Will It Run? VINTAGE VS MODERN Lawn Mower Edition

Hello and welcome back to another episode of GROB. In this quick video I will be reviving an old reel lawn mower and a modern lawnmower and putting them head to head to see is new really better? Thanks for watching this episode if you like this content make sure you like subscribe and hit that notification button so you don't miss an episode.
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[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

And on the next episode of *Golden* *Rust* *or* *Bust* we'll see how a surgeon re-attache's toes!🤣 Love your videos John 👍

[@CJ-bn1bo]

Would hate to see you lose them toes 😂

[@danbartolini27]

When I was a kid our next door neighbor did cut off some toes using one of these back in the 60s

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

@@danbartolini27 Ouch!

[@capttrips1359]

Great to see you back. I use to cut my Grand mothers grass with a motorless rotary mower in the 60's Wish it had a motor on it.

[@seandayma]

I've used the old push mowers, too. Lots of hard work..

[@lawrencewheeler8868]

Yes, had a "push" reel mower be f ore we bought one with a motor, a Pincor!

[@kollinspencer847]

that old gas powered reel mower is cool! a antique for sure

[@goldenrustorbust]

Yeah it sure is definitely for someone to restore

[@kerrypierre9494]

I agree, that is a cool looking mower 👍

[@Derf1313]

The old timers claimed the reel mowers do less damage to the grass, because it cuts the blade of grass, not twisted off... There's still a few banks of reel mowers that get pulled around golf courses. Lol!

[@mry82]

Definitely ideal footwear for ancient mower maintenance, lol. :)

[@owenmeadows5202]

Those old Briggs engines are hard to kill

[@Tylan-pt2qf]

For sure

[@DaBossk]

Wow cool video! I cannot believe you got that old thing running so easily. good job! You gotta give that poor old machine an oil change or two. It's worthy of one for sure!

[@kerrypierre9494]

No matter what you are working on, It's great to see you John. That old Reel Mower is pretty cool bro.👌👍🤘🔥🔥

[@ronaldpoddig6188]

Let's see if the modern one is still running in 60 years.

[@probablysomeonesomewhere]

its a flathead, it will, if it was an ohv it wouldnt

[@williemorgan6738]

Im just glad to see ya make a video I know your busy.

[@cruisinsillaf9671]

Nice!!!

[@justindavis2856]

I'm at the start of the episode gotta say I'm excited!! Great to see you as always!! Was really cool too see you again in the last JYD video too! You rock man!!

[@stephensaasen8589]

Reel mowers are great because when sharpened, they can leave a much more manicured cut but looks like a lot of maintenance. Looks like you have to have all the branches and twigs picked up as well where with a modern mower you can just go right over it all.

[@RoseKinderman-qg1um]

Not boring at all. Always cool to see the progression :-)

[@mike.4277]

Mowing in bare feet? I guess that's safe 😂😂

[@goldenrustorbust]

Safe enough 😂

[@kerrypierre9494]

Hey, safety third, right !?😁

[@1234mattyman]

Sharpening the blades on that vintage mower would help it cut way better, great video as usual. 🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍

[@MrGaryRoberton]

That oldie looks a lot like pictures i saw of a "Motor Mower" from Britain back in the 40's and 50's..... Cheers...

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

Also made in Australia and New Zealand.... red and green were Masport colours (Mason and Porter Auckland New Zealand manufacturer) and the rotary clothesline also gives it away...

[@seandayma]

Great old Briggs and Stratton mower.

[@dirtyberniesgarage1194]

I believe that reel mower to be an Eclipse Rocket. Awesome machine

[@seandayma]

I think it's amazing they both are flathead engines.

[@rager1969]

Some people even had push mowers with no engines back then.

[@goldenrustorbust]

Hahaha yeah back when they just used a sickle

[@rager1969]

@@goldenrustorbust In the 60s, my brother used a mower like the first one, except no motor. In the 70s, we go the "normal' power mower, but that old one stayed in the garage for years. He moved out when I was 7 and I took over mowing with the "normal" mower. He still occasionally reminds me how I had it better than him with that mower. He's right - that thing was hard to push.

[@DianeLong-fv4vm]

Briggs 5s what a engine 👏

[@hqwoody327]

This was a fun one!

[@walterrobbins4470]

There are some people who would love to have the old mower

[@AndrewHCann]

Excellent video John :) on old Rotary Cutter Briggs & Stratton motor yes those are 2.0 hp size motor and learn on grass cutting at neighbor farm home grass and sharp up blade use barn or Chainsaw file and do on angle each blade to sharpening up! Also yes take lots more human power push them Lol and new Lawn Mower push one better for sure! Wear foot wear to protect feet and safety glasses on eyes !

[@RussellBooth1977]

With the old lawnmower, the engine ran better probably because the piston rings & valves freed themselves up. With the mower, you can use a centre punch & hammer to pin the valve seat back into the engine block & it's a technique that they illustrate in their service manual !

