OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers 14" Kirby engined SB45

Quite coincidentally, I found out the other evening that the father of a neighbour of mine has had an old SB mower in his shed for many years. He gave up using it when it would not start but was so attached to it that he couldn't get rid of it. Now he has reached an age where would like to see it go to a good home and this is where I stumble in on the scene.

I went to look at it this morning. It is a 14" Scott Bonnar fitted with a 2HP Kirby-Tecumseh engine. It was covered in years worth of spiderwebs, dust and a fair bit of grime with a catcher that has seen better days (full of holes). Nevertheless, looking beyond all of this was a mower that, with a bit of tidying up, would reign over the local lawns once again. The gentleman in question wanted to give it to me, but I couldn't take it on those terms so we settled on a price.

Once home I spent a couple of hours and a few cans of degreaser cleaning. The only thing missing was the muffler - he had one that was stuffed full of what looked like coarse steel wool that he tossed into the deal. I cleaned out the fuel tank and lines, cleaned up the spark plug, changed the oil and gave it a crank. To everyone's surprise, it spluttered into life and settled into a steady noisy idle.

The clutch is a bit sticky but the blade disengagement works perfectly. The reel/blade needs sharpening and I'll get this done. The chain drive seems clean and in good condition with only a little slack in the chains.

Under all of the grease was a mower base in very good condition. My plan is to clean it all and leave the original paint as is. The orange/red engine paint has seen better days so it'll get stripped and repainted with a new set of decals.

A month ago I'd barely heard of these mowers and now I'm the proud owners of a couple of different examples.

Chris