OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Scott Bonnar 45 17” new frame rails

Hi all,

I recently got in touch with a guy in Perth who supplies new frame rail kits or does the frame rail replacement for you - for Scott Bonnar model 45 mowers. I bit the bullet and got him to do the replacement for me. He replaced the frame rails, clutch lever mount, landroll clutch cable mount, front roller cradle bushings and catcher hangers and then sandblasted and primed the lot. The mower in question had been worked on a couple of times and was in pretty bad shape. I thought I would share a couple of photos of the frame before and one of the frame as it is now - test fitted with rollers, cylinder etc. It is getting pulled back down for paint and reassembly over the next couple of months. So far I am very impressed with the work and price, I highly recommend looking in to this method if anyone else has a frame in bad shape. I looked at donor machines for around the $300 mark, but I paid less than this and now know exactly what I’m getting. Please excuse the phone quality photos.

Cheers,

John

Hi John,

Is this Lincoln at Trident by any chance ?

Regardless this has certainly saved another from the scrap bin as that"s where most in this state would end up and also have ended up over the years due to this situation.

I hope you are fitting a newer designed engine on it and not the earlier Briggs unit as originally fitted ?

Cheers,
BB.

Hi BB,

No it’s not Lincoln, it’s a gent doing it privately as a bit of a side project. I believe he is a fitter and turner by trade, possibly also a welder. I am strongly considering a Kawasaki FJ100 as I would rather mount this on a ~6mm plate (to bring the pro up to the original height) than have a new Briggs motor that hangs over the edge of the side plate by 30mm or so.

Cheers,

John

Would that be Shane? I've never heard anyone complain about his work.

I considered the FJ, the only thing that put me off was the shaft height as I didn't want a shim. Otherwise it would have been a no brainer. Great motor.

Hi Mystyler,

Yeah it is Shane. Great work and good bloke too.
Funny about the shim, I would rather that than having a new Briggs overhang the frame. By my calculation it will stick out about 30mm past the side plate. If it was closer to 10mm I could probably live with it, as one of the cylinder bearing cradles has a nut that sits about 10mm proud of the side plate. To each their own I guess.

Cheers,

John

Hi jds,

All the nuts and bolts protrude in the place you least want them to, the only way you would have an issue with the motor overhang is if you had the lawn butting up against a brick wall eg, house, and truthfully you should never have lawn or a garden bed up against any dwelling.

I guess as I use the 20 inch variant of the 45 this has never been an issue to me.

Yes to each their own I've also said aswell.

The only reason why I suggest the new Briggs over anything else, is that it has the most support out there for this brand of engine Australia wide, while all the other not so common units will be problematic for obtaining parts in the coming years as they come into the country in large batches and then nothing more until the next container of different product arrives.

Sadly this will create issues for some folks in 5 years or so when parts are needed to keep a good example going reliably. Briggs have always had great after sales support.

Cheers,
BB.

G'day John,

I completely agree regarding the overhang. I went for a little GX100 on my 14". I think I'd scrape the bolts down the side before I scraped the motor housing, there is virtually no overhang. But you pay a pretty penny for the GX100. I wouldn't trade my Honda, but I have to concede that the FJ is much better value.

Hi BB,

I have a small 1 block limestone retaining wall on one side of my front yard, albeit only about 3-4m worth. I was too lazy to put a mowing strip along there years ago, so just deal with it now. It would be extra whipper snipping I have to do occasionally as the mower wouldn’t get right in there. I’ll have to give the new motor a bit more thought before I make the decision I guess. The Honda might even make the short list Mystyler, I’ll see what prices I can find locally.

Cheers,

John

Small engine warehouse you can pick up 3.5 hp B&S for $260

Hi John,

Hi pretty much support the choice MS has used, but taking in mind it is a 14 inch machine that he has it fitted on. Honda have superb parts availability, pricey yes but regardless bits are available.

What I really do like about the newer generation of Briggs engines is that the 3.5 Hp unit can be started and run sitting on a surface unmounted and stay there. This is particularly good for Twin Rail Model 45 owners that have to deal with rail fracture issues constantly.

Many of these older machines are full of fractures and when repairing them gussets have to be used if placing the older model Briggs and Kirby's back on them. If upgrading to the new Briggs unit all that has to be done is to simply repair the fractures and grind flush back to original, then fit the new engine as it won't fall apart again just like it would if re-fitting an original Kirby etc. back on.