[@Hangryjohndoe]

The old mower did a better job than I thought it would.

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

As long as the clearance between the reel and the cutting bar is adjusted correctly it will cut a sheet of A4 paper cleanly....so a blade of grass is no problem! It does demand a clean lawn free of sticks stones and other foreign objects.... as one nick in the cutters on the reel caused by foreign object damage (cutting anything but grass!) can be seen in the lawn surface. Getting those cutters on the reel sharpened and set just right relative to the cutter bar is a $150 service in my neck of the woods... and needs to be done once a year if you are a serious lawn aficionado.....

[@YessayAsha]

I fuckin love dirty old mowers, this was great

[@milburnhornback6921]

With a reel mower, you typically mowed several times a week. Observe any golf course in that they use reel mowers on the green's daily.

[@johnsarian_cu]

Reel type mowers are unbeatable if you've got a mostly flat lawn and creeping grass like zoysia or bermuda. You can make a carpet practically. They suck if you're putting them in the same places lots of people put the rotary style though. Like trying to cut saplings and knee-high grass and things. LOL

[@robertvance1873]

Good video John 👍 I remember our first lawnmower it was similar to the ancient one you got running with the blades out front but it didn't have an engine they were called a reel lawn mower and they worked you to death Lol 🤣 I bet if you oiled it up and adjusted it you would get it to cut really good, till next time my friend 👍

[@tkskagen]

Nice to have you back, John! Good luck sharpening that Reel Mower. Are you doing these videos for financial recovery, or for "pooh-poohs and giggles"? Thanks Kevin Brown...

[@goldenrustorbust]

Just for fun 😁

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

The old reel mower will shear the grass and make a very clean and even cut! Problem is you can’t cut deep grass with it! We inherited the almost exact mower when my granddad died when I was 8! We C clamped a bike to it with the back wheel off and had a rider!

[@goldenrustorbust]

😂 now that’s innovative lol 😂

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

That very well made an all steel reel mower was quite expensive and was meant to be used weekly on a short well-kept lawn without any foreign objects (like twigs sticks or stones) being allowed to be on that pristine lawn... and as you can see does an exceptionally clean close cut. Using the catcher would leave a beautiful finish on the lawn....... The wooden rollers on the rear are essential as pivoting the reel mower in tight places relies on them to act as the pivot point (that's why they are segmented so you can press down on the handles to raise the still rotating drive wheels and rotating cutter off the ground while moving the whole mower)... and once the machine is lined up... just drop the front end down and cut on.... That modern rotacut can cope easily with foreign objects.... in fact they make a great vacuum cleaner for leaves on lawns.... and with a 4 blade disc do a great job of close cutting a lawn as well.... plus you can select mulch or bag so can cut down the labour..... But as you can see the modern engines are poorly made, run hot and lean for EPA reasons...and tend to drop valve seats if you don't keep the air cooling passages scrupulously clean.... Most no longer have a sump drain just rely on a top up as they use oil....yeah, right! Plus every part other than the engine is either plastic or as cheaply made as possible..... See you in 60 years trying to resurrect that rotacut mower....

[@goldenrustorbust]

This is by far my favorite comment thank you for all the great information 😁

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

@@goldenrustorbust I'm old and the most dangerous reel mower I ever had to use was that of a neighbour who had fitted a 230VAC 1hp electric motor in place of the B&S.... I had to carry the worn old extension cord draped over my shoulder while I tried very hard not to cut the cord while cutting the lawn. There was no on off switch on the mower...he plugged it in and I was away. No transformer either. When I finished the lawn I had to get near enough to the shed where it was plugged in and yank the cord out of the socket on the wall...... I was 11 years old and doing "Bobs for Jobs" (10 cents or more for a task) as a Scout to raise money for my Troop. I shook hands with danger that day.....

[@goldenrustorbust]

I’m an Eagle Scout so I understand raising money for my troop! You have some great stories and it’s awesome reading about them 😊

[@nathanbottjer6141]

Great video by the way. Old mowers are by far superior. I work on them and have since I was a kid. Your reel type look how long it has lasted and will last. It will way out last the crapsman. Now will your newer mower do a faster job yes hands down. But for longevity and reliability nope. Garden tractor wise id put my daughters 1969 electro 12 wheelhorse against my newer 2010 JD x540 any day. The wheelhorse actually mows better.

[@jameswhetsell6651]

Hello John

[@mattus1gig]

Had exactly the same problem with my last lawnmower dropping its seat!

[@goldenrustorbust]

I cleaned out the cooling fins what I assumed happened is that the casting heated up and expanded and with the air and fuel getting sucked by the intake seat it stayed at a lower temp allowing it to stay the same size and pop free from the casting

[@mattus1gig]

@@goldenrustorbust ah that makes sense 👍 I binned mine and got a new one 😁

[@johnmcdaniel4980]

I would take that old reel powered lawn mower over anything new to cut my lawn, the old stuff is still around today if you can find them for a reason.

