My 20 year old Lawn Boy mower finally bit the dust

JohnnyTheFox

JohnnyTheFox

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Was mowing Sunday and noticed the RPMs were low and it was smoking a bit, about a minute later a loud bang and it died.
Upon further inspection there was a hold in the side of the crankcase about the size of a quarter, i presume{?} it maybe threw a rod or something and knocked the hole in the wall.

Went shopping today for a Lawn Boy and was somewhat surprised when the clerk told me Lawn Boy was no longer making mowers.
Narrowed my selections between a couple of Toro's then decided to spend a little more and get a Honda. Assembled it this evening which was a breeze, started it up and it did a little wheelie when i depressed the speed control to "max".
So far the Honda looks to be well worth the extra $$
 
JohnnyTheFox said:
Was mowing Sunday and noticed the RPMs were low and it was smoking a bit, about a minute later a loud bang and it died.
Upon further inspection there was a hold in the side of the crankcase about the size of a quarter, i presume{?} it maybe threw a rod or something and knocked the hole in the wall.

Went shopping today for a Lawn Boy and was somewhat surprised when the clerk told me Lawn Boy was no longer making mowers.
Narrowed my selections between a couple of Toro's then decided to spend a little more and get a Honda. Assembled it this evening which was a breeze, started it up and it did a little wheelie when i depressed the speed control to "max".
So far the Honda looks to be well worth the extra $$
Click to expand...
Hard to beat a Honda.
 
JohnnyTheFox said:
Was mowing Sunday and noticed the RPMs were low and it was smoking a bit, about a minute later a loud bang and it died.
Upon further inspection there was a hold in the side of the crankcase about the size of a quarter, i presume{?} it maybe threw a rod or something and knocked the hole in the wall.

Went shopping today for a Lawn Boy and was somewhat surprised when the clerk told me Lawn Boy was no longer making mowers.
Narrowed my selections between a couple of Toro's then decided to spend a little more and get a Honda. Assembled it this evening which was a breeze, started it up and it did a little wheelie when i depressed the speed control to "max".
So far the Honda looks to be well worth the extra $$
Click to expand...
How fast is its 40 time?
 
I need a new push mower. But I will not buy a new one. Too much money just for a few strips in a ditch line.
I use the riding mower and weed trimmer for everything else. Just don't like using it on the ditch as I gets my back acting up.

But this push mower is not long for this world. It is as old as the hills. Half the body is rusted out and I got Duck tape and cheap old foil roof patching material to cover the holes.
It will work for away and then it starts working it self loose and the next think you know the grass is flying out both sides and out the back lol.

But I did get a new weed trimmer.

Electric and corded. Did not want the battery operated ones.
And this thing is really a beast of a weed trimmer. It is just as powerful as the gas motored ones. Really gets the job done.
 
20 years old is too young to die but cutting lawns can be taxing if he had a bad heart.

I look around at all of the professional people doing this and think 'who am I to deprive these hardworking people of a living'? It's that same ethic that keeps me from all DIY endeavors because there are people who trained for that and have families to support.

That worked on my wife for years then I overheard her talking to a friend one time about my around the home prowess and she said "I want it done right the first time and when I want it done". Here's the kicker, that didn't hurt my feelings at all. She learned, she couldn't even motivate me after a successful project with "Now, aren't you proud of what you did? Just look at that, you did that". I replied "no, I feel used and violated".
 
Last edited:
Khartun said:
I went electric last year and I absolutely love it. I have a Ryobi 40V.
Click to expand...

I use the Ego self propelled. It's great not having to run to the gas station because you ran out, and no oil mixing or changing. Also, much easier to sharpen the blade, since you don't have to drain it before turning it over. It's just as powerful as my last Honda powered mower. The string trimmer and blower are great, too.
 
Pretty much anything with a Honda or Briggs & Stratton motor will run forever. My last mower was a Craftsman with a Briggs & Stratton motor on it, and I treated that thing like garbage (the shaft on it got bent slightly so I was meh on it. Kind of waiting for it to die lol but it just wouldn't). Got left outside all the time. Snowed on. Rained on. All sorts of stuff, and, that motor started up for me every. single. time. I finally bought a new Toro with the same motor that will be cared for and stored in a shed. I got rid of the Craftsman to somebody who wanted the motor.

I'm not quite ready to get in on the electric crowd. When my last weed eater died, I borrowed a neighbors electric model, and it really struggled going through some tall grass as opposed to my gas one that just chops right through it all.
 
