[twocycle]

I was given a Jacobsen commercial push mower. I was told that it had not been started in 25 years. I have it running and I would like to restore this mower. If anyone could give me some history/info on this mower I would appreciate it, especially a source for decals and a replacement white knob for the choke/run/stop lever, or if someone has a picture or brochure of what this mower looked like when it was new.

Thanks in advance, Jason

 

[Austen]

Wow, now that is a nicely preserved Jake! It's neat how most of the original paint is still intact. It'll definitely be a great solid restoration candidate!

If you by chance don't already know, here is a site where you can date what year it is by means of the serial #: Hit & Miss Model's Jacobsen serial number lookup for products made before 1975

The engine is called a 321 and was build by Jacobsen. The hp is around 2 1/4 depending on the year and the fuel mixture should be 16:1 unless otherwise noted. Use SAE 30 weight non-detergent oil with the mixture, not the modern 2 cycle lubricants as they simply were not designed to be ran in these plain bronze bearing engines. It's best to place it safe and do it like they did in the old days rather than potentially causing pre-mature wear on the engine by using the modern lubricants.

You can try contacting Jacobsen, giving them your serial number and they might be able to supply you with an original manual for your mower. Otherwise, keep a kean eye out for one on Ebay. Jacobsen - Renowned for Turf Maintenance Solutions

If you send me a pm with your email address, I will forward you an engine service manual (multiple attachments) which you may like to have!

Definitely keep us updated on your resto!

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Good looking mower!

Reminds me of the Jakes the city parks department used as trim mowers through the late 60's and 70's. The Jakes took care of the spots the Cub Lo Boy towing gang reel mowers could not go.

 

[Austen]

I like the size of the gas tank...that'll last you a good long while!

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Fill it in the morning, top it off at lunch, and it would probably still have some gas in it come time to go home for the day no more then those little engines burned.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Wow, that is a nice one. And you can't beat the price either! What sort of cutting blade does it have? Is it a bar or one of Jacobsens disc set ups with the four blades? If it's the four blade type, I might have new replacement blades for you for the price of postage.

Yes, Jacobsen/Textron is great about getting back to your requests for information about vintage equipment. Include the serial number that is on that plate attached to the back of the deck. I see there is also a tag attached to the lower back side of the engine. I'd include that as well. More often than not, what they send is a parts list, but occasionally they'll find a manual in their archives as well. So far as actual in your hand manuals, they turn up on ebay every now and then. There is one seller in particular who lists lots of vintage Jake manuals. You have to wait and see what he has because he evidently has a huge box of them somewhere and just pulls which ever one is on the top to list.

I also have a Jacobsen Engine Service Manual that covers the 1959 and 1960 models of their engines, but I really don't think there was much different about them over the years. And it is big. That's why your email address is needed. It won't fit here. I should have done a lower resolution when I transfered it, but if you ever want to print it out, it should be a good one. Here is an excerpt from it that covers the recommended fuel and oil, and every publication or decal on a Jacobsen tank I've seen say the same thing.


There is a fellow over on SmokStak forums who I would call the guru of vintage Jakes if you ever wanted to know all there is to know.

 

[twocycle]

Thanks guys for all the comment, help, and information.

Here is a video of it running.... Jacobsen Commercial Push Mower - YouTube

And a few pictures of the muffler and blade.....

 

[bwdbrn1]

Sweet

 

[rhenning]

If that was my mower the first thing I would do is take the recoil off and turn it half a turn and reinstall so you are not putting you foot into/near the mower outlet port when starting it. I am sure that was the way it was originally built. Roger

 

[Austen]

Even better, we got a video too! Awesome!

It's always a treat to hear these machines run. Thanks for posting it.

 

[twocycle]

If that was my mower the first thing I would do is take the recoil off and turn it half a turn and reinstall so you are not putting you foot into/near the mower outlet port when starting it. I am sure that was the way it was originally built. Roger

I thought the same thing until I saw this..............look at the writing on the discharge chute

 

[rhenning]

As long as you are doing Jacobsen I thought I would post a couple of pictures of my frankenmower Jacobsen. The deck is from a 1969 21 inch 4 blade push mower. Original engine was a 321 as that commercial has but it is pretty far gone. I replaced it with a 4.5 HP Subaru Robin 4 cycle engine and treated it to new ball bearing wheels. Still uses the 4 blades. Today was the first day I had it running and seems to be good so far. It will be a while before we have grass here in southern Wisconsin to really try and use it. Roger

 

[rhenning]

I would still change the recoil no matter what the idiots at Jacobsen wrote on the deck. It is not worth someone losing toes over. Roger

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Thanks for the video!

I always questioned the wisdom of the pull rope making you stand in front of the discharge chute on mine though I've never turned it around. While crouched down on left knee I always put my left hand either on the handle or top of the engine and right foot against the right front wheel. Always seemed like the best way to keep from pulling it onto my feet if it kicked back.

Oh and make sure there are no rocks under it for it to fire into your crotch when it starts.

 

[twocycle]

As long as you are doing Jacobsen I thought I would post a couple of pictures of my frankenmower Jacobsen. The deck is from a 1969 21 inch 4 blade push mower. Original engine was a 321 as that commercial has but it is pretty far gone. I replaced it with a 4.5 HP Subaru Robin 4 cycle engine and treated it to new ball bearing wheels. Still uses the 4 blades. Today was the first day I had it running and seems to be good so far. It will be a while before we have grass here in southern Wisconsin to really try and use it. Roger

I like your frankemower!! It is good to see old decks like that still being used today. Did you have to any special fabrication to the deck to mount that robin engine or did it just bolt up to the deck?

 

[rhenning]

It just bolted to the deck but I had to use 3 spacers between the deck and the bottom of the motor. One for each mounting bolt. The original Jacobsen crankshaft was 1 3/16 inches long and the Robin had a 1 13/16 inch cranksaft. 1/2 inch spacers got the blade back in the right location. Roger

 

[twocycle]

I emailed Jacobsen last Friday looking for any information that they could give me on this mower. They got back to me today with a owners manual,complete engine and mower parts list, and the year the mower was made 1964.

I found out few things, a hole that I thought was drilled by someone and not original turned out to be a deck washout port. You would run the engine at 3/4 throttle and direct a stream of water into the hole to clean the deck.

The engine specifications...ENGINE TYPE-Jacobsen 321 Super Torque Engine...HORSEPOWER- 3 H.P.

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Thanks for posting those images of the manual.

I saved and made a PDF file (2.84Mb) of them. If anyone wants a copy of the PDF file just send me a PM with your email and I send it out to you.

 

[bwdbrn1]

That's great how Jacobsen will send copies of the old manuals, isn't it.

Did they add a line at the end of their email saying they no longer support this product?

 

[twocycle]

Did they add a line at the end of their email saying they no longer support this product?

Yes, they did..... " Please be advised that due to the age of this product, Jacobsen no longer supports with parts."