[@bustedjunk4674]

Comparing apples to rocks…. They actually had regular self propelled push mowers back in the 50s and 60s…. I actually just stripped an early 1960s Briggs motor off an original self propelled deck that was rushed out and but on something similar to your newer mower… motor was bad on the new motor but deck was good…. Deck was bad on the old mower but the motor ran like a top

[@garyclifton2180]

The gold not be around in 50 years like the rust is if you sharpen the blade on the rusty one you get a better stripe finish lots off guys here in UK would love to get there hands on that to restore it and use it

[@larpzy989]

This has nothing to do with this video,but PLEASE start modifying your stang. Aka ....BOOST. love the videos brother

[@goldenrustorbust]

I’m gathering parts as we speak

[@behrett2374]

That old engine is either a Briggs and Stratton 6s or a 5s made from 50s to around the 60s the 5s is a 1hp model and the 6s is a 1 1/2 hp model real cool engines I have two of them

[@goldenrustorbust]

Hey thanks I appreciate the knowledge and info on the old Briggs I thought it was a 3hp good to know going forward awesome comment 😁

[@danbartolini27]

Did he really shove rope through the spark plug hole ? That's old school

[@goldenrustorbust]

Yes I did it’s a good way to stop the piston from moving and get the leverage you need to get that flywheel nut off thanks for noticing my grandpa taught me that 😁

[@probablysomeonesomewhere]

that craftsman is around 15 years old

[@DeadReckon]

You know, there's this thing called widescreen... Most of us have it... Still a great video though man, keep up the great work and watch those toes around these grass slicers.

[@goldenrustorbust]

My other videos were in wide screen I’m looking into why this one is different thank you for letting me know 😁

[@themaritimegirl]

@@goldenrustorbust When you tossed in that vintage clip of the self-driving mower, it possibly made your video editor decide to make the format of the entire project 4:3 for some reason.

[@DeadReckon]

@@goldenrustorbust It happens, I've seen weirder stuff happen with the handful of videos I've done. One that'll never see the light of day 'cause I lost the footage was my buddy and I doing a legit shade tree engine swap. For some reason when I uploaded it, the video was upside down!

[@goldenrustorbust]

@@DeadReckon upside down video can be easy to fix in clip champ and cap cut it allows you to invert the video try that and clip champ and cap cut are free

[@DeadReckon]

@@goldenrustorbust I use shotcut but YT kept flipping the video over for... reasons? I gave up on that one haha

[@mattmonteith2175]

golf ⛳ uses reel machine

[@rodneybadger734]

My Crapman 6.5 BS Lawnmower died this year. This makes me want to dig into my Lawnmower and find/fix this issue. How did you reseat the valve ring and will it last? Any head gasket or sealer? I bought a cordless one to replace mine and it SUUUCKS. No pick up and it runs out of power. UGH!!

[@goldenrustorbust]

Over time debris gets lodged in the cooling fins by the valves this overheats the casting and allows for it to expand the air and fuel being sucked by the valve seat keeps the seat at a lower temp and it doesn’t swell allowing it to pop free from the casting i don’t know if reseating the valve will last but it’s definitely worth a shot rather than buying a new piece of chineasium crap

[@goofe.washington953]

Maybe I’m weird, but I would have checked for oil prior to starting. Just sayin’.

[@danbartolini27]

Just for reference 50 -60 years ago was the 60s 70s not the 50s

[@seandayma]

Those old blades need sharpened.

[@lawrencewheeler8868]

Reel mowers better than rotary!

[@garyb681]

Did you make a new head gasket?

[@goldenrustorbust]

No just reused the old one

[@user-ni7tg5fg9k]

no gasket on head?

[@goldenrustorbust]

Just re used the old one

[@Maximusfoisey]

What happened to the x Tara Kevin gave you

[@goldenrustorbust]

Still have it

[@paytonpaquin]

i dont know how this works

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

The reel mower has a cylindrical set of cutters (the reel) which drag blades of grass onto a cutter bar...which then chops them off. The engine drives a rubber belt which when tensioned drives the shaft which drives the chain which drives the reel and the wheels...... basically a 19th century design push mower that has been motorised..... The rear wooden rollers are segmented so when you push down on the handlebars it provides the pivot point to raise the rotating cylinder and drive wheels off the ground... so you can pull the mower backwards, or turn it around and line it up where you next want to cut.. then drop the front end down and away you go....

[@AlanGresov]

"I'll run a dollar bill" What a commentary on how worthless our currency is.

[@johnnybgoode6466]

The old reel mower will still be here at 100 years old - the rotary will be dead and buried like manufacturers want it to be.......manufacturers want to stay in business of course

[@goldenrustorbust]

Planned obsolescence is a killer of good product

[@AlanGresov]

Please don't use text to speech voiceovers, you're better than that John!

[@goldenrustorbust]

Noted wont use that again lol 😂

[@phr3dmcc0y]

ugh, what a horrible mower design. I'd throw that motor on a modern mower deck with a blade, but thats me.