How to prepare an old Lawnboy mower for service

[tyl604]

My 7255 Lawnboy, circa 1966, has been sitting in my garage since I broke the starter recoil spring about 15 years ago. I just ordered one and will fool around with getting it back in service.

It is completely dry of gas, of course, (have not checked the oil) but do I need to oil or grease anything before I try to start it again? Push mower.

Thx.

[Bogfrog]

I would remove the plug, put a little oil in the cylinder, pull the rope a few times to spread it around. Replace plug.

Clean the air filter.

I would wait to change the oil until I knew it would run.

Starter fluid (aerosol ether) is your friend.

[P.C.]

I would wait awhile (a day or two) after I put the oil in the cylinder before I gave that rope a tug.

[tyl604]

Wow, too late. I just replaced the starter recoil spring and pulled it about a dozen times. I had put some WD40 on the shaft underneath which holds the blade a couple of days ago. It turned with little effort both by hand and by pulling the cord.

My problem now is that the recoil does not pull the cord completely back; leaves about 4 inches out and I cannot figure it out. It recoils but seems to run out of steam before a complete retrieval. Never happened before.

Never dealt with a mower before so this is some fun.

Help.

[P.C.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmo6oYOJJ4U

[tyl604]

PC - thanks for that. The Lawnboy is much more complicated that this one. I found a fairly representative Youtube video which had one closer; still it is not exact (mine is a 7255 from 1966) and I am noodling how to take the slack out.

[tyl604]

Just not happy with the tension. It is so easy that I think I will just take it apart again. Will oil the sparkplug hole too.

Will report back.

[Nate Stanley]

I thought many if not all lawn boys from that vintage were 2-strokes.

Looking at a 7225 parts diagram, looks like it is.

if so, USE PREMIX not straight gas!

If you pull the plug, ground it and check for spark. If you have it, there's not much else to do unless you want to pull the cylinder and decarbonize.

[tyl604]

Typo - model is 7255 and is from 1966. Yes, two cycle. I discovered that I had messed up the recoil spring and it was not reeled in properly, actually had a kink in it. So I fixed the kink with pliers and reloaded it. Got it back together and the recoil works fine. I am impressed with how well built it is, including the framing around the motor. Do not see any plastic in it as far as I can tell.

Put some oil in the spark plug hole as recommended and waited an hour. Then pulled the rope and it turned like butter.

So today I have to figure out how to adjust the carb and try to get it started. Also what gap for the plug.

I figure the mower in running order is worth maybe $100. Anyone know? But it has some sentimental attachment of more value to me than that.

On my 1981 300SD I just got finished replacing a brake caliper and pads, installing a new shut off lever in the back on the injection pump, and pulling the shifting rods and installing new grommets for the shift rods - but surprisingly working on this fool mower has been more fun.

[t walgamuth]

Those old lawnboys are high quality. Magnesium deck I believe. It it does the job for you you won't likely find anything new that will work as dependably. Perfect with the two stroke for mowing hills too.

[Chris W.]

You can probably start it without futzing with the carb, at least to see it run for a moment, by dribbling in a bit of gas into the spark plug hole and giving it a pull. I cut my teeth mowing lawns in the '60's with the family lawn-boy 2 stroke. Take a straw and put it an inch into some gas, put your finger over the top and let it drain into the cylinder. I bet it will start right up.

IIRC there is a carb adjustment "wheel" thingy under the gas tank (?) which adjusts the mixture. 2-3" in diameter with bumps on it for your finger tips to reach. Something to play with if you get it running.

Good luck and tell us how it goes.

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 462K

[tyl604]

Well, everything is back together but it will not start. Looks like I am getting no spark. Checked the high voltage wire and its connection to the secondary coil and all looked good. Believe that is all I can do without removing the flywheel, etc.

Although I hate to try this, I guess I will start to take apart the top end, flywheel, etc. and take a look at the points, condenser, and whatever else is there.

Not looking forward to this. Anyone have advice or pics? Model #7255 Lawnboy from 1966.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

I used two-stroke Lawn-Boys for many years. Smooth & powerful engines with loop-scavenged induction. Once you pull the flywheel, you may be able to get away with just cleaning & adjusting the points. That magnesium deck makes it very light & manuverable, but it's fragile so be careful over rocks & debris.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[Mark DiSilvestro]

In the early '70s, I acquired my first - a 1962 21" Lawn-Boy from a neighbor that was moving and no longer wanted it. I used it to mow neighbors lawns for gas money. And of course, I got pressed into service mowing our lawn. Frequent maintenance included starter repairs, carb adjustments, and cleaning carbon buildup from the exhaust port under the deck.
Typical Lawn-Boys of that vintage have a primer pump push-button up top, that also rotates as an ignition cut-off. There should also be a two-speed lever sticking out from the side of the engine cover, linked to a spring that calibrates a centrifugal governor located under the flywheel. Under the governor, there's a round metal cover protecting the points & condenser. Make sure the ignition cut-off is functioning properly, and the wire connected to it isn't pinched, shorted or grounded
By the time my folks moved to Virginia Beach in 1978, I had added a tiny 18" 1956 Lawn-Boy to the collection that I had rescued on trash-day. It had one of those exposed-flywheel engines, like a 1930s outboard-motor, that you had to manually wrap the pull-cord around the pulley for every start.
Then I moved into my first apartment, and my folks took all the mowers, including Dad's 1959 Toro, to Virginia Beach. But their new home came with a Craftsman yard tractor so they never used the mowers. In 1987, two years before I bought my first house and could've used a mower, my Dad gave all of them to the junkman.
Imagine my chagrin, when a few years later I saw lawn-Boy magazine ads, featuring my 1956 model. Then, more recently, some vintage Lawn-Boys have sold on eBay for well over $300!
My parents are gone now, and my brother and I inherited their Virginia Beach home. About ten years ago, a neighbor gave me a mint-condition 1962 Lawn-Boy, almost identical the one that my Dad pitched out in '87.
It's been safely locked in the trunk of the 1972 Mercedes 250 Coupe I keep in the Virginia Beach garage, waiting for me to clear a space so I can display that mower on the garage wall. I may finally do it next week!

Happy Motoring, Mark

[tyl604]

Great story. Mine was given to me in 1975 when I purchased our first house. The old couple (must have been 60) who sold us the house just gave it to me. Used it for several years then maybe 15 years ago I broke the starter recoil spring. It sat that way until just a few weeks ago when I pulled it out of the garage.

Your explanation of the engine, levers, etc is spot on; mine is exactly the same. The wire to the secondary coil is good and that seems to be all I can check without removing the flywheel. So guess that is next. If I can wrench on the SD, I guess I can figure out a silly lawnmower motor.

Thanks for the input.