Rusty advised !
backman01
13 years ago
those suzuki engine were great engines you cant find parts anymore Rick

old (80's) Toro & Lawnboy 2 cycle mowers

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roadbike

saaboc
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old (80's) Toro & Lawnboy 2 cycle mowers

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