Unless you mow your own with a B/S rotary, don't read this.

They still exist!!!

http://dolphinope.stores.yahoo.net/lawnmowers.html

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/garden-tools/flymo-xl500-petrol-hover-mower/1029032/

 

Awesome idea. Your own personal hovercraft and mow the yard too. Now what do we use for power? propulsion? I wonder how fast you could make it? Be fun to terrorize the neighborhood.

 

Hmmm---Buick 215 atop an inverted kiddy swimming pool...side discharge chute plumbed to the carb, so it burns clippings after starting up on a few drops of gas...fake stampings and purchased "collectible paperwork" proving it to be a '29 Ford with antique plates (the plates actually used will be counterfeits of those issued to it, made of .020 magnesium so cops can't stop you from going downtown on it...)
I don't see any need for brakes or steering...heavy ****.

 

Old lawnmowers brings back many memories . . . Grandpa had a farm implement business outside Jefferson City, MO . . . sold tractors, migrated to smaller stuff in the 1970/80's . . . I can remember many days coming home from school and offering to sweep the front of the shop for a shiny quarter to go in the old Pepsi machine . . . little gl*** bottles . . . best tasting orange soda's on the planet. I remember one time "driving" a big old Case lawn tractor, I think it was, back when I was in kindergarden or first grade . . . it slipped out of gear and I was literally driving it. Luckily I reached up and dropped the snow plow on the front as Grandpa came over to see what I was doing. Years later I put untold amount of miles on 3-wheel Swisher mower . . . mowing anything and everything and cruising all over in it. I even dug a long forgotten relic out one time and read enough Readers Digest Home Repair books to get it started and up and running. Me and my sister drove the wheels off those two mowers. The relic was one of those odd little ones with hard rubber wheels, one speed ******, and what looked like an old steel tractor seat. It was fun to pop the clutch and it would shoot up a foot or so with the tires in the air. Years after my Grandpa died my sister stashed the lawnmower under some boards and stuff in the old clubhouse area we used to play. I suspect that now that my Grandmother is gone, it's been long since hauled away . . . might have to look someday.


Ok . . .enough of my old memory lane cruise . . .

 

I have this old push mower that I rescued from the cellar of a house I usta rent in El Sereno.
It's basically an angle bent sheet metal frame with a heavy wire handle on it that looks more like a rug beater than a mower.
It's got an "axle" with a series of geared wheels on it that turn another string of interlocking gears with cutting blades in the ends of their gears that cut the gr***.
It's called a "MontaMower" and it has
"Patented Aug. 21 1923"
The Monta Mower Company
Traverse City Michigan

And it works, sorta.
As long as the ground is hard and level, like a golf green, and the gr*** doesn't really need mowing bad....

 

Hard starting b.s engine could br caused by a plugged main jet. The bolt the holds on the fuel bowl doubles as the jet, remove it and clean, there is a very small hole in the side near the botton off the jet. My wife hit the water shut off valve and bent the crank on 2 week old mower, a new crank was $35.00.

 

I think you can get those primer bulbs in the small engine catalog at napa.

 

Great trick. I just bought mine a couple of weeks ago, but, when the inevitable happens, I'll have to try it.

 

you may have found a way to get gas into your carb, but have you ever ran your mower on diesel?? i did, worked good for the first 2 times, if you want to also, i'd suggest running it every day, even if you dont cut gr***, just to keep it going.. it was funny that it actually worked, when it fire it up, a whole bunch of smoke comes out of the exhaust like a diesel engine would, the fumes also smell like diesel fumes. you probly think im weird, and i dont blame you either.

and if it stops running right, u can dump the diesel and put in regular gas and it will fire up.

 

You kids and your new fangeled power tools. I have my grandfather's old Craftsman (back when they were good) push mower from the early 40s(not sure it's been a while since I looked at the date) and I have never had a problem with it being a hard start when it's cold . . . it's one hell of a workout though.

RRR

 

Apparently there was a large tractor-style lawn mower than used a Ford V8-60 for a motor. My buddy had a chance to buy one a few years ago, and couldn't come up with the cash at the time - by the time he did it was gone.

I bought a big Carter carb book from the 50's and was flipping through and found the mower I want to come up with somewhere. In the early 50's Reo made mowers - with the same names as their cars had, the Flying Cloud (!)... No idea what they look like, but I have detailed instuctions to fix the carb on one.

 

You guys have 'seasons'? Hell, move to Texas and you can mow all year long..... LOL... Just like me, not being able to relate to folks up north, puttin' the Harley up for the winter. Can't do that here. No wonder mine needs paint, but can't afford the 'down-time' to strip a 'bagger' down, and paint the damn thing.
Oh well, I will suffer and ride, instead of drainin' all the fluids and trickle chargin' the battery.