1980's HOVER MOWER - Can We Fix It?
2022 ж. 27 Мау.
446 319 Рет қаралды
This barn find hover mower does not run. It has been left unloved for many years. The whole thing needs sprucing up. Can we fix it?
Thank you to my Patrons
/ daggerwin
This barn find hover mower does not run. It has been left unloved for many years. The whole thing needs sprucing up. Can we fix it?
Thank you to my Patrons
/ daggerwin
i never seen a hover mower not even heard of it very enjoyable to watch thank you for this great video
Yup me neither
Same here, the algorithms hittin good today
Sames
Same
I've seen ads for this type of mower years ago. I believe that Husqvarna sold one painted up in their color scheme. One of the selling points was they could trim grass right along the waters edge of a pond or lake. No wheels to sink down into the mud.
Not sure how much this gets said, but your photography and pacing (through descriptions and editing) are excellent. Thank you so much for sharing your work.
Agreed. Love the methodical and professional approach to troubleshooting.
This comment made me watch the video thank you son
I’m pretty sure this has nothing to do with photography
@@stargamer7576 he is using a photography tool In a creative manner?
Cum se repara demarou la acest tip de motor. Mulțumesc frumos
Great video! Big scratch in the bore doesn't seem to affect it at all! Just thinking of all the people that binned this mower when all they needed was a tiny little washer on the fuel tank to get it working.
It can't even mow near a small sidewalk. It is pure bin liner
@@MushookieMan Cannot mow near a small sidewalk? What do you mean?
@@dustinschings7042 I think they mean that going over the edge of the sidewalk will cause it to lose its cushion, as the gap between the grass and concrete would let all the lifting air out.
@@MushookieMan weedwacker🤡
It's 1am and I just watched a video about a lawnmower and I have work in the morning. Bravo Sir! No Regrets!!
For some strange reason when you cut the grass at the end, it was the most satisfying cut I've seen you do. Great job as always.
We had one in 1980 and 81. It was hard to learn to control it at first as a 12 year old tasked with cutting the grass. Eventually it made the mowing much easier than a wheeled mower on our sloped yard. Glad to see it in action at the end!
This was the most oddly satisfying lawn mower I have ever seen used I can't help but think it had to be fun to use.
I had both a 2cycle and a 4 cycle. I'm not fond of 2cycles but it floated better because of the higher rpms. The 4 cycle you had to run wide open(I actually opened it up and put the rpms on the 4cycle above the recommended rpms so it would "float" better. It was hard on it, but as you implied those older 4cycles were pretty indestructible. Mine did burn oil and smoked a bit because of hard use, also when I acquired mine the cooling fins were clogged which didn't help it any. The overheating of the engines As you know causes a motor to wear down much faster. As usual you did a great job on this video
Man I can only imagine the conversation when the neighbors first saw this thing. As always amazing video so relaxing having you walk us through the process of a restoration. Thanks for the video I needed this
In 88' I worked for a gas station outfit called Pester Derby, across from the Firestone plant in Des Moines, Iowa. The ditch out front was prone to holding water and had some fairly steep sides so I'd mow it using the Flymo. Every time I brought it over it'd stop traffic as people got out to look at it. Still have it, but I haven't been able to get it to start.
@@yourseatatthetable so Iv never used one, but I have it in my head that it just glides super smooth, or was it pushing a lead weight across the grass? I seriously must know the answer.
@@mykeg2401 I found them to be quite easy to push although they can be a bit tricky. When the salesman came by to show it to my dad it was late November and there was a light frost on the ground. The back yard is sloped, and dad let go of it. The mower started to pivot slowly and head down hill on it's own. It also floated on water as more than once I was that ditch with half a foot or more of water in the bottom, mowing the grass. One of the reasons dad bought it, aside from the curiosity factor, was that these things are great on steep slopes. You can swing it back and forth with a bit of effort and mow in an arc. The brochure (which I don't think I kept after dad passed) showed how you could tie a rope to the handle and mow long slopes from the top. It's light, too. Fold up the handle and you can carry it one handed like a suitcase. A common misconception is that it "flies", which isn't true. On the Flymo there's a blower thing just above the blade. Air gets sucked in through a filter and hose attached to the handle and 'lifts' the deck, like a hovercraft. So the clearance off the ground is quite low. I used to show off by standing and swinging the mower one handed in a circle around me on a flat surface like pavement or gravel.
