OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Rare Finds & Donations Model 35: Yet another totally awesome Scott Bonnar

Well yet again I have managed to find another awesome Scott Bonnar model 35.The real good thing about this one is I believe I will be able to get this one going.Just have to check carby and spark and I feel it will run.Fuel tank inside is awesome.
Here is some pictures.



Check out the dual exhaust.I wonder if it will give it an awesome note? Like a V8,that would be good.

This is the first one I have found with this type of air-filter.



All in all another awesome find.

G'day Blumbly

I guess the lack of the name cast into the base means this is an early machine.
I note the early machines were pre-Magister ignition.

This is not the first model (with the square tank),
but it appears to have no cowl hole for the external Magister unit.

It would be great to get a close-up of the chassis plate.

-----------------------
Jack

OH OK Jack I know it is hard to date these as there really isn't a lot of paper work on them.Yes I also was wondering why the Scott Bonnar ins't cast into the base.The only other one I've seen without it was the one I have with LV30 four stroke engine.I am going to spend some time with it tomorrow and clean it up.I can take some more photos (I know I will) and show with it clean and hopefully some sunny.
I have noticed that it looks as though someone has done some work which is scaring me a little.As I've noticed the cylinder head is not the right way round.
As it is here.

...and this is off my other one that will have a magister on it.
It just worry's me.As why has it been put on the wrong way?

G'day Blumbly

This is an important machine in that it appears to show that the
re-styled 201 engine first appeared without the 'controversial'
Magister ignition unit.

My best guess is that this is an early 1961 lawnmower.
Decals for the base are available from eBay's Silensmessor.

A great find.

------------------------
Jack

Thanks Jack that's got me even more wondering.I always thought the magister ignition was first. Interesting it would be nice if more books became available with this information.I don't know what you have but I only have a parts manual from 1974-75,so there in nothing to cover this mower.Although the Model 35 is in it,it is a different style like handles and such.The base is the same,but that's about it.
So I guess with all that said this mower and my four stroke 35 could very well be around the same time frame.Now that would be awesome too.

The Magister system was fitted to the 201 sometime in 1962.
Prior to that, it had a conventional system. So all Model 31,
and early Model 35s had a conventional ignition system.

Yes Blumbly, there is bugger-all info on the early Model 35s.

--------------------
Jack

blumby nice machine look like it original to me

Yes it does seem to have all it's original parts on it.Had a good look at it today as I was going to see if I could get her up and running.......Bugger.........no it wasn't to be.Found a lot of gunk on the spark plug and didn't want to chance it.So I pulled the head off........'isn't there suppose to be a gasket there?"
Well yes there is suppose to be.So no gasket between the cylinder and the head.What's going on I though no gasket head on the wrong way?So I looked a bit more I'm fairly sure there is no gasket between the cylinder and the crankcase either.
So I've decided that I will completely strip the engine and give it a clean out and replace the gaskets which were not there that should have been there,but unfortunately I have other jobs on the table and must get them done before I can go back and play with this one.Hopefully in two weeks or less and I'll be back to fixing it.Just don't want to chance it as someone has pulled it apart and hasn't put it back together properly,so I will.

Another one added on to the to do list. It just keeps on getting longer. Hope you get the others all going in 2 weeks to start on this one.

Yes so do I so do I.Prefer to be working on old girls like this instead of the new ones that are wanting my attention right now.

OK now thanks to the wonderful help of Wilko my 2 week dead line has been met early,so I'm able to return to my Scott Bonnar.
Thanks again Wilko.
Now I think I've asked this once before as well as I have done it before,but can't for the life of me remember how I did it.I have to remove the flywheel from this scotty,but unlike other mowers the stater nut is different.
See below.


Now I'm sure Scott Bonnar had a special socket,but I don't.
Any ideas of how I can remove it without doing any damage to it?
Some things should be written down so one doesn't forget.
Or is this the first sign of getting old?
You know when the memory starts to.............................now what was I saying?
P.S. jack I haven't forgotten the photos you asked me to take of it.
Oh hang on maybe I did I don't remember,but I will,hopeful I can some time tomorrow.

OK starter nut was successfully removed and no damage. Awesome also does anyone have one of these mowers?Just like to see some pictures.
As I first thought the someone had painted the engine green.Now after doing a little research I believe that the engine crankcase was painted from original manufacturing.Altough I can see some-else has had a go (as they got over spray on bits that weren't suppose to).
I was going to polish up the crankcase I'm so glad I didn't as that would be wrong.That's why if anyone has one I'd like to see pictures to see if there crankcases are green.I know there's probably not many out there as not everyone collects Scott Bonnars,but if they do please post some photos.

