OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Cylinder Reconditioning a SB45 14"

Hi All,

I'm new to this Scott Bonnar reel mower subculture! After recently laying new lawn (sir walter) I decided that the old rotary mower could not do it justice and that it was time for an upgrade. Finding out how much a new reel mower costs was a definite eye opener!! I decided to look for something second hand and this weekend purchased a 14" SB45 for $100! It runs quite well for something that has been "sitting around" for years in a blokes shed. Oil change, carbi clean and tune, air filter clean, and fuel system clean is all that is on the cards engine wise. Also plan on re spraying the frame (early model I'm assuming as it's a single piece frame and the grass deflector attachments are steel screws rather than plastic?) Front roller is in sound condition and should only need a clean up, however on removing this today I have found the roller shaft to be flattened / worn at both ends so may need to be replaced?
The reel and bottom blade are in dire need of sharpening however I believe there to be plenty of 'meat' left on them for this (will post pics tomorrow for comment on this one please?!).

There appears to be a sawn off end that protrudes through the chain cover? (Excuse my non technical lingo!) From researching the forum I can only assume it may have been where the drive belt for the optional edger may have originally been and has been sawn off to allow removal of the cover in the past?

I will try and get some photos and serial numbers online sometime tomorrow as the mower is at my old man's place around the corner.

I would appreciate any advice from the wise men on this forum on what the main areas to focus on should be and without spending many hundreds more $$!

A few questions I have in the interim:

My front roller ends appear to be aluminium? Are these removable and replaceable? If so how? I see that the replacements are plastic - is it best to stay with the original (not in bad condition but will need some work)?

How do I remove the sawn off drive end (for the edger) from where it attaches to the small sprocket / cog at the top??

On taking the the chain cover off it is apparent that the chains are quite loose. I've noticed that the chain tension adjustment and bushing appear to be different from the images I have seen on this forum. The bushing is white nylon / plastic, round and grooved for the chain to run over I presume (or is this just wear?) and when adjusted still allows for more than the 1/2 inch slack prescribed?


Anyway really looking forward to this little gem of a project and would appreciate any help you can offer! Plan on mixing up the colour scheme a bit (nothing outrageous) as I'm not a purist but would like to personalise instead.

Watch this space.....
Cheers

Hi Thejafman, and a warm welcome to the forum.
Its always nice to welcome another Scott Bonnar Model 45 owner as we all like to learn new things and tinker here.

Some members have really come to like the little 14" machines as, they're so light and maneuverable compared to the 17" model.

The best way of dating a Scotty with a Briggs engine, is to post the complete string of numbers: (Model, Type and Code) that are stamped into the metal air cowling of the Briggs, from which we can get the date of its manufacture, and model information...this will also help us determine a rough idea of your machines age.

In order for us to give you the correct advice, we need some photos of your machine, from different angles, including the cylinder reel, bedknife (bottom blade) and inside of the chain-case including all chains and sprockets especially where the sprocket is not covered by the chain. We can then assess the overall condition and make some observations.
Instructions for posting pics can be found HERE

I will also need a close-up of the top (12 tooth small sprocket with the old edger pulley was attached...this may prove hard to remove, but we will get there!

To answer your interim questions...

The worn front roller shaft can be repaired by building up the worn areas by welding and then turned down to the correct diameter, or by using brass sleeves to slide over the worn areas, and secured in position. New shafts for the 14" machines are not available, but are for the 17", one of those could be cut to length and a new thread turned by an engineer if necessary.

The alloy roller end caps of your machine could be repaired by re-bushing or you could purchase the plastic ones from our Online Store...see HERE if you are not worried about originality.
Yours can be removed by drilling out the rivets and pushing out with a long drift...they just slide into the roller tube. New alloy ones are not available.

Once again Thejafman, to OutdoorKing.

Deejay,
Thanks for the reply. Here's the photos. Model no is 45 00917. I'm having great difficulty finding the no for the b&s engine? Where should it be?

The old man decided to take the head off so it looks like we'll be sorting that too!

Hi Thejafman,

The Model, Type and Code information should be stamped on the side of the metal cooling air cowl above and forward from the intake port, at the tip of the yellow arrow:

or alternately, it may be on the area as in this post
HERE
You may have to clean the cowl and carefully examine it, but it will be stamped there somewhere.