I just Googled and apparently Husqvarna still manufactures and sells Flymo's. They didn't catch on in the mid west as best I know, but I had heard that the were popular in Europe and both the NE and NW states because they'll mow wet grass fairly well and handle the steeper hills, etc.
@@yourseatatthetable that is so cool! Thanks for answering that burning question for me. these mowers are just so interesting. I noticed that arc you were talking about the video. I could see this little guy being useful for an in between cut. They just don’t make cool stuff like this anymore.
I used to use one of those hovercraft mowers at a Swanky Hotel in New hampshire. They were great for mowing the steep hills between the parking lots, just swing it back and forth as you walk down the hill, not so great for the flat areas. FYI, those foam air filters are supposed to have oil in them. Just pour some clean engine oil on it and squeeze out as much as you can.
50 50 oil and petrol. Makes it a bit easier to get the oil in
@@tortron adding gas will degrade the foam and thin the oil... Its better to do as the first person posted, pour oil on and squeeze out the excess
@@theguy9208 you thin the oil so it gets through the foam easier, then the fuel evaporates. You don't worry about the oil being degraded because you just want it to catch dirt, not run in an engine. Keep in mind that even factory manuals say use gasoline to clean the filter foam when it's dirty
I've never heard of a "hover mower" until this video. I wonder how it does on inclines? Thx for the content. Very well done.
They were sold as ideal for the sides of ditches. The commercial (might be one out there on YT) showed it being swung left and right by a person standing at the top of the ditch
Perfectly fine, only edges are a problem. I used mine in a yard that pretty much sloped every which way and never had any issues.
seems like it would lead to an uneven cut in general.
@@forthwithtx5852 not sure I'd want to run a four stroke on the side of a ditch.
@@ianpegge9967 Actually they work pretty well. At my workplace we use it to cut the slopes around the Clubhouse where you would not wanna use a handmower
So glad to have found a restoration channel that isn't afraid to talk on camera! You are in the tiny minority of non-mute restoration youtubers. Subscribed!
I appreciate your narration very much. Reminds me of when I wasn't bored at school
I'm very impressed on how good it cut it looked almost effortless to move around very cool
I wonder if this design was actually revolutionary. Maybe it had its flaws considering its not mainstream
@@fauststeele323 probably just fuel inefficient, also it could have problems on steeper slopes. Otherwise it seems perfect
You did a great job taking the engine apart and cleaning it up and getting it back together . That's great how that thing mows grass, I had seen them on TV before, but never in person . I would love to have one . Thanks for the video and see you later . Take care and stay safe . 🤗👍💫
Excellent work! Very likely the most graceful mower we've seen you operate.
You do superb work. Very precise and easily understood as well as very good camera angles.
I've owned a Flymo with a two stroke Tecumseh once with the air filter snorkel going up the handlebars. I liked it but the only complaints I have about it is it is awkward to move with no wheels, even with the lighter two stroke engine. The 2stroke muffler cooks the deck & cracked around the engine mount & I had to reinforce with jb-weld, metal sheets, wire pins & rivets & heat shield. A four stroke would be a bit more tricky to move because they don't like to be tipped sideways or upside down as the oil will drain in to the carb or out the breather. There is also a chance of flipping it on un evan/steep ground or by swinging it too fast, just be careful. Another sketchy thing is mine didn't have an engine kill release safety leaver on the handle bar or a "Deadman switch" to shut it off absent of an operator, I've seen video's of someone using one for a shuffleboard puck in there garage, yikes. One other flaw is the thrust generated for it to hover also flattens the grass. to change the cutting height, the blade has to be shimmed up or down. Novel machine, anyways CHEERS......
Still got the one my dad bought in the 80's. It was in storage for over 20 years and wouldn't start the last time I tried.
Worked on one of those in my auto shop class a few months ago. Absolute nightmare to work on but beautiful when it gets going
Air cleaner is supposed to have a teaspoon of motor oil added then squeeze the filter to disperse it evenly across the foam.
