Those old Lawnboy 2-cycle engines are tanks.. especially for a 2-cycle engine.
They definately don't make them like that any more, at least not unless you want to pay commercial premiums.
They definately don't make them like that any more, at least not unless you want to pay commercial premiums.
ViRGE
Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
- Oct 9, 1999
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That's not a "cheaper" thing, that's a "safer" thing. Physics dictates that force is the product of mass and acceleration; if you make a car that crumples like that, it will take longer to stop, reducing the acceleration, and in turn reducing the force. An old car may survive, but at high speeds, you're the one who's going to be squashed like a bug instead.
Hmmm... I think our fridge is pretty old.
*checks*
Can't find any relevant info, such as power usage or date of manufacture.. probably located on the back panel.
My purely uneducated guess is that it is from the mid 80s.
- Oct 10, 1999
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Not really.
I have been in large old steel cars and got hit hard. I walked away with no injuries. The other guy wasn't so lucky. New cars may crumple but you pay the price when they cut you out like a sardin in a can. Old steel cars with full frames always do better in crash tests. That frame absorbes lots of collision energy and gives a much safer shell to be in. Old cars with crappy seatbelts cause more problems.
I tell you what. How I about I run into your car at 60mph with my 1987 Crown Vic and see who gets squashed like a bug? And we will also see which car can be fixed cheaper.
#1 car in crash tests is the Ford Crown Vic and Grand Marquis. Full frame is the main reason.
- Oct 10, 1999
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THat's nice dear, but you are leaving out one key factor
redictability. Although in your situation, the force of the accident was not sufficient to over power the steel, imgaine if it had been. Although cars today are made of lighter and seemingly "weaker" materials, they still provide a great deal of safety. Crumple zones allow you to dissapate forces before they reach your compartment. With your old steel car, you could be fine, or just as easily have a severed foot because the engine compartment shifted a little, and a big piece of metal was forced into the driver's area. for small to moderate incidents, old steel vehicles are king when it comes to vehicle frame survivability. However, the safety of the occupants is left up to chance in such a situation. At least with modern day cars, a multitude of engineers have designed it so that forces will be dissapated as much as possible to save the occupants, regardless of the cost of repairing the car.
- Oct 10, 1999
- 31,329
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Ah!Originally posted by: Goosemaster
THat's nice dear, but you are leaving out one key factor
for small to moderate incidents, old steel vehicles are king when it comes to vehicle frame survivability. However, the safety of the occupants is left up to chance in such a situation. At least with modern day cars, a multitude of engineers have designed it so that forces will be dissapated as much as possible to save the occupants, regardless of the cost of repairing the car.
But old fullsize steel cars have very strong and thick firewalls. It would take a hell of hit to push anything through those. I have seen the collapsible columns cause problems.
Also most passenger compartments in older full size full frame cars are way stronger that most people think. New cars tend to break people's feet and legs, while old cars don't deform in these areas much at all.
As for the engine compartment shifting, that happened to my one car. An old man pulled out in front of me and I couldn't stop. I hit him hard and deformed the front frame rails near the bumper. Front end was pushed in about 1 foot. Ruined my brand new radiator and fan. The whole front frame was pushed slightly to the right. The car could have been repaired with a front end swap (easy to do with my near fullsize unibody Mopar) but I opted to write it off. I bought a replacement car that was nearly identical and 1 year newer. I salvaged everything I could from the wreck. I still have the radiator that is repairable. I even swapped the engine and tranny as they were unharmed. The exhaust was kept too as it was only slightly bent.
That crash was at 50 miles/hour. I walked away while he had to go to the hospital after being cut out of his car. His car was beyond repair.
My car was a 1978 Chrysler Lebaron 2 door with hopped up 318 / 998 auto.
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
Ah!Originally posted by: Goosemaster
THat's nice dear, but you are leaving out one key factor
for small to moderate incidents, old steel vehicles are king when it comes to vehicle frame survivability. However, the safety of the occupants is left up to chance in such a situation. At least with modern day cars, a multitude of engineers have designed it so that forces will be dissapated as much as possible to save the occupants, regardless of the cost of repairing the car.
But old fullsize steel cars have very strong and thick firewalls. It would take a hell of hit to push anything through those. I have seen the collapsible columns cause problems.
Also most passenger compartments in older full size full frame cars are way stronger that most people think. New cars tend to break people's feet and legs, while old cars don't deform in these areas much at all.
As for the engine compartment shifting, that happened to my one car. An old man pulled out in front of me and I couldn't stop. I hit him hard and deformed the front frame rails near the bumper. Front end was pushed in about 1 foot. Ruined my brand new radiator and fan. The whole front frame was pushed slightly to the right. The car could have been repaired with a front end swap (easy to do with my near fullsize unibody Mopar) but I opted to write it off. I bought a replacement car that was nearly identical and 1 year newer. I salvaged everything I could from the wreck. I still have the radiator that is repairable. I even swapped the engine and tranny as they were unharmed. The exhaust was kept too as it was only slightly bent.