To remove the old PTO shaft of the edger, leave the chains on, place a piece if timber through the cylinder reel to arrest the drive assembly, spray the small top sprocket with Penetrene or equivalent and use a suitable wrench to remove the old shaft.
From memory, it is a normal right-hand thread and unscrews anti-clockwise.
You will need to source a new nut for the engine cutter sprocket.
The chains and sprockets look to be in serviceable condition, as is the cylinder reel with plenty of 'meat let in it for re-grinding, which it badly needs as does the bedknife blade.
Have a look at our video.... HERE

Deejay,

That's great thanks for the info! Managed to find the serial number!

61202 0144 01 6805213

Well we have the whole engine off now and it looks like we're going to do a proper engine overhaul while it's off! Tomorrow I'll be removing the reel and sole plate, stripping the whole frame down to get ready for a re spray and to gather a list of any replacement parts needed.
This is going to cost more than originally planned but will hopefully be more than worth it when done!

I also managed to cause a hairline fracture in the clutch body(?) when trying to remove the cotter pin as in your youtube video. Is this a disaster or can this be replaced?

Cheers

Hi again Thejafman,

Don't worry about that inner clutch housing, it can be replaced and the new one is a much better design.

Great news on the Model, Type and Code, I can now tell you it is a real early one for a Scotty as the Scotty 45 was first introduced in 1968. Your engine was manufactured on the 21st July 1968! Wow!
Good luck with the overhaul,

Whoops, typo Deejay. 21 May 1968, at Plant 3 (Rolla, Missouri). That makes it even more likely the engine was built into a mower before the end of 1968. Do you know what month manufacturing of the SB45 began?

Also, with regard to removing that cut-off spurious shaft from the mower's engine sprocket, it appears to have been screwed onto the shaft as a replacement for the original sprocket nut, which is the same part as the drum sprocket nut, the cutter sprocket nut, and the chain adjuster nut. If you verify that any one of those others has a right-hand thread, you can then unscrew the piece of bar from the engine shaft, and use it as a thread sample to obtain another nut. To keep the engine shaft from rotating when you unscrew the piece of bar, you will need some kind of pipe wrench, but I suggest you wrap a piece of leather around the engine shaft so the pipe wrench doesn't chew it up and make it unsightly on your collector's-grade mower.

Hi grumpy, and ODK members,
Thanks for the heads up, obviously I can't count!

Both CyberJack, and I have done some research on this subject, and the closest we have come up with is early to mid 1968. No exact date exists, which is unfortunate, but this machine being fitted with a Briggs, manufactured in May 1968 is the earliest I've seen so far.

Regarding the removal of the old pulley shaft, I have recommended that he lock up the reel with wood, leave the chains on and use a Stillson or suitable pipe wrench, on the recalcitrant piece....
This method has worked before no damage caused to the machine; locking the engine shaft with a wrench; leather or not, it will, at times, still mark the shaft.

Hey guys
Being so early (3months older than mine) the briggs will be the 2.25 hp rather than the later 2hp

I don't follow that Mike. I used to have a 2 hp 60102 made in 1963. Are you saying the 60202 (which had a Pulsa-Jet carburetor instead of the 60102's Vacu-Jet) had higher power output, perhaps due to a higher maximum speed? It's not impossible, but I haven't heard it before.

I'll confirm but mine is the same build. In fact all engine numbers r identical and mine is the 2.25hp briggs

And it has the vacu jet which is identified by choke angle

Yes, the choke pull-knob is vertical on Pulsa-Jet and horizontal on Vacu-Jet. That is a reliable way to tell one from the other. The model number will also tell you, if the carburetor and tank have not been replaced. On horizontal crankshaft engines, a 1 as the third digit means Vacu-Jet and a 2 means Pulsa-Jet. So, the 60102 was 2 advertised HP in 1963, and 2.25 advertised HP in 1968, then later decreased back to 2 HP. Interesting.

Hi grumpy
Yes my 1968 61202 with pulsa jet carb is defiantly a 2.25hp until
My 1970 60102 with vacujet carb is defiantly 2hp
Mike

Mike, are you saying that all the 2.25 hp ones had model numbers beginning with 61 (that is, second design generation)? That would explain the difference.

I'm not 100% sure mate
Sorry