Personally, I don't think there is much use for safety switches like that, but perhaps they are a little more applicable for this particular style of mower if there is a risk of it tipping over. It would still be better to have an 'upright' switch/safety but that might be hard to implement and/or unreliable
@@rolls_8798 I've never had mine tip over, probably less likely then wheeled mowers would on a steep slope. No, what they'll do is get away from you if you let go of the handle. slide down hill easily, even spin slowly, and can (it's happened to my dad once back in the day) drift out over water like a pond, and then your forced to wade in after it.
Had a store brand mower with a Briggs engine of that style when I was a kid. Despite it not getting the best of care it ran flawlessly. I hated mowing, especially that mower, and was always dismayed the thing would start on the second or third pull so I couldn't claim "mower won't run". Outlived the mower deck by a couple decades at least.
Great job! I love how you explain everything that you are doing..
Nice fix it and unusual to see a 4 stroke! Thanks as always for sharing
The fact that this thing actually works is astounding! I wonder why the hovering design never seems to have taken off.
You are not only a great restorer, but also a great narrator.
Great video and content. I look forward to seeing your new restoration videos, thanks.👍🏻👌🏻
my dad had one of these back in the day and loved it , we started cutting grass for neighbors then and he bought a" flymo contractor " wich was a larger version that had a set of transport wheels which you could fold up when mowing , it was excellent for doing steep banks etc .
We don't have anything like that across the pond. I have never seen a machine like this before. This was very interesting. Thank you for doing this.
i need one of these in my life..... what a simple piece of engineering... well done again
I thought this title was clickbait. I'm very happy it isn't! Never seen a hover mower before, very cool.
The quality of the voice-over and videography is amazing.Brilliant
Excellent!! Engine has plenty of power for this application, great video all round 👍
This seems brilliant! There have to be several good reasons why I've never heard of these, and why they don't still make them, but I want one!
Fantastic video! I used to have a 2 stroke flymo L47 pilot, really powerful and easily glided over the tall grass, even in the wet, I have only seen a few Allen hover mowers. As always, keep up the amazing work👍
Thank you very very much for another awesome video. Your photography, commentary and content are excellent. I also have been enjoying your channel. ❤🇨🇦
I've never seen nor heard of this type of mower. It's pretty cool. Thank you doin this video
Wow!!! Crazy crazy machine!! Great job!!! Appreciate it!!
I live in Canada and I have never seen one of these before. :). Great video and good job.
Very cool project. That is awesome you got it running again.
Put some 1/4 and 3/8" nuts in the tank and shake shake shake when cleaning it out. Brush off the intake screen before assembling to tank. Leading edge of blade should be 1/16" flat. Great Fix, thanks. Safety Toed Boots recommended!
Love your work. The 2 stroke Flymos were around 50 years ago and it is a great pity they are not still available. We used to lower them with a rope down a slope that was too steep to stand. Anything that high speed blade touched was instantly vaporized.
I love your videos man I respect all the attention you put into these machines keep it up you’re doing a great job! I can’t wait for the next video to come out. You remind me of “my mechanics”
Awesome video! i have always wondered what these looked like. Love You videos and your attention to the details. keep up the Awesome work. :)
brilliant video very informative thank you
i have the one with the honda engine on to do,but you make it look so easy and do a really great job on all your projects well done
"ok as you saw, it doesnt work" for some reason that cracked me up, the british accent and perfectly calm demeanor is just fantastic.
Man I must say you go very in depth before starting this I’ve drug old Kohler powered tractors home thrown points at em dump and hose down the carb and go right to starting it pretty neat to see it done your way
I worked at a golf course many moons ago and we used these to cut steep canal banks. We would tie ropes on the handles and swing them like a pendulum to cut the lower parts of the embankments. Great memories! Fly on Flymo !
It cleaned up pretty good man & it seems to work great. Cheers mate
We had a lawnmower with that same Briggs engine growing up. It ran for 20+ years with absolutely no maintenance and it was ran totally out of oil many many times. They are bullet proof engines.
we knew ours needed oil when it would stall out and freeze up. cool her down and top off the oil and ready for a few more years of deffered maintenence and use.
@@mrpbright yep! that is exactly what we did! I'm not proud of it but as a kid I didnt know better lol the replacement Kholer mower only lasted 3 years.
I love watching these kinds of videos. Thank you!
