[jww]

I have this non-self propelled,19” mower. Has good magnesium deck but bad engine. I’m told it has a “D” series engine.
Found a reasonably priced D 411 engine but guy says he has no idea if it fits my application.

Can any out there educate me on earlier 2 stroke L’awnboys
Thanks, Jerry

[mgarblik]

I can't answer your question with certainty. But a fan of Lawn Boy mowers almost as long as Pontiacs. Any D series engine will interchange on the like decks if the crankshaft length is the same. There are 2 sites that might be able to give you exact interchange. I like My Tractor Forum.com. They have a separate Lawn Boy area. Also LawnBoyRescue .com. They will take and answer questions. Considerable love for Lawn Boy mowers and their rich history. Bought by Toro and ruined/run into the ground of course. I still use 2 old ones on my property. A 75 self propelled with F series engine and the most sophisticated 2-stroke ever put on a push mower, the M series. 5 HP, oil injected, mechanical spark advance, 3-speed gearbox, enclosed cables, blade clutch, Mikuni carburetor. Called the Forever mower, it had a lifetime warranty. My 1989 model is still going strong. Have the seller of that D411 measure the PTO length of the crankshaft and compare it to yours.

[jww]

Thank you mgarblik…..
I will look at the two forums you mentioned, sounds like someone there will know.

I suspect the crank length has something to do with self-propelled vs:non self propelled. Man in Dayton has a NOS shortblock.

I feel same about these simple mowers…….What’s not to like about them?!? I have two, a 21” Commercial and a 21” Gold Pro I bought new about 20 yr ago.

The one with bum mtr was my late father in-laws.
Real nice deck. Can’t stand to trash it and I like bringing stuff back to life when it makes sense. I think this is one of those times!

Thanks again, Jerry

[dataway]

As a kid made my living with an early LawnBoy .. mid 60's, pre-mix, wrap rope start. What made them outstanding was the power to weight ratio, I had to pull it behind my bike and the thing weighed half what a modern mower does, and always seemed to have the necessary power. Not to mention the high blade speed did a wonderful job mulching the grass.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by dataway

As a kid made my living with an early LawnBoy .. mid 60's, pre-mix, wrap rope start. What made them outstanding was the power to weight ratio, I had to pull it behind my bike and the thing weighed half what a modern mower does, and always seemed to have the necessary power. Not to mention the high blade speed did a wonderful job mulching the grass.

That mower was probably an "Iron Horse" model or possibly a very early "Brick top" model. Incredibly reliable, light and tough. Believe it or not they were only 1.8-2.0HP depending on model. They still make wonderful trim mowers today.

[John V.]

I operated a mag deck with D series engine Lawn-Boy for a lot of years. Well used when I acquired it. IIRC, the mag deck eventually cracked and I found a newer aluminum deck and mounted the D series engine to that deck and ran it that way for awhile. I replaced the rings at least once and honed the cylinder. I'm guessing I used it for about 12 years until my neighbor gave me his newer self propelled unit with F series engine and bad coil. The self propel system was not great and made for a much heavier machine than the older mag deck unit. It wasn't as simple to work on as the D series but I kept that one going for awhile.

At some point, my dad had bought a modern Honda mower that he loved. I would brag about my Lawn-Boy. Later after running a decent MTD Cub Cadet mower for several years, I bought a top of the line Honda with Hydro trans. It was by far the best mower I've ever had and still have. But I still fondly remember my 2 stroke Lawn-Boys.

As I recall I either couldn't get or chose not to pay for a new piston. It was scored from poorly maintained exhaust port carbon build up. But about everything else from carb to crank bearing was eminently repairable 20-30 years ago and easy to get parts. Don't know about parts availability today.

I'm almost certain I have my old books, I'll look to dig the D series Mechanic's Handbook out tomorrow and see if I can find out what the D-411 represents. I'm thinking any D series engine would install on your deck. The differences might relate to PTO for self propel or electric start option but I don't think that affects deck fitment.

The mag deck was very light and maneuverable. Downside, on rough terrain it will bounce around. I even bought a Lawn-Boy side discharge bag kit I found on clearance at Home Depot one day. I used it some but capacity was small and just added weight and hindered maneuverability as I remember it.

I don't do much mowing where I'm at now. And I wouldn't have gone back to the Lawn-Boy after using the Honda. But during the years I used it, especially the mag deck D Series, I loved keeping my Lawn-Boy going. It was so simple to work on.

[dataway]

Just looked through a bunch of vintage Lawnboy photos ... mine might have been a 1962. It was yellow, had the round tank, forward facing cylinder, pretty sure it had a cast deck because the paint flaked off in numerous places and it never rusted.

I had to wrap the rope on the starter but that very well could have been the result of a broken recoil starter ... it was my Dad's old mower, he bought one of the green Lawnboys to replace it. It was small, probably around 18".

I was using it circa 1968-70, which would fit the timeline of a passed down 1962'ish mower.

[mgarblik]

I think among small engine/push mower enthusiasts, Lawn Boy has the strongest following. Reminds me of Pontiacs? Lawn Boy people have their little cliques as well, just like the Pontiac hobby. Any Lawn Boy with a 4-cycle engine is NOT welcome. Just like non-traditional Pontiac engines. My M series Lawn Boy 2-cycle, is kind of an outlier because it is complicated, has a Japanese carburetor and little interchange with older models. It's all rather amusing. BTW, there is very little parts availability beyond E-bay, used or Stens aftermarket. They are so simple, you can make most stuff from other branded parts or improvise somehow.

[necdb3]

Brings back memories of cleaning the exhaust ports on those engines as a kid. Lawn Boy had them running so rich on oil they would cake up. I'm sure you guys have done that also. I cut quite a few lawns as a kid for spending money and did it with an old Lawn Boy.

That was the simple life, more money than I knew what to do with. LOL

[mgarblik]

If you want a good laugh Google up the Lawn Boy Loafer model and the Lawn Boy QuietFlite. Both highly sought after and pretty valuable. I have neither.

[Mr Anonymous]

Dang, we had an Iron Horse when I was a kid. All that I have left is the gas tank. Those crankshafts hate when the blade hits a stump.