OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Two Stroke Lawn Mower Frames TURNER - Model J Lawn Star

ok then ,i'll try , as i said its close enough to holden hothouse green , not a hammertone but still metallic , look like its never had the chute on it too , no wear marks anywhere and all green even handles .
handle locks/screws look home made but not sure on that , look like 2 bits of rod welded to allen bolts ?

it did have a diamond shaped decal just above lawnking but it disappeared and nowhere does it say or stamped/cast 62 or 64 . just J and space for more ...








and yes it does run and cuts quite well too , took a new fuel line . sort of bleed the carby bowl (a nice little thing under there . push it and flush out old oil/stale fuel ) white wheels it came with and TURNER moulded into the sidewall .
best i can tell its all origydidge



dont know if it shows but its a cutdown short victa air filter , cut off one end , stuck it a thick bead of silastic type stuff , let it cure a day in the sun (cant think of it right now ) fuel resistant though all because i wanted to use it hahaha impatient huh .

let us both know what other angles Jack as a tad dark now for underside photo's and good you can see in these where the 2 was once above the decal , not as rusty

That is almost certainly a J64 Vman...

Its the only Vintage Turner of this era in green (Chartreuse Green).

Ive checked it over fairly carefully and it looks correct and original....with one exception, The engine appears to be on backwards!

All early Turner wheels are Marked with the Turner logo.

In regards to the decal, Lawn Star" Id say its just the name given to the mower, just like The Turner Valiant", Coronet, Utility, and De Luxe 4 decals on other similar period models.

There would have been a decal on the front face of the cowl also if it a true J64, That may have had 2 stroke" or Standard 2" or similar printed in the detail of the decal along with the Mowers Title.

Although the engine type is correct for this mower,it may infact be off another machine....but since there are no other examples to go off,we will for now have to assume this mower was called a Lawn Star"

The mower may have also been sold in this backwards configuration as original, hence the reason for the forward decal and the lack of a Model no and opposite throttle control positioning....

A few different theories, but the chassis is almost certainly a J64, but why would they deviate from the original listed J64 Model?
Hmmmmmm....

In regards to the J" another mower example in the 62 Series Ive seen has NO markings on the base Plaque...I guess they lost their punches lols.


Perhaps another thread for yours too VMan, as this is another all but unique example to research.

its on backwards hahaha its how it came when i found it ? so why the decals on the back / front / uuuuuum !! handle folds one way only and never had holes for the control moved or repaired , lucky its underdeck exhaust huh .

so the 4T had the auto type of thing and this had trip starter ?

i will look into turning the turner around

Hello vccomm and HT6

vccomm, I have moved this topic into 2-stroke Frames so that it may be
recorded on its own. It is equally as important as the J62.

Mal, I do not believe this can be a J64.
The forward facing engines were introduced from late 1965, and that chart
does not cover the new Turner designs. I have named this machine a Model J
Lawn Star at this time, and I believe it dates from 1966-67. I say that
because snorkel air cleaners would be fitted across the range in 1968.

The 'J' designates this is Turner's 'Utility' mower.
The engine had to be reversed to accommodate the new high-arch turner frames, and
I guess, this was carried through on some side discharge machines for consistent
styling of the engine range.

I also feel that 'Lawn Star' may have been a store brand name, rather than a
Turner range one. But I'm not sure at all.

Below are two ad extracts. The first from 1967 (without snorkel) and then 1968
(with snorkel).

thanks jack , any other things you like to see closer ? got a little time hahahhah tripped on my air line so im left handed for a few days now .
look close just above the decal ... you can just make out a square where the 2 was a decal maybe 3/4" square i never knew where it went too , i think kids got it !

Hello vccomm,

Sorry to hear about your 'air line trip'.
Yep, I really would like a couple more photos.
A L.H. & R.H. side one (closer) and, particularly, an underneath shot.
There should also be a engine number plate. I guess it's a Kirby KAV(?)

Cheers and thanks.
------------------------------
JACK

Nice Work! All makes perfect sense to me Jack...ID solved.

We restoring it VMan or keeping it original?.

And yes, what does the engine plaque say? Havnt seen a Kirby 2ST that I can think of, and know nothing about them....Isnt KAV a 4ST Jack? I got one off another turner a while back.

Actually from what can be seen, they kinda remind me of a Torque Major engine.

And its a shame they did turn the engine, it looks much better as a J64, but beggers cant be choosers when it comes to Turners hey.

air line trip ! LOL i wish mate .... engine numbers from small plate i think you can see , 14510 above 48068 . only number i can find ATM looks like a kirby yes . so here ya go . few more





hope they are what you need ? ops sorry about the photo's one thing i am not is a photographer

Hi vccomm

These are most helpful.
The engine should be a KAV87 (143cc) 2-stroke.
Note how the safety skirt is at the back, but there is none at the front.
That would shortly change with double skirts being introduced in the late
1960s at the front and back.

Cheers and thanks.
--------------------------
JACK

Interesting point on the double skirt Jack, was this a safety feature pioneered by Turner, that no other manufacturers cared too much about, and did they maintain it thereafter?

no problem , i thought i read in one of these ads or replies it was a 125 engine ? if it is then it has an amazing amount of power !! so its a 148cc but still feels larger .
i did notice that yes i think i have had t for 3 years already and today i noticed a piece out of the base too . back of the shute

Hi vccomm

I think the most popular two strokes were the KAV 74 (K7) at 122cc and 3.5hp,
and then the larger KAV 87 (K9) at 143 cc and 4.25 hp.

Yeah, I used one fitted to a Scott Bonnar for many years and I thought
they were good, powerful motors.

I think your machine - the Lawn Star - is a store brand name.
Turner's own-range name for the J chassis was ... Coronet
Because they were offered in 2 and 4 stroke the designations became
For 1966: the j66/4 and the J66/2, etc.

This last year we've been lucking in advancing the record of Turner mowers,
thanks to collectors like Mal & Yourself.

They really are under-rated and produced some unusual designs ... like their
self-propelled rotary and their bizarre Sapphire ...