Look what wandered into the shop.

I work on small engines and outboards for myself friends and neighbors. I find it especially fun when something old or interesting finds its way into my shop.

Case in point. This weekend’s patient was a 1978 Lawn-Boy. Wow!

Anybody else remember the Lawn Boy? That sweet two-stroke sound and smell. Unforgettable.

Here we had a 40-plus year old lawn mower in spectacular condition. The only complaints were that it leaked fuel and doesn’t run right. An absolutely amazing mower from the days when Lawn Boy’s 2 stroke power and lightweight rule the roost. Their magnesium and aluminum decks did not rust and made them one of the best mowers ever made in my opinion.

As some will know I’m something of an OMC fanboy so I was glad to help save this sweetheart.

The fuel leaks were easily corrected with new hoses and primer line. I also gave it a new primer bulb. I couldn’t fix the original shut off valve due to lack of available parts. Instead I added a secondary fuel shut off valve.

Adjusting the flywheel air gap made it much easier to start but I still believe the coil is getting weak and will need to be replaced. A new spark plug and a complete carburetor clean, overhaul and adjustment also improve performance drastically.

I’m working on finding a new coil but in the meantime the mower is running well enough to go back to work.

The simplicity of these machines is absolutely breathtaking. I can still think back and in my head I can still hear that sweet Lawn-Boy two-stroke sound. It was always part of summer when I was growing up.

Grouse

Attachments:

1. 

   IMG_20210828_191330330-scaled.jpg
   

2. 

   IMG_20210828_142857323-scaled.jpg
   

3. 

   IMG_20210828_140320318-scaled.jpg
   

4. 

   IMG_20210828_140259695-scaled.jpg
   

I had one of those mowers. One day I found out what happens when you run an old Lawnboy 2 stroke on straight gas. It was not good.

SR

One on its last legs came with my cabin. Still ran good but falling apart. I used it one season. I was shocked how easy it was to maneuver due to its light weight.

That’s a nice one FG.

I still run one of these up at the in laws cabin. It was mine at the house but I sent it there when I got a new one. It is amazing what a mixture of white gas, 91 octane and oil will do in a lawn boy. Can cut standing water lol

The geared drive on the rope start, made it easy for even a lady or kid to pull.

Steve Root wrote:

One day I found out what happens when you run an old Lawnboy 2 stroke on straight gas. It was not good.

Yes back when they were more common whenever somebody brought me a Lawn Boy to work on I had to hold my breath and hope it wasn’t THAT situation.

I used to work with a guy that mowed his lawn with one of the so-called bricktop lawn boys from the 1960s. He was still using it in the early 2000s.

As machines they are remarkable in their simplicity. The carburetors especially from the late 1970s models are plastic resin and have an absolute minimum of parts so there is just so much less that can go wrong.

My dad did some lawn care in the 70s and he had a white one and a green 1,we cut with these into the 80s. Not sure on the years but he bought them both used

We had one growing up. Ran it for years. Love to see the boy out learning to fix them up! This will serve him well in life!

Just like my old 2-stroke Toro snowblower, it just refuses to die!

HRG

Tooooooo many summers!!!!

That looks like the same mower that got me my first boat. Made a deal with the neighbor to mow his lawn all summer for one of his old unused boats. Those lawn-boys were sweet.

When I was a kid I’d cut the grass with one of the simple blade mowers that ran on human power, then one day dad came home with a new Lawn Boy! It was probably 73 or 74. Made life a lot better.
Last year when he passed away I ended up with both.

We had one when I was a kid… then in 11th grade, in small engine class.. we had to bring in a mower and tear down and “fix it”… I brought the Lawn Boy, a sure A+…. after reassembly, I had a few parts left… started it and it ran but then caught fire… needless to say I got a C- and dad was pissed !!!

Had one in the early 2000s that I used to mow lawns with as a summer job. This was brand new and looked about the same as that one from the 70s!

belletaine wrote:

It was probably 73 or 74. Made life a lot better.
Last year when he passed away I ended up with both.

Please post a picture!

Do the mowers look like this:

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>belletaine wrote:</div>
It was probably 73 or 74. Made life a lot better.
Last year when he passed away I ended up with both.

Please post a picture!

Do the mowers look like this:

WOW Grouse, I got a “forbidden link” message from Yahoo on that one!

HRG

Not following you HRG. Doesn’t a picture of an old square top lawn boy appear in my post? That’s what I see.

i sure dont miss those heavy things! and the one offset wheel was always lovely when mowing steep ditches around culverts and stuff with the front corner always getting hung up in the dirt and just getting more pi$$ed every time it happened

Really brings back memories. Got out of the service in 70,and for the 1st 3 months worked for a lawnmower repair shop. They came in every day, so many mowers came in with the same problems, you pretty much knew what was wrong before they described it. Most always, carb, ignition, and on the 2 cycles clean the carbon buildup out of the exhaust ports. The oils were really bad then and if they didn’t help them reved up they would really plug the ports. It became so repetitive you could knock one out every 15 min if you had a fresh bucket of carb cleaner. People were always amazed at how much power those lawnboys had after repairing. Really nice mowers when they ran right.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Not following you HRG. Doesn’t a picture of an old square top lawn boy appear in my post? That’s what I see.

Somehow, before the picture appeared, there was this miles-long link that gave me the error message I mentioned. By the time I posted, the picture appeared.

No clue what was going on,,,,,

HRG

Grouse, that is pretty much the one I ruined.. I distinctly remember the white plastic primer, pictured on that one… and the old steel gas cap.

I bought my dad a 1978 Lawn Boy for his 50th birthday – 43 years ago this month. Previously, I had mowed all of his rental properties for years, but when he turned 50 I left town, went off to college and bought him a Lawn Boy. In other words – the mowing is all yours again dad!

The history got more interesting from there…

He mowed the rental properties (6 lawns) for years, every week in the summer. He eventually just stored the mower there permanently. One day, one of the rental properties next to where the mower was stored blew up from a natural gas explosion. They found the mower almost a block away.

My dad thought it was a goner, I did too. It was badly melted, especially the gas tank and the handle was bent. He bent it back, ordered a new gas tank and guess what, it fired up on the first pull! I only wish I had a picture of that mangled mess…

It was ugly but ran another 12 years. When my dad died 5 years ago – the old Lawn Boy still ran. We had an estate sale and when I wasn’t there someone stopped by and took it for their cabin to mow on weekends. Free…

Did anyone here on IDO buy it?!?

FryDog,
That’s a great story.
I’ll keep an eye out for that badboy!

Great job Grouse ! and good on the son getting in there and getting dirty !
My folks bought one of those way back when they bought the farm I was born and raised on.
the yard hadnt been mown in a very long time, mom was so proud to be the first one to mow it and help it look like home.
Sadly on the second pass she hit a broken off T post and bent the crankshaft so bad the mower was now junk.

Years later when I was cutting things up for scrap I came across one of those mowers and started cutting the engine mounting bolts loose and managed to set the magnezium deck on fire, I learned real quick that trying to put it out with water was a huge no no !!

Here ya go Grouse.
I’d really like to get a old Honda Trail 70. That’d be a fun restoration project!

Attachments:

1. 

   lawn-boy.jpg
   

Spotted in the wild

Attachments:

1. 

   20210902_112951-scaled.jpg
   

The Lawn Boy lives. Bring back the two-stroke.

belletaine wrote:

Here ya go Grouse.
I’d really like to get a old Honda Trail 70. That’d be a fun restoration project!

Those Honda 70’s are worth pretty good coin I think?

Steller and Pristeen!