Lawnboy 5HP

[Newoldstock]

What I do not know about the USA fills volumes I guess.
I heard of that holiday but never realized it was the samme day as Victoria day up here.

I don;t know what you chum will turn up for carbs but if I were you I would measure up the carb you have and aim to find something just a little larger.
I expect yo have a carb around 1/2 to 5/8 venturi.
The Little Tilley is very near that range, but don't go bigger because you will regrete it.
You will need to make a small modification to the carb for the fuel pump pulse.

Let me know when you find a suitable carb and I will tell you how to grind that little chanel out on the back.

Don't get me wrong.
I still think this is all a bad idea but I will try and help you.

 

[Lawndart]

NOS,
I agree with you on it being a bad idea. I'm trying to get out cheap, it's an experiment. I have a big box of Honda clone parts coming soon and it will have my attention for awhile.

If and when I find a cheap, suitable carb I will definitely contact you for help. I do appreciate all the help so far. NOS, Thank you.

 

[lawn-boy biker]

Sorry to resurrect an old post, but I just had to chime in.
I have powered 2 karts and a minibike with 4 different model Lawn-Boy power plants.
The Duraforce (model E) is by far the best Lawn-Boy engine produced for my purposes.
I have not used the model M but cannot envision any difficulty in using it.

A few clarifications:

and most important have flywheels so light they will not run with the extra mass of a blade to help them along.

This is an obvious crock.

Long ago, 4yrs maybe here a member had two lawnboy engines with shafts cut to 3/4" and powering a go-kart that was said to be stupid fast.

Only mod done to PTO was to fabricate a ¼" keyway and is easily done with a dremel, files, and patience.

wow i cant say ive seen a 2 stroke push mower.

Jacobsen successfully produced them as well.

...an intake manifold made...

I use HL239B Tillotsons. A guy on Ebay was selling them (NOS) for around $35 a piece.
Have not seen them for awhile.
A simple mod (no cost) has to be made to them to make them operable on Lawn-Boys.

Bad idea all around and should not be done.

I guess God will strike me dead!!!

Money wasted could build a much better engine from something else.

Like what? A $99 clone from Harbor Freight?

somtimes its not about what is easy to buy and put together but to have something different for the hell of it.

EXACTLY!!! :clap::clap::clap:

How can I make it easier to understand?

No, no...That's MY question.

The basic engine design does not adapt itself well.
Costs involved in machining and making parts exceeds the value of the engine as compared to buyin gor building a proper horizantal shaft engine.

Nothing in this statement is true.

Engine rotation is a big deal. If it's not CCW, you have to run it backwards in the frame

Lawn-Boy rotation is no different than any other mower engine. Why would it be?

I realized that the engine was made in America, I going with OMC.

I agree.

I had posted a YOUTUBE vid of a Lawn-Boy powered Fox mini bike but pulled it down some time ago. I can re-post if interested.
In the meantime...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4jch0puM1A

 

[Newoldstock]

Well done.

I said it was a bad idea and you made a nice kart out of it.

I saw our video before, even before this thread.
I still do not agree with your choice.
I would have used a karting engine or at least started with a couple of goood saw engines. ( they are mechanicaly stronger and more powerful )

I removed comments because I need to be a better person and try not to say things that a hurtful or rude.
I sometimes fail at this.

 

[lawn-boy biker]

I would have used a karting engine or at least started with a couple of goood saw engines.

Have you seen the price of karting engines lately? I have.
Have you looked into the cost of converting a a chainsaw engine? I have.
I do not know of any currently manufactured chainsaw engine that could propel anything beyond a skateboard or model airplane. Possibly a big Stihl or Husqvarna might be up to the task, but at ~$1800 a piece, I (nor you) will never know.

I find this statement particularly comedic:

...And your knowledge of small 2 strokes is awesome...

especially after reading this:

I never ran a lawn biy on its side and run it hard to see if it developed a lubrication issue.

Show me one documented example of any 2 cycle engine failing due to being run on it's side.

 

[lawn-boy biker]

Hmm...A horizontal 2 cycle model C Lawn-Boy. Identical to the mower engine.
http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/more-than-two-wheels/97226-lawn-boy-tiller.html
Incidentally, the Tillotson HL239B carb I used were common on SOLO chainsaws.

 

[Newoldstock]

Hmm...A horizontal 2 cycle model C Lawn-Boy. Identical to the mower engine.
http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/more-than-two-wheels/97226-lawn-boy-tiller.html
Incidentally, the Tillotson HL239B carb I used were common on SOLO chainsaws.

That really great, a lawn mower engine made 50 years ago and a chain saws carbs that are even older.

I find this statement particularly comedic:
especially after reading this:

Show me one documented example of any 2 cycle engine failing due to being run on it's side.

Some of these things have passages in the crank case and reed plate with the specific purpose of drawing oil that dropped out of suspension through the bushing on the top and bottom of the engine.
Since top and bottom are now left and right side things may not function as intended.

A guy who run two souped up lawn boy engines on a kart is lecturing me on comedy.