Happy to have been able to help you finish off your modern mowers. So a green crankcase may be original, that changes the plans a bit. Hopefully someone still has an original to compare to.

G'day Blumbly & Vwmania
Interesting story so far.

I guess the previous tenant, who fitted the head,wasn't worried
about a head gasket either ...

As to the painted crankcase, I have an open mind about that.
I will post a 201 History Record shortly that may help.

If only Levi had made a '201'
----------------------------------------
Jack.
Jack

The thing that threw me was the fact there was over-spray on the cylinder and base,but after pulling the timing cover off and found paint under that.Then when I looked at previous model 35 I paid for and didn't get (long story,but still trying to find him) it also had a painted crankcase.
So I really believe they could have.
The other link that I have found is it was only on the 35's that didn't have the Scott Bonnar cast into the front of the base.
Here's a picture of the one I paid and didn't get.


See no Scott Bonnar and painted crankcase.

OK I have some very sad news.The mower I posted pictures of before.After a while of discussion and working a deal out about it.I asked the guy to box it up for freighting it and this went on for a while after paying for it.Cutting a long story here.I lost my phone data a couple of years ago.Going through some data I had saved found his number today.I rang him up to find out what had happened.Sadly I was told that the mower went to scrap.Now to recover my money.
Here is some more pictures of what could have been.






R.I.P Scott Bonnar Model 35.Gone but not forgotten.

OK had some success today in putting the final touches on my Model 35 and getting her to run.
After the confusion about the fuel mixture,of which is I think 16:1.Strange I know seems like lots of oil but after the initiation start it didn't blow a lot of smoke and when I ran it around the yard it went beautifully.
I also took some new photos of it.
This first picture I put up as Jack (I believe) had asked for a closer picture of the front of the deck.With no Scott Bonnar casting.






Something I thought was odd about this Amal carby was the fact that it was made in Australia and the other 35's I have,had their carbys made in England.The one big difference in appearance is the lack of brass fittings.
Inside the engine itself was like brand-new.I don't know when but it looked as thought it had new seals,rings etc.So naturally it was a very easy clean up.Not even any junk in the ring groove's.
So it run very well.Here is a short Video of it's second start,before I mowed the lawn with it.I couldn't help myself.It was such an easy mower to push around the yard I was quite surprised.I'm very happy with this mower,and come the time it will be awesome after I restore it.

Yes, the early ones had the square tank. As a teenager I pushed one of these around the house and parts of the farm for many years, and each mow took about 4-5 hours. I clearly remember it had a 19" inch cut and was very powerful compared to a Victa. But it was hard to start and when it was hot, mostly you had to walk away until it cooled down. The spark plug would get a ball of carbon between the gap, which was easy to remove though. I didn't know anything about timing and stuff in those days, and that problem may be why they went to the Magister ignition on later models.

My mower was identical to the attached photo except the handles were gold too. The green and the gold were hammertone paint or similar.

A great mower nonetheless - far, far better quality than any rotary mower I've used since.

Now that I'm retired I'm restoring things I used as a kid on the farm. I already have an Allen Scythe which I recently purchased and just waiting on piston rings from the UK, and I have my eye on getting a Ransomes Minor Model 5 reel mower which I also used regularly. I think Dad traded it on the Scott Bonnar.

G'day Ruggers
that's a great story of your fond memories of the Model 35.

You have reminded me that I have not written a History Record for this one.
I will see what I can do there.

The Ransomes Minors [1 - 5] sold well in AUS.
I think the MK 5 minor was an 18" machine, and quite rare here.

I have written about how the MK 6 was a radical change to the earlier Minors.

Please let us know if you track one down.

----------------------
Jack

Hello Jack

After reading the bit about the split drum and the ability to slip the clutch on the 18-inch model, the Ransomes I used was definitely an 18-inch Model 5. Same handle bars, Villiers 2-stroke motor, crank handle, split rear drum. I would have used it until about 1961-2 when Dad bought the early model Scott Bonnar 35 with the square fuel tank. He bought the SB at the mower dealer in Northmead in Sydney very close to Howard Rotary Hoes - a Howard Junior Mk2 was also another machine I used!

Now to find one of these, as well as the other two to restore! I'll need a new shed soon.

I noticed another bloke on this site has recently posted an ad for a SB 35. They were a great mower.

Thanks for your interest and I look forward to seeing your history on them.

Kevin (Ruggers)