Father's Day Gift (to myself)

[asphaltgambler]

So I'm a fan of old stuff, modern history as it were. Since the weather broke I needed a nice trim mower to do all the stuff that my vintage JD 430 can't get to / around on my property.

But ........I wanted something cool but had to be a bagger, either an old but usable Toro, Snapper, Lawn-Boy. I found a lot online but just too far to go chase down from where I live.

Ran across this @15 mins from my house, ran over there on Saturday to purchase. The guy is a retired Navy Avionics Engineer and collects / restores these as his hobby.

It is a '86 vintage which I think OMC owned Lawn-Boy at the time. 2-cycle commercial model, variable rear wheel drive. It really has had a charmed life with what appears to be very little use. He did some work to it over the winter like rebuilding the carb, replace the drive belt, etc. The wheels even have zerk fittings to lube!

It starts right up after priming, runs great. It's so cool!

Enjoy

[!pse203]

My first mower!

[cabmandone]

My B.I.L has a barn about half full of lawnboys. Loves the crazy things. I think my brother owns three of them.

[1990C4S]

I have a small collection of those....some of the solid state coils are no longer available.

They are otherwise indestructible.

[wdfifteen]

Very cool! Looks like new!

I always thought 2 cycle Lawn Boys were cool. When I was a kid our neighbor had one from the days before they put cooling ducts on them. The fins in the flywheel just blew air onto the cylinder and anywhere else it wanted to go. Had a little cylindrical fuel tank that probably held a pint.
We had a
John Deere 430 on the farm when I was a kid. It was probably a bit bigger than than the one in the OP.

[LWJ]

Lovely!

[Baz]

Great mower - congrats!

I had one in the 80's and used it for years and years.

[asphaltgambler]

In my adventures like these, I often meet really interesting people. This guy was very low key, kind and educated. Lived in a fairly expensive neighborhood. As we're talking, he's showing me all the things he did to the mower, explaining how it works:

Like the engine runs independent of the blade. So when removing the bag, you can disengage the blade for safety. The other thing is there is no throttle. Governed by load, completely.

Anyway, he's talking I look over and see a big picture of a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier. I ask him, if he served in the Navy, yes and his entire career centered on the F14 in avionics. So much so that he worked on the actual F14 in the movie Top Gun. There were changes needed to accommodate the cameras and other equipment. He saw Tom Cruise from a distance but didn't meet him. He retired on the same day the F14 was decommissioned. How cool is that?

[Mountaines]

I too had the same since 2014 i am using this.

[rfuerst911sc]

Back in the early 80's I worked at a small hardware store/homecenter that had a large outdoor power equipment department . We sold Lawn Boy mowers I must have sold a thousand of them ! They were easy to sell because the quality was very high . They were pricey but well worth it .

One day I took in an old LB that was beige in color , before they were green they were beige . The beige ones were a magnesium deck vs aluminum for the green . I ended up buying that trade in as my own mower and used it for MANY years . It was very light and easy to maneuver .

In the later years to keep price competitive they moved to stamped steel decks and away from the blade brake clutch. It was the beginning of the end of the high quality units in my opinion . None of the self propelled units I sold had a belt , they were a direct drive to the rear wheels via a small driveshaft. Everything had a zerk fitting . Just very well engineered . Enjoy your new toy , how about sharing a pic of your 430 ? I have a 330 and a 332 ......... love those Yanmar diesels !

[asphaltgambler]

Here ya go - it's a '91 with @1100 hours. I finished the restoration about a year ago. Mechanically it was very well taken care of. Just major services really replacing worn out stuff like motor mounts, tires, etc. I do have a fair amount of time and $$ in cosmetics.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

Anyway, he's talking I look over and see a big picture of a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier. I ask him, if he served in the Navy, yes and his entire career centered on the F14 in avionics. So much so that he worked on the actual F14 in the movie Top Gun. There were changes needed to accommodate the cameras and other equipment. He saw Tom Cruise from a distance but didn't meet him. He retired on the same day the F14 was decommissioned. How cool is that?

Nice. Both mowers are really cool.

"Let's turn and burn!"

[rfuerst911sc]

That's a nice looking 430 . They are a beast with all the best that JD offered. I am always looking for that diamond in the rough 430 to add to my herd .

[asphaltgambler]

In / near northern Va area - finding one running let alone decent is rare. They do come up occasionally but are usually beat to death WITH an asking price of $3-4K! On the other hand on local CL, someone close to me has what appears to be a nice 322 with accessories reasonably priced.

[rfuerst911sc]

I purchased my 332 for 900.00 and she was/is a solid 7 out of 10 . But that was tractor only but I had a spare mowing deck so no big deal . Plus I am using with a FEL so don't mow with it anyway .

[cabmandone]

The lawnboy that is a head scratcher to me is the older "commercial" model with a separate fuel tank and more powerful engine. My brother owns one of these and I guess they can get quite expensive to buy.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by cabmando

The lawnboy that is a head scratcher to me is the older "commercial" model with a separate fuel tank and more powerful engine. My brother owns one of these and I guess they can get quite expensive to buy.

When I was a kid we had one of those, it was indestructible. I've looked for one recently, they are not cheap. I would like to have one, but I don't need one.

[asphaltgambler]

I paid a little less than $200.00.......

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by cabmando

The lawnboy that is a head scratcher to me is the older "commercial" model with a separate fuel tank and more powerful engine. My brother owns one of these and I guess they can get quite expensive to buy.

Yeah I sold those also , the bigger tank and if I remember correctly better air filter were the main difference . The LB's were ahead of their time , simple 2 cycle engine with magnesium or aluminum deck . Could easily be converted from side discharge to side bagger or rear bagger . Want to mulch ? Pop off the discharge chute and place in the " mulch " plate . Rear wheel self propelled so as the rear bagger filled up more weight over the drive wheels . The one's I sold were a small driveshaft coming straight off the engine to a little gear box . That gear box transitioned to right/left drive shafts that were knurled on the ends . When you engaged the self propelled mechanism you were moving the drive knurled ends onto and compressing the rear tires . The wheels and gear mechanism had grease fittings . Man they were nice machines . Back then the full monty for self propelled , bagger/mulcher and electric start was over $500.00 .

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

I paid a little less than $200.00.......

My brother was almost giddy when he found a LB Gold in Fort Wayne for around $200. He called me and had me go get it for him. I kept it at my place until he could make it back home from VA to get it. That's dedication! He has two other LB's that he has since bought with the one being that crazy "commercial" model. I've never witnessed him actually using the commercial model but I think he got it running.