 

[Newoldstock]

About 5 years ago a local Chinese stuff importer asked me to look over a 135cc Chinese knock off of a Stihl like this.

It had the name Stihl crudely removed but its stilll obvious what it was.
I think he said they were 150 bucks...

Find some of these and I think you have something worth tinkering with.
I know they are out there....

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

 

[lawn-boy biker]

A guy who run two souped up lawn boy engines on a kart is lecturing me on comedy.

You've completely missed the point. When are you going to admit that you are not exactly the "awesome" one.
Please, please show me one documented example of any 2 cycle engine that failed due to being oriented in any position other than it's original intent.

That really great, a lawn mower engine made 50 years ago and a chain saws carbs that are even older.

Dead wrong (again) on both counts.
Please do your homework before posting.

 

[Newoldstock]

You've completely missed the point. When are you going to admit that you are not exactly the "awesome" one.
Please, please show me one documented example of any 2 cycle engine that failed due to being oriented in any position other than it's original intent.
Dead wrong (again) on both counts.
Please do your homework before posting.

They made those C series engines in the late 50s early 60s at the OMC Peterborough plant.
Then they stopped....
That is about 50 years ago.
You posted a link to a Chainsaw manufacture that shows products made in the late 40s and 50s.
Since you did not tell me what engine it was from I had to assume the carbs were from one of these antiques.
I don't even think they made an HL series back then ( maybe HP but again thats a very long time ago )

I can't provide you with a example of a lawn boy tilted on its side to run a kart other than you so how can I find and example of one blowing up because of it.

Now there are some differences in these OMC engines you mmay or may not be aware of.
Some like the C-18 had full needle and roller bearings in them.
They were considerably stronger and used on things like the Snowboy and tiller.
C-17 was the first generation mower engine with bushing.
It had some issues with bushing and lubrication, thats why the whole series went to needle bearings.

The D-400 were all needle and roller too!
That is untill the 409 that went with a lower bushing.
Oil tended to drop out of suspension easy enough and drop to the bushing at the bottom to keep it oiled.
To make sure enough oil moved around they added those drilled passages in the case and the chanel you see cast in the reed plate.

You want me to prove its a bad idea to run a vertical 2 stroke on its side.
I can't....

I also can't prove Clone flywheels are unsafe above their rated RPM
I also can not prove to you global warming is real or the moon is not made of green cheese.

I will never be able to convince you of anything because you are not willing to listen why try?

 

[lawn-boy biker]

Piffle...
Point is that you made several statements that cannot be backed up. Anybody reading this thread knows that all I have done is reorient a once common lawnmower engine to power a gokart...something you say is "a bad idea".
Yet in the video anyone can see that it operates beautifully and as it should.
This reorientation of a 2 cycle engine is not my idea. It actually goes back to 1956...but why go on.
Imagine if :bowdown:Art Ingles had heeded your "bad idea" theory.

As an aside, I've been troubleshooting, refurbishing, rebuilding L-B's since 1965.
Also, I had in my garage one of the very first BlitzKarts. My father was the man who gave it it's name. My memory of it has not faded.
In short, I've been around gokarts and L-B's a very long time.

This will be my final post in this thread. You may rant on...unheeded.
P.S.:

somtimes its not about what is easy to buy and put together but to have something different for the hell of it.

Listen to this guy. He "gets it". (from post #14, Thanx JKautoFAB)

Anyone requiring more info on Lawn-Boy powered stuff, contact me and I will point you in the right direction.

 

[Newoldstock]

Its a very fine job you did too.
:clap:

I am currious have you ever worked on a Westbend?
Steel rod needle bearings, high speed general purpose engines made for more than one aplication.
They ran pumps, and saws but as it turns out were not actualy very good for lawn mowers.
not as much torque at low RPM as a Lawnboy of the same displacement ( and there is a reason for that too ).

if you ever get the oppertunity to take a clinton mower 2 stroke to pieces and compare it to the chain saw version again you will notice significant differences in engines.
Some guys like me used to race the Clinton, but not the mower engines or the general purpose 2 stroke.
It had to be the saw engine....

 

[buckeye]

I'd like to see the video of the Fox mini bike.:thumbsup:

 

[ludicrous speed]

I'd like to see the video of the Fox mini bike.:thumbsup:

me too....
psssst..what fox mini bike?
does it have a lawn boy engine...?

 

[Newoldstock]

me too....
psssst..what fox mini bike?
does it have a lawn boy engine...?

:freakout:

 

[ludicrous speed]

lol sorry,i couldnt resist...:anon.sml:

 

[Newoldstock]

inspired by this I will build a minibike powered by 4 maytag engines.

for some reason I can not insert a clean link to the video.

 

[Boomstick]

Braze the cases together & mate the crank ends... Have a Maytag I-4.

 

[Newoldstock]

I need to work the wringer washer parts into the bike too.

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare To Be Stupid - YouTube

 

[soni123]

Thanks for the great discussion. Great to have the discussion as I am currently working onto the wringer parts on my bike and searching for similar discussion. Finally got to know during writing my paper and I am thankful.