I too have the Flymo version with the Tecumseh 2 stroke engine and the breather tube up on the handle bars. I believe mine is from the late 1960's or early 1970's as it belonged to my neighbor when I was a child. It has been hanging on the wall in my garage for close to 20 years. It does start and run but you have to have it full throttle for it to hover. It seems like it would be a great idea but it is hard to mow in a straight line or tell where you have mowed when the grass isn't too tall. There's no wheel marks in the yard to gauge your last pass. Using it swinging side to side is a job because inertia requires some effort to stop a swing and change directions. Therefore I found it to be quite hard on my back. But for mowing banks it does pretty well and it does mulch the grass up pretty well. You've given me the urge to go fetch it down and see if it will start after all these years. Your videos are great and very well done. I am glad I have found your channel. Cheers.
"This is a hover mower, you've probably seen one before" Ummmm... No, but that looks super cool and I want one now.
Hi recently I have been fixing a flymo after watching your restoration videos. It is a 2 stroke and runs now.
Good job as usual my friend...In Australia these type of mowers (Toro) retail for between $1.100...$1400 AUD.
Just found your channel today, instant subscribe. Wonderful voice! Great content. Will probably learn a thing or two.
We found that the Flymo was great on the lawn in NZ but when we moved to Queensland it struggled with the rougher terrain. NZ was very green and soft soil where QLD was dry and dusty. Great machine tho and very reliable.
Another nice video and cool machine. “Choke-a-matic” sounds like a golf putter😉
I've never seen a Hover mower, is that just something across the pond? You learn something new everyday, just shows to go you never get too old to learn something new! Cool mate, rock on 🤘!
I've seen them in a few European countries, usually Flymo (I think that was or is a Husqvarna brand). Surprisingly, you can still get new ones and they're surprisingly cheap (less than 100 pounds in the UK). They were never massively popular but you'd one them every once in a while.
Never saw one either..
Nice mower. I picked up a mint condition like new Flymo at auction for $20 a few years back. Took it home and hung it on the wall in the barn after briefly verifying it works. One of these days, probably after I'm dead, it will sell for thousands of dollars! 🙂
My Dad had one of these. Had never seen or heard of one. But he did repair of small engines as he was a retired mechanic. It worked quite well actually and was fun to use.
My husband told me what he was watching and I told him no way, that’s not a thing lol He sent me the link. Pretty neat, I’ve never heard of or seen these before. Thanks for the really informative video
Thanks for the video!
Cuts pretty good, good job!
These were interesting novelties of the time. Another great video.
You convey to me the amazement of these ancient machines.
the majority of these machines were used by professional groundskeeping maintenance departments ie ; golf course , local parks , etc... pretty sure they were never intended for the average residential consumer 😇❤️
Electric hover mowers were somewhat popular for small gardens back in the 80s and 90s round here, fairly small, lightweight and easy to maneuver when running because they can go sideways and turn on the spot. I liked the Flymo I got for free as a kid but it was extremely worn so I eventually retired it. Putting the massive weight of a petrol engine on a hover mower kinda seems to defeat the object.
I love how you can do fs and then do this you are so hard working
Excellent, well narrated video as always. Superb! Question/Suggestion about the flatness of the gasket surface of the fuel tank: Would it not be possible to take a file or a flat sanding block and flatten the gasket surface of the fuel tank, so that it's all on one plane? This approach is often used on other sealing surfaces that have warped over time, and it works great. I was shocked to hear that you were considering replacing the tank, because it seems to be otherwise in great shape?
I had no idea this kind of mower existed. Great video.
Wow dont see many people actually use the vacuum why working on something to keep the work space clean. Awesome job sir!!!
If memory serves me, I first saw hover mowers in the late 60's on golf course's on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I used to see a rope, but usually with a pole attached to handle, mow height adjustable, to mow side hills around greens and bunkers.
We used these Flymo's in Florida for mowing between trees and plants that were on the edge of lakes or retention ponds in some large office parks. (They did quite a number on snakes!). The easiest way to get it across the parking lot or down the street was to leave it running. It was hard to push it straight, so you'd walk with it and let it circle you as you walked. Just let it go behind you, reach back and switch hands on the handle, and then let it circle around in front of you. The engine torque would make it do that. It wasn't very noticeable on grass, but on flat asphalt, it wanted to go. If you just let go of it, DON'T! lol I saw a guy try it and it was a bitch to catch it. (Like catching a helicopter). They were good on wet, steep hills. Stand above it and swing it back and forth in a big arc.