That crash was at 50 miles/hour. I walked away while he had to go to the hospital after being cut out of his car. His car was beyond repair.
My car was a 1978 Chrysler Lebaron 2 door with hopped up 318 / 998 auto.
It's true those big old cars were like driving tanks around. If you hit one of the little cars they were crushed like tin cans. Also the broken legs and feet are becoming a huge problem with newer cars. I saw a report on CBS that was talking about it and the car companies don't want to talk about it.
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I doOriginally posted by: stev0
i bet skoorb wishes he could say the same about his murray
It seems Skoorb that brand doesn't matter (..puts on flame suit) My Uncle bought a new Lawn Boy the same year I got my Murray and it didn't make two seasons.
The deck maker almost never makes the engine. Lawnboy was an exception.Originally posted by: compudog
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I doOriginally posted by: stev0
i bet skoorb wishes he could say the same about his murray
It seems Skoorb that brand doesn't matter (..puts on flame suit) My Uncle bought a new Lawn Boy the same year I got my Murray and it didn't make two seasons.
I think Honda might make complete mowers, too. But you can also find Honda engines on other-brand decks.
I got a mower from 76 with a briggs & stratton engine, works like a charm, old briggs & stratton engines never die.
Still waay OT, but....
My wife got T-boned in a newer Toyota. The only thing that kept her from being crushed was the seats mashing together. The center console shattered, and my wife's hip got a hairline fracture. (Bad for my sex life for a long time!)
If she'd been driving my old 71 LTD, she'd be fine and so would the car. What hit her? 95 Accord. that little car would have bounced off the LTD.
Another accident: My wife was driving our 84 Volvo. She T-boned a little Mitsubishi Eclipse. Damage to the Volvo included bumper fender and some plastic trim. Damage to the Eclipse? Total. Folded that little car in half.
I have difficulty believing mass+thick sheet metal is less safe than crumple zones and paper thin sheet metal. Though I do wish there was a cheap way to install aftermarket air bags.
Eli
Do what I did to one of my mowers that was knocking, pull of the side if the crankcase, unbolt the con rod, on a belt sander grind some metal off the conrod cap mating surfaces, bolt rod back together and use a drill powered hone to cut the big end back to original specs
Do what I did to one of my mowers that was knocking, pull of the side if the crankcase, unbolt the con rod, on a belt sander grind some metal off the conrod cap mating surfaces, bolt rod back together and use a drill powered hone to cut the big end back to original specs
I've owned one of the 20" $99 lawnmowers before. About the weakest point with it is where the wheels were bolted on - because the wheels were directly bolted to the stamped metal that made the body of the mower bed. I reinforced mine with added washers. After about 7 years, I gave it to a friend who lived on a few acres and was going to use it for some trim mowing around trees.
Good idea!Originally posted by: Roger
Eli
Do what I did to one of my mowers that was knocking, pull of the side if the crankcase, unbolt the con rod, on a belt sander grind some metal off the conrod cap mating surfaces, bolt rod back together and use a drill powered hone to cut the big end back to original specs
But shouldn't you mic the crankpin and compensate for wear there with a slightly under factory spec diameter?
lol...Originally posted by: DurocShark
Still waay OT, but....
My wife got T-boned in a newer Toyota. The only thing that kept her from being crushed was the seats mashing together. The center console shattered, and my wife's hip got a hairline fracture. (Bad for my sex life for a long time!)
If she'd been driving my old 71 LTD, she'd be fine and so would the car. What hit her? 95 Accord. that little car would have bounced off the LTD.
Another accident: My wife was driving our 84 Volvo. She T-boned a little Mitsubishi Eclipse. Damage to the Volvo included bumper fender and some plastic trim. Damage to the Eclipse? Total. Folded that little car in half.
I have difficulty believing mass+thick sheet metal is less safe than crumple zones and paper thin sheet metal. Though I do wish there was a cheap way to install aftermarket air bags.
It is not simply that newer cars are predictable, but that old cars are not.
In small to moderate to even some large accidents, older and tougher vehicles may very well fare better. However, assuming that you have a good driver, newer vehicles will probably better at accident avoidance, and in a situation where there is contact, newer vehicles will buckle predictably for the most part.
pRobably more than 50% of the time (yes I pulled the statistic out of my ass
) an older and stronger vehicle will fare better in terms of vehicle damage and occupant injury. However, when the cars do end up buckling, the result is disasterous. Thick steel sheets + human flesh = bad.
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