In the end if getting someone else to do the repairs this will make the end bill much cheaper, as honestly this Model 45 caper has just gotten so out of hand price wise. Parts is where most of the costs are going to.

We had a chap here in Adelaide that has a Series One, 20 inch Model 45 totally unrestored and in rather poor condition and without a catcher for $1,600 on Gumtree. This is the new glass ceiling for unrestored Model 45's I'd say.



Cheers,
BB.

$1600 that’s a lot of money for an unrestored unicorn

I remember them selling for $50 tops 3 years ago !

It makes used MEY, Alroh and Dwyer and Felton/Mow Master units look cheap!

If I didn't need a 14", I would have bought one of the above...the Scotty is a great machine, but it's fast becoming a used domestic mower at used commercial mower prices.

Edit: I don't mean to derail your thread, John. So I'll finish by asking you to make sure you let us know what motor you go for!

I'll detail my reasons for the GX100 too:

It's compact
It allows full handle bar movement on series one machines without extension plates
Minimal overhang
It allowed me to keep my cast iron 5/8th clutch half

It's a pricey unit though, even more than a GX120 and GX160. Not for everyone. Best I could get it for was $650 direct from the Honda Shop in Midland.

Thanks for the input everyone. No worries Mystyler, any talk about Scott Bonnar’s is better than none.
I’m pretty sure I’ll go with the Kawasaki - they seems to be getting used a bit on Swardmans these days, and a number of edgers. Some bushranger stuff I think too. I haven’t read anything bad about them, and there seems to be a little bit of parts availability. I figure if I don’t let fuel go stale, change oil regularly and just generally look after things it should last well. Also, it’s already black so I won’t need to paint anything, has a 5/8th shaft, fits inside the side plates of he machine and I don’t mind a shim/plinth underneath it. I might paint any spacer I make up as close as possible to the colour of the motor so it blends nicely.

I'm looking forward to the pictures of the finished product. I don't think you'll go wrong with the Kawasaki.

Hi all,

Progress has been slow, but picked up the frame today from the powdercoaters where I had it baked to cure the paint. I used vht engine enamel as it was the closest colour match to original I could find that seemed to have any chemical resistance etc. I found the paint a little hard to work with, so the finish doesn’t look great, however it is sound and will do the job. Reassembly will start soon. I’m not painting the handlebar garnish, chain case cover and grass deflector at this stage. I will paint the clutch shaft, bearing holder and clutch in roll bar black. Few progress pics here.

Cheers,

John

Hi all,

I “finished” this about a month ago - but haven’t posted any pics yet. I will include some here. A few items are left to do - new motor (even though the old one runs great), new stainless front roller and perhaps a new catcher in the future. Then I’ll consider finishing the paint job. I was running out of time to get it back together and put to use, so decided to only paint the frame, pto shaft and pto bearing holder. The machine has been in the family since new (I’m the third owner and third generation to own it), so I decided to keep some of the character in terms of the beaten up chain case cover etc. I actually kind of like how it looks (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and am considering applying new decals and not repainting - after proper prep of course. I may clear coat them if I believe I can get a decent finish on it. I need to bolt down the handlebar garnish, tie down the clutch and throttle cables, change some nylon nuts for new ones etc. Other items I changed were the sole plate and rear roller buts and bolts and a new self aligning bearing (and a sharpen of course). I have used it about 10 times since and I reckon it probably goes as good as if not better than new. The paint was vht engine enamel in Kermit green - a pretty good match to original. I may post “upgrade” pics as they come.

Cheers,

John

1 out of 4 pics the right way up wasn’t bad from my phone - if a mod could help out with this I’d appreciate it

Hi John,

All Good.............consider it done !

Cheers,
BB.

Hi all,

So I finally fitted a new motor to my machine, a sheared clutch bolt that I haven’t been able to remove yet made the decision a little easier. I split the clutch and will get around to removing the clutch half off the old Briggs when I have some spare time. I bought a new 3/4” clutch half and a 4hp ZS/Predator motor. This was about the only thing available locally, and I like how it fits the 17” machine nicely. I know I may have spare parts problems in a few years but it seems well built and runs well at the moment. I have done 3 mows with it so far (just done an oil change after approx. 1 hour, and will do another change after approx. 5 hours). It has transformed the mower, it’s so much smoother and starts first pull now. I may report back down the track on the engine if anyone is considering one. If it proves somewhat reliable, I might bolt one on to my old Pionex edger with the same 80202 Briggs.



Cheers,

John