My uncle Stumpy always raved about his Hover Mower.
I need one of these, mowing looks so effortless
Never heard of a hover mower before so that made this twice as interesting!
Great video dagger ..I'm restoring my grandpa's Ford 8N tractor and I know how the pain feels
Awesome. Briggs are always super easy to fix. Extremely easy
This was very well presented. I was waiting for you to mention that the air filter screw needs to be in place if you are testing this style of carb, and indeed you covered that. It's a runner, definitely, so well done. I notice that it has the larger, quieter muffler (what B&S called "Super Low Tone"). Most of those 9 cubic inch models I have seen here in the US came with the round mufflers, but I always would upgrade my equipment to a quieter muffler, like this one. So I have a question about that - was the larger, quieter muffler standard equipment in the UK? Perhaps required by regulations? Anyway, it's nice to see a solid old piece of equipment saved, and not scrapped.
What a cool machine. I only saw the flymo here in Australia and it ran off 240v. Never knew there was a 4 stroke or 2 stroke version.
Oh great, now something else I need in my collection !
The fact that it doesn’t bog down is amazing. They sure don’t make anything like they used to
I love this thing! And your videos I need to add a mower like this to my collection
I kept the Flymow that my dad bought new back in the early 80's. It hasn't started in over 20 years since it's been in storage mostly. It was the only yard tool my dad had that survived the garage fire in 84' because I had it in the trunk of my car. The thing looks in pretty good condition but I couldn't get it to start the last time I tried a couple of years ago.
Maybe time to try again!!
Excellent video :) never used one those machines and but so cool for sure 👍!
I can see why that design is prone to grass build up. Not enough "freeboard". Mowers with wheels have enough ground clearance so most of the cut grass stays under the mower deck. That side ways mowing is pretty neat though, makes short work of mowing the lawn. Good video. El Mirage, Arizona USA
I've always used an old school bench grinder for sharpening my mower blades, never thought to use an angle grinder, gonna have to try that one out.. edit: also should thank the algorithm for putting this video in front of me on a lazy Sunday with nothing to do. I normally watch at least 3 videos before I sub but this one video earned mine.
Hi dagg, nice video!
Way cooler than a regular mower and more convenient I'd love to have one.
I remember these when I was a kid! Looks like it's a lot of fun to use. One thing though, does it cut the grass lower in the spot that you start it? I just imagine it stalling a few times and mowing crop circles in your yard lol.
I love how it glides on the surface. Wish my mower could go side-to-side
This thing surprisingly make pretty good passes and looks neat! Very good for hard to reach areas I’d imagine so that way less use of a weed eater, I’d love to have one especially for soft wet ground areas
This is my first hover mower I’ve seen very interesting. On the fuel tank surface to get it back level could you use a sanding block with say medium grit sandpaper to resurface where the carburetor goes to level it out?
The FlyMo. We used to use these on a golf course in VA in the early 90s. They were great for embankments. I think one of the guys messed up his foot with one. Anyhow. Great piece of gear, wish I had one now.
I remember when these came out. I wanted my parents to get one so badly. You could only get them mail order, if I remember right. Kind of like the ads for "Troy Built" rototillers. We never got one. I think we had a Craftsman for nearly the entire time I lived at home. Same mower. And it wasn't self propelled either. The first self propelled more I ever used was the one I bought in about 2000 when I bought my first house. I still have it.
Another excellent video. Just wondering if all the oil slathered over everything was someone's old school quick and dirty winter storage routine wherein old engine oil was painted over to protect from rust?
Never seen a hover mower, great video.
Why do I not see these everywhere? I'm sure there's a good reason, but not having to work around wheels would be awesome. This is one of the most retro-future things I've ever seen lol
I very much enjoy your narrated videos
I would love to have one of these. That would be a very useful machine to have.
"this is a hover mower, I'm sure you've seen them before" Yeah, in science fiction! They must be nearly unheard of in the USA. Learned something new today. Lol.
The mower I learned to cut grass with as a child had that exact Briggs and Stratton motor on it. It's been a long long time since I saw that motor.