OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Question On Scott Bonnar Cylinder Mowers Diplomat 430/590 edger attachment?

Hi all
Anyone seen these around before? I was trying to sell the diplomat on ebay I sold it then the buyer changed there mind so I wouldn't mind keeping it and seeing if these attachments exist anymore. I have read the Model 45's weren't a big success

The 45's edger was an absolute failure due to safety concerns, I would never try to use an edger attached to a mower, big bulky and hard to control I can see somone losig limbs or damaging the machine or property.

I am unsure if they made an edger part for a diplomat but surely somone on here would know.

I saw a pic of a Diplomat 430 with the edger attachment in some catalogs Deejay had up. The link was in one of my old threads It's gone now. The attachment looks less bulky but I could be wrong It would be interesting to see how it works.

As a ornamental peice I would be all for it, I just would hate to reccomend a thing to somone that could potentially cause injury

I am sure Deejay will get back to you soon enough

Thanks Joe, I'll try to explain it all to Jason.

Jason, the 430 edger was on the very early models as an integral part of the mower...They were not an attachment...all very early 430's had them...but not for long...they were as Joe said, an absolute failure and dangerous to use...a lot of them were removed by the dealer at the first service and disposed of.
The attachment for the Model 45 is completely different than the one on the 430. See the inset in the pic;

You will see that it is on the right hand side of the chassis, here is a pic of the Model 45 attachment, affixed to the left hand side of the chassis with the exposed belt;

Jason, you would be hard pressed to find one for the SB430....and if you did, as Joe said, would make a good artifact for the shelf in the shed!

I've got one for my 430 Diplomat, only used it once about 20 years ago.

The machine is not very manouverable so I don't think it's much use for home, would be okay for straight lines on a footy field with no concrete edging.

Will try and put photos up when I find it in my disaster of a shed.

Ha ha Disaster shed..That would be tops!Im keen to see what the setup looks like.

Hi Jason, just another point, they were never fitted to the model 590 at any stage.

The diplomats looks a lot safer than the 45's thats for sure, perhaps it would be good for long straight runs though!

Hi Joe, I agree mate, they look a lot safer, but the same old problem, I think that it may be connected to the cylinder reel and in that case, running all the time that the machine has the cutter engaged; that cannot be a good thing...I will be interesting to find out how it actually works.
SB discontinued it...so there must be a reason.

They were probibly concerned about getting sued. So what I can gather 430 come with edger 590's didn't. I thought the 590 had a wider cut wrong again!

Hi Jason, yes mate, the 590 was unusual in many respects; same cutting width as the Model 430, had a smaller engine ...the 430 was 3 HP. and the 590... 2.5 HP; the 430 has a cutter clutch; the 590 was a squeeze and go clutch....and a failure! Here's its specs;

In fact, it's the 430's little brother and not as good!

Where do you dig this info from? There's nothing on Google searches. Nothing at all good about SB430/590's anyway. They look good in those photos

Deejay is correct it screws onto the cutter, which means if you want to use the edger you have to raise the height so the cutter doesn't cut the grass.
Ask if you want more photos

Hi Jason, the whole thread is contained here....Forum; Collectors Corner; Machine History by Manufacturer; Scott Bonnar Product Line 1978.
It contains all mowers made by SB in 1978.

Amazing! So simple in design but lacks one important factor " it needs to be disabled when mowing" looking at SB45's It's obvious you could hurt someone.
It's already a great mower for tight yards with that edger and some type of clutch for edger it would gold!

Hi All On the brochure I am sending to the Scott bonnar Kirby man the edger attachment is totaly different and is driven from a pulley way up back of the side mower frame and nowt to do witht he cutter cylinder. There must be differenyt models

Hi Guys, Here's the picture from Joe Brown, showing the brocure illustration of the edger attachment.

That is a picture of a model 45 or similar, note how the front is nice and opwn the diplomat is mroe closed in.

Hi Guys, Joe Carroll is correct...Joe Brown is talking about the model 45 edger...not the Diplomat 430...We have been all through this many times....Kempe has provided pics of the Diplomat version earlier in this thread....Here once again is a pic of the Model 45 version:
They were dangerous, flimsy and a complete failure.

As this thread is complete, I will now close it....If any member has anything to add, Just PM a moderator.