JoeKing said:
High Wheel Push Lawn Mower with Briggs & Stratton Engine | Lawnboy

I bought one of these about a month ago and I love it. Whoever told you Lawn Boy was no longer making mowers lied to you.

I've owned a Toro mower before. They are not bad when they are working but they just don't last like the Lawn Boy does.
Click to expand...


Home Depot, Lowes and the local shop where i bought the Honda didn't even carry Lawnboys, clicked the where to buy link on the website and the it said the closest place was 3 hours away. And ya from everything i have heard Toros aren't as good as they once were.
 
CyberB0b said:
I use the Ego self propelled. It's great not having to run to the gas station because you ran out, and no oil mixing or changing. Also, much easier to sharpen the blade, since you don't have to drain it before turning it over. It's just as powerful as my last Honda powered mower. The string trimmer and blower are great, too.
Click to expand...
The thing with my electric mower I have to judicially plan on how I'm going to use the mower. I have a 3ah battery and a 5ah battery. I cannot mow my entire yard if the grass is thick or if I use the self-propel feature too much, and that's hard not to do here in FL. When batteries go low I charge them and start my edging until I get enough juice in one of the batteries to complete the job. That is a downside for me.
 
JohnnyTheFox said:
Was mowing Sunday and noticed the RPMs were low and it was smoking a bit, about a minute later a loud bang and it died.
Upon further inspection there was a hold in the side of the crankcase about the size of a quarter, i presume{?} it maybe threw a rod or something and knocked the hole in the wall.

Went shopping today for a Lawn Boy and was somewhat surprised when the clerk told me Lawn Boy was no longer making mowers.
Narrowed my selections between a couple of Toro's then decided to spend a little more and get a Honda. Assembled it this evening which was a breeze, started it up and it did a little wheelie when i depressed the speed control to "max".
So far the Honda looks to be well worth the extra $$
Click to expand...

Shoulda come to me first Johnny. Coulda hooked you up with a Hillbilly Mower set up, you would have loved.

62cd316d1ca202846e8d04297cd9afa2.jpg



Or, if your more of a Tambourine Banger guy and are more conscious of the environment.....

9527318698_95c9a8849a_b.jpg
 
JohnnyTheFox said:
Was mowing Sunday and noticed the RPMs were low and it was smoking a bit, about a minute later a loud bang and it died.
Upon further inspection there was a hold in the side of the crankcase about the size of a quarter, i presume{?} it maybe threw a rod or something and knocked the hole in the wall.

Went shopping today for a Lawn Boy and was somewhat surprised when the clerk told me Lawn Boy was no longer making mowers.
Narrowed my selections between a couple of Toro's then decided to spend a little more and get a Honda. Assembled it this evening which was a breeze, started it up and it did a little wheelie when i depressed the speed control to "max".
So far the Honda looks to be well worth the extra $$
Click to expand...
I have a Honda Harmony I got from a guy at work. He hadn't used it in about 8 years, and left in sitting without draining the gas or removing the battery. He was asking $600 for it, but when it wouldn't even think about starting after an hour of trying, he just figured he'd give it to me so I could dump it if I couldn't get it running.

Took the carb off and dipped it for a while, cleaned it up, put a battery in and it fired up. Runs like a bear.
 
I bought a Honda about 8 years ago. Motor runs fine. Starts on first pull every time. Starts on second pull after sitting in the shed for the entire winter. The only issue I have with it is it does not do a good job of picking up leaves on the lawn in the fall and the last few years it has been leaving a line of grass that is pushed down but not cut. I sharpened the blades and cleaned the undercarriage but the problem has not been solved.

I have a John Deere snow blower I bought about 30 years ago that looks 30 years old but runs like a champ. I had it serviced once. It was overpriced when I bought it but divide the price I paid by 30 and it is a real bargain now!
 
Creeper said:
I bought a Honda about 8 years ago. Motor runs fine. Starts on first pull every time. Starts on second pull after sitting in the shed for the entire winter. The only issue I have with it is it does not do a good job of picking up leaves on the lawn in the fall and the last few years it has been leaving a line of grass that is pushed down but not cut. I sharpened the blades and cleaned the undercarriage but the problem has not been solved.

I have a John Deere snow blower I bought about 30 years ago that looks 30 years old but runs like a champ. I had it serviced once. It was overpriced when I bought it but divide the price I paid by 30 and it is a real bargain now!
Click to expand...
Are you sure both blades are rotating?
 
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