OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Question On Scott Bonnar Cylinder Mowers Height adjustment on Scott Bonnar model 590

Rescued a Scott Bonnard reel mower model 590 from a roadside collection and with a bit of TLC have managed to get it going pretty good. I'm a novice when it comes to reel mowers so I have lots of questions to ask the gurus out there. For this post, I would like to find out more on the height adjustment for this model. I have included photos.

I assume that the height adjuster is the item in the bottom right corner on my photos. There is a plastic cover with circle marks on it which screws onto a thread. There is also a metal flange which looks like a '3 leaf clover'. Which of these items needs to be turned/screwed to affect the height adjustment? I have tried turning both clockwise & anti-clockwise but seems to have no effect on the height adjustment. Maybe it's not working/busted and I need to get creative and find a workaround? It looks like the height adjustment is linked to the roller at the front - raises or lowers the roller - is that correct?

I look forward to any feedback.

Cheers
Pat (Carn the PIES !)

You are missing the "knob" that adjusts the height, that "3 leaf clover" might be the remains of it.
The plastic bit with the circle marks sits inside the knob and is just a useless height indicator.
Because you have no adjustment knob the machine will be at it's lowest setting.
Try to source a knob or maybe try a dirty big nut on the thread instead as you screw clockwise it will lift the height.
The following page has a photo of the mower and missing knob
https://www.outdoorking.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=35649

Kempe - thanks for this info, very helpful

Cheers
Pat

Hi Pat, and a warm welcome to the forum. It's always great to have another Scott Bonnar owner on board.
Kempe has given you the correct advice re: the missing height adjuster knob.(thanks, Kempe.)

The machine looks as thought it has had a pretty hard life, and can do with lots of TLC.
What I wish to know is if you intend to refurbish or restore it to its former glory, or just get it up and running.
I should warn you at the outset, parts for the Diplomat 430/590 Model Scotties are very thin on the ground as the model was first introduced in 1976, and were discontinued upon the take-over by Rover Australia; consequently very few spare parts survive.
You are in luck if it still has its catcher, as they are like hens-teeth and almost impossible to come by.

If you can supply us with the complete string of numbers stamped on the metal air cowling of the Briggs engine (Type, Code, etc) we can give you the date of manufacture of the engine, which will then give us the approximate age of your machine.
I can tell you that apart from the missing height knob, it is also missing the engine PTO/engine shaft cover, bit that could be easily fabricated.

Thanks for the welcome Deejay. Been pretty crook for a while hence the delay in replying. My intention is to have a functioning lawn mower and keep it in as good a nick as possible. I must say at the moment the mower is purring like t kitten and I am getting a really good cut.

I checked out the specs on the mower - metal plate has stamped - Model no 590012 - Mower no 03174. Is this what you meant?

I do have a catcher so it sounds like I got lucky there (we found this mower at a roadside collection - someone had just thrown it out) - see photo.

As far as parts go, the items I would be looking to replace in the near future are
- the front roller
- the foam element in air cleaner
- the rubber drive belt has a few nicks, so might need replacing at some point

Are these parts out there? I took the mower to my local repair shop to get the blades sharpened - they said all they could do is apply sharpening paste.

Cheers
Pat

I forgot to mention the elusive owners manual for the 590 model. Is there one out there? In this day, all it needs is one person to have a copy, scan it as a PDF doc, and it lives forever - surely there must be one out there somewhere.....

Cheers
Pat

Hi Pat, the numbers (Type, Code etc) are stamped on the air cowling of the Briggs engine....see the black rectangle area I marked on your engine...Here's a pic....

Don't forget to post the whole string of numbers, this will give us the date of manufacture of the engine and the approximate age of your machine.

Re:your owners manual, I don't know where to find one for you at present...we don't have one in the Parts Lists and Manuals area...only the parts list is available there.

Re: sharpening of your reel, the only way to do that is to remove the reel and soleplate with the bottom blade attached (bedknife) and take them to an engineer/machinist who will sharpen them for you....Have a look at this thread...Click HERE

As far as parts go, things have just gotten a little harder with one of the suppliers of SB parts taking his website down. This is not auguring well for the future of the rarer machines such as yours.

Hi Pat, I have some good news for you...Please check your PM's in 'My Messages' in 'My Stuff' in